Geosciences Minor
The Geosciences minor is a six-course program open to students of all majors. Students interested in pursuing this minor are advised to complete GEOS 150 (Introduction to Geology) no later than fall semester sophomore year, and they are advised to declare the minor no later than the end of spring semester junior year.
The curriculum is as follows:
Geosciences minors must successfully complete one required course:
- GEOS 150 Introduction to Geology w/lab
Students must also complete five additional Geosciences electives, chosen from the following. No more than one semester of research for credit may be counted toward the minor.
- GEOS 199 Geohazards*
- GEOS 199 Habitable Planets*
- GEOS 210 Geomorphology w/lab
- GEOS 270 Watershed Hydrology w/lab
- GEOS 299 Environmental Geophysics w/lab
- GEOS 310 Paleoclimatology
- GEOS 350 Oceanography
- GEOS 401 Undergraduate Research
- GEOS 407 Honors Research
- BIOL 233 Freshwater Ecology w/lab
- BIOL 401 Undergraduate Research (topic must be relevant to geosciences)
- BIOL 407 Honors Research (topic must be relevant to geosciences)
*Students can count only ONE "non-majors" geosciences class (100-level, no lab) toward the minor.
New courses may be added to this list as appropriate.
Because the Geosciences draw on tools and techniques from many disciplines, students may substitute one Geosciences elective with one of these complimentary courses. All pre- or co-requisites must be satisfied.
- BIOL 275 Biological Statistics
- CHEM 231 Equilibrium and Reactivity w/lab
- CSCI 131 Techniques of Programming
- ENVS 247 Introduction to Geographical Information Systems
- MATH 220 Statistics
- MATH 303 Mathematical Models
- PHYS 115 General Physics I
Students may count up to two pre-approved geosciences courses taken through the Higher Education Consortium of Central Massachusetts or a Holy Cross Study Abroad program toward their electives. At least four of the five electives/complementary courses must be at the 200 or 300 level (or equivalent). Students ordinarily may not count more than two courses taken for their major toward the Geosciences minor.