Undergraduate Programs

Presently two departments offer undergraduate tracks in geophysics. Neither track results in a degree with "Geophysics" written on it, but both provide an education suitable for pursuing geophysics both at higher levels in graduate school or professionally. Undergraduate degrees in many other fields can be suitable preparation for graduate work in geophysics.

Listed below are the requirements for the geophysics track in Geological Sciences and in Physics to provide some guidance. Both are in addition to regular Arts and Science requirements. Not surprisingly, the geophysics track in Geological Sciences requires more geology and less physics than the track in Physics. Please consult the appropriate departments for complete details

Undergraduate Geophysics Programs

Geophysics Track

GEOL requirements:

  • GEOL 1000 level class (GEOL 1012 probably best)
  • GEOL 1030-3 Intro to Geology Lab
  • GEOL 2100-4 (Planet Earth)
  • GEOL 2105-4 (Earth Materials)
  • GEOL 2700-2 Intro to Field Geology
  • One Solid Earth course. Students choose one of the following: GEOL 3010, 3020, 3120, 3320, 3330, 3430 (i.e. Mineralogy; Petrology; Structural Geology; Geochemistry; Sedimentation and Stratigraphy; Geophysics)
  • One Surface Processes course. Students choose one of the following: GEOL 3030, 3320, 3410, 3430, 3820, 4060, 4070, 4160, 4241 (i.e. Hydrogeology; Geochemistry; Paleobiology; Sedimentology and Stratigraphy; Fluid Earth; Oceanography; Paleoclimatology; Biogeochemistry; Geomorphology)
  • One Quantitative Geoscience course. Students choose one of the following: GEOL 3010, 3030, 3330, 3820, 4241(i.e. Mineralogy; Hydrogeology; Fluid Earth; Geophysics; Geomorphology)
  • GEOL 3120-4 Structural Geology
  • GEOL 3330-3 Principles of Geophysics (prereq. MATH 1300, PHYS 1110)
  • GEOL 4714-2 Field Geophysics (prereq. GEOL2700, MATH 1300, PHYS 1110)


PHYS requirements:

  • PHYS 1110-4 and 1120-4 General Physics 1 and 2
  • PHYS 1140-1 Experimental Physics 1
  • PHYS 2130-3 OR 2170-3 General Physics 3
  • PHYS 2210-3 (co-requisite is APPM 2360) Classical Mechanics


MATH requirements:

  • MATH 1300 AND 2300 (or APPM 1350/1360) Calculus 1 and 2
  • MATH 2400-4 OR APPM 2350-4 Calculus 3 
  • MATH 3430 OR APPM 2360-4 Differential Equations w/ Linear Algebra


Two of the following MATH or PHYS courses:

  • PHYS 3210/3310/MATH 4470/APPM 4350-3 Mech 2/ E&M/Part Diff Eq


CHEMISTRY requirements:

  • CHEM 1113-4 AND 1133-4 General Chemistry 1 and 2
  • CHEM 1114-1 AND 1134-1 General Chemistry 1 and 2 lab

 (consult the )

Plan 2 (interdisciplinary physics; requires approval of advisor; from 2010-2011 physics advising guide)

PHYS requirements:

  • PHYS 1110-4 General Physics 1 (coreq MATH1300 or APPM 1350)
  • PHYS 1120-4 General Physics 2 (coreq MATH 2300/APPM1360, prereq PHYS 1110)
  • PHYS 1140-1 Experimental Physics 1 (prereq PHYS 1110, coreq PHYS 1120)
  • PHYS 2150-1 Experimental Physics (prereq PHYS 1120 & 1140)
  • PHYS 2170-3 or PHYS 2130(by petition) Found. of Modern Physics/General Physics 3 (prereq PHYS 1120, coreq MATH 2400/APPM 2350; prereq for 2130 also PHYS 1140 or ECEN 2250 & ECEN 3400)
  • PHYS 2210-3 Class Mech & Math Methods I (prereq PHYS 2130/2170, MATH 2400/APPM2350)
  • PHYS 3210-3 Class Mech & Math Methods 2(PHYS 3210, Analytical Mechanics, was taught the last time in Fall '05) * (prereq PHYS2210 & APPM 2360)
  • PHYS 3220-3 Quantum Mechanics 1 (prereq PHYS 2210/3210 and PHYS 2130/2170)
  • PHYS 3310-3 Electricity & Magnetism 1 (prereq PHYS 2210 and PHYS 2130/2170)
  • PHYS 3320-3 Electricity & Magnetism 2 (prereq PHYS 3310)
  • PHYS 3330-2 Junior Laboratory Electronics for Phys. Sciences (prereq PHYS 2130 & 2150)
  • PHYS 4230-3 Thermodynamics & Statistical Mechanics (prereq PHYS 3220 & APPM 2360)

Plus 3 hours of one of the following: PHYS3340, 4150, 4340, 4410, 4430, 4450, 4510, 4610/20/30, 4801, 4810/20/30, 4840/50, 5030, 5040, 5700, 5770

MATH requirements:

  • MATH 1300-5 or APPM 1350-4 Calculus 1
  • MATH 2300-5 or APPM 1360-4 Calculus 2
  • MATH 2400-4 or APPM 2350-4 Calculus 3
  • APPM 2360-4 OR MATH 3130-3 and 4430-3 Differential Equations and Linear Algebra

CHEM requirements:

  • CHEM 1113-4 & 1114-1 General Chemistry 1 & lab (or CHEM 1351)
  • CHEM 1133-4 & 1134-1 General Chemistry 2 & lab (or CHEM 1371)

GEOL suggestions: (12 hours from list below)

  • GEOL 3010-3 - Introduction to Mineralogy 
  • GEOL 3030-3 - Introduction to Hydrogeology 
  • GEOL 3120-4 - Structural Geology 1 
  • GEOL 4060-3 - Oceanography 
  • GEOL 4093-4 - Remote Sensing of the Environment 
  • GEOL 4130-3 - Principles of Geophysics 
  • GEOL 4640-3 - Glaciology (not given regularly) 
  • GEOL 4714-2 - Field Geophysics