General University Requirements

Students pursuing bachelor’s degrees complete a series of liberal education requirements. Geology students take courses in English composition, mathematics, foreign language, humanities, fine arts, social sciences and basic sciences.

Recognition

In statewide competition, Kent State’s undergraduate geology program received special recognition from the Ohio Board of Regents, which awarded the department a “Program Excellence” grant of $145,000. Kent State has the only geology department in the state of Ohio to have received this recognition since the inception of these awards in 1983. The funds were used to acquire instructional equipment, upgrade departmental library materials and maps and initiate an undergraduate internship program.

Scholarships

To defray the special cost of the Summer Field Camp, a number of scholarships are available to qualified undergraduates. These are awarded annually by the department and by several of the student organizations within the department. Additionally, the department awards the Glenn W. Frank Scholarship to especially promising majors at the junior level. Its goal is to reduce the cost of tuition for recipients during their senior year.

Internships

To provide additional support for students and strong credentials upon graduation, the department coordinates a paid summer internship program for qualified undergraduate majors. Based on their academic/employment background and home location, sophomore through senior majors are placed with local resource companies, environmental firms and engineering testing companies for the entire summer.

Facilities

The Department of Geology occupies three floors of McGilvrey Hall, a comprehensive facility for instruction and research in geology. In addition to teaching areas, hall displays, darkrooms and preparation labs for rocks, minerals and fossils, there are more than 20 individual research labs for petroleum studies, X-ray analysis, sedimentology, ground water evaluation, surface water studies, engineering testing, geophysics, exploration geochemistry, computer modeling and simulation, chemical analysis and microscopy.

Major specialized equipment includes a scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive X-ray, luminoscope, X-ray diffraction units, X-radiography instrument, an automated atomic absorption spectrophotometer, a plasma spectrometer, a liquid ion chromatography, colorimetric spectrophotometer, a portable gamma-ray spectrometer, field and paleomagnetic spinner magnetometers, compression/tension testing machines, triaxial tester, multichannel seismograph, truck-mounted drill rig, general surveying equipment and a wide array of computers.

Undergraduate Student Organizations

The Kent State University Geological Society provides an opportunity for geology majors to participate in extracurricular geological and social activities. Students also can join the Kent State chapter of Sigma Gamma Epsilon, a national geological honorary society active in a variety of service, professional and social areas and dedicated to professionalism and advancement in geology. Those with special interests in engineering geology may participate in the Kent State University Association of Engineering Geologists, one of 21 such student chapters nationwide, whose purpose is to promote interest and activity in applied geology.