University of Montana Catalog 2023-2024

Geosciences B.S. - Earth Science Education Concentration

Individuals interested in teaching in K-12 schools must complete a degree in the content area they want to teach plus the teacher preparation program through the Department of Teaching and Learning. Individuals must complete the teaching track within that degree program, which may contain different course requirements than the non-teaching track since the sequence of courses is designed to meet state standards. Upon completion of the degree program with the teaching track and the secondary licensure program, one will be eligible for a standard Montana teaching license in this content area.

Bachelor of Science - Geosciences; Earth Science Education Concentration

General Education Requirements

Information regarding these requirements can be found in the General Education Section of the catalog. 

Summary

Lower-Division Core Courses11
Geosciences Core
Environmental Geoscience Course
Upper-Division Geoscience Courses21
Upper-Division Geoscience Core Courses
Upper-Division Geoscience Elective Course
Physics10
Chemistry9
Math8
Astronomy3
Teaching Methods Course4
Total Hours66

Degree Specific Credits: 66

Required Cumulative GPA: 2.0

Note: Students must be formally admitted to the Teacher Education Program and complete all of the professional education licensure requirements. See the Department of Teaching and Learning in the College of Education for more information. A major GPA of 2.75 is required to be eligible for student teaching. This major does not qualify as a single field endorsement. Individuals must complete the teaching track of a second major or minor in another content area.

Lower-Division Core

Geosciences Core

Complete all of the following courses:
GEO 101NIntroduction to Physical Geology3
GEO 102NIntroduction to Physical Geology Lab1
GEO 201Geologic Evolution of North America4
Total Hours8

Minimum Required Grade: C-

Environmental Geoscience Course

Complete the following course:
GEO 105NOceanography3
Total Hours3

Minimum Required Grade: C-


Upper-Division Geoscience Courses

Upper-Division Geoscience Core Courses

Complete all of the following courses:
GEO 302Mineralogy and Optical Mineralogy4
GEO 304EScience and Society3
GEO 315Structural Geology4
GEO 318Earth's Changing Climate3
Total Hours14

Minimum Required Grade: C-

Elective Upper-Division Geoscience Course

Note: GEO 320 is recommended to complete the upper division writing requirement in Geosciences but students may also select from the university-approved list of upper division writing courses to fulfill this requirement.

Complete one additional GEO course at the 300- or 400-level.3
Minimum Required Grade: C- 

Physics

Complete one of the following Physics sequences:10
Algebra- and Trigonometry-based Physics:
College Physics I
and College Physics I Laboratory
College Physics II
and College Physics II Laboratory
Calculus-based Physics:
Fundamentals of Physics with Calculus I
and Physics Laboratory I with Calculus
Fundamentals of Physics with Calculus II
and Physics Laboratory II with Calculus
Total Hours10

Minimum Required Grade: C-


Chemistry

Complete all of the following courses:
CHMY 121NIntroduction to General Chemistry4
CHMY 485Laboratory Safety1
Total Hours5

Minimum Required Grade: C-


Mathematics

Rule: Complete one math and one statistics course.

Complete all of the following courses:4
M 162Applied Calculus4
or M 171 Calculus I
STAT 216Introduction to Statistics4
Total Hours12

 Minimum Required Grade: C-


Astronomy

Complete the following course:
ASTR 131NPlanetary Astronomy3
Total Hours3

Minimum Required Grade: C-


Teaching Methods Course

Note: The EDU 497 course number is used for multiple courses. Students should register for EDU 497 Methods: 5-12 Science.

Complete the following course:
EDU 497Teaching and Assessing4
Total Hours4

Minimum Required Grade: C-


Secondary Teaching Licensure

Note: For endorsement to teach Earth Science, a student also must gain admission to the Teacher Education Program and meet all the requirements for secondary teaching licensure. For more information, see the Teaching and Learning Department