The undergraduate Geosciences program at Virginia Tech offers studies through three options: Geology, Geochemistry, and Geophysics. They involve the study of earth materials, earth processes, earth structure, and earth history. The differences lie primarily in the means of observation, and in the approaches and tools they use:

• Geologists rely primarily on direct observations (e.g., examining the minerals, observing the folds and faults, measuring the thickness of rock sequences and identifying fossils).
• Geochemists examine earth materials and systems in terms of the distributions of chemical elements and compounds and model the geochemical cycles in which these move.
• Geophysicists rely primarily on indirect observation through the use of magnetic, electrical, and seismic measurements (e.g., mapping and imaging the subsurface using seismic, electrical, gravity, and magnetic data).

For the undergraduate, geosciences is central to the earth science education option by providing students with a broad earth science curriculum that meets the earth science content area goals for secondary earth science teaching.

Admissions and Financial Aid

• Admissions Office
• Office of University Scholarships and Financial Aid
• Undergraduate Transfer Guide

Registration and Courses

• Registrar's Office
• Undergraduate Catalog and Academic Policies
• Undergraduate Course Checksheets
• Geosciences Undergraduate Handbook

Scholarships/Fellowships

• Office of University Scholarships and Financial Aid
• College of Science Scholarships
• External Organizations
  • Sigma Xi
  • Mineralogical Society of America
  • NSF
  • NASA

Student Organizations

• Geology Club
• Sigma Gamma Epsilon
• Sigma Xi

Careers and Professional Development

• Geosciences Careers
• Professional Geosciences Organizations