Geology

Located in the Rocky Mountain West, the University of Idaho is an optimal place to earn a Master of Science (M.S.) or Doctorate (Ph.D.) in Geology. The terrain of the region is extremely diverse, giving you plenty of opportunities to conduct research and analyze processes that are most relevant to pressing geological challenges, such as erosion, climate change and the sustainable use of land.

In addition, our medium-sized program is home to internationally recognized faculty who are praised for their teaching and research expertise. With a faculty of this high caliber, you can be confident knowing you’ll receive personalized attention along with access to ample research opportunities and the sophisticated technology used to study geological processes.

Depending on your research interest area, you will work with a faculty member as your advisor. This faculty member will help formulate a study plan designed specifically to meet your goals and to guide you through the thesis process. As a graduate student, you’ll receive training in both theory and modern field observation strategies. These hands-on research efforts, along with your traditional course work, will teach you about a wide range of geology topics, such as mineralogy, petrology, structural geology, hydrogeology, geochemistry, geodynamics, geomorphology and much more.

Group projects and research opportunities with faculty, local businesses and government agencies will give you experience you can apply immediately on the job.

Prepare for Success

Many top environmental and geologic consulting firms, particularly those focused on applied research, look for employees with a master's or doctorate degree.

Our program is also an excellent choice if your goal is to teach at the high school or community college level, or if you’re interested in applied research positions in state and federal agencies. Of course a master's is also a great springboard toward a Ph.D. degree in geology, giving you the extra course work or research experience needed to make a significant impact in your chosen career.

Your First Year

Here is a sample list of classes for our graduate geology students. Many of these courses also include field trips and lab requirements:

• Geosystems (Geol 510)
• Advanced Topics in Sedimentary Rocks (Geol 520)
• Physical Petrology (Geol 554)
• Geologic Development of North America (Geol 532)
• Advanced Structural Geology (Geol 542)

What You Can Do

With an advanced degree in geological sciences, you can build a career as a :

• Professor and researcher at a university (Ph.D. required)
• Teacher at the secondary or community college level
  
• Geologist
• Environmental scientist
• Geotechnical engineer
• Atmospheric scientist
• Museum curator
• Climate change scientist
• Engineering geologist
• Mineralogist
• Seismologist
• Soils engineer

Opportunities

The need for geologists continues to increase as we look for more effective ways to monitor our environment and study how our actions impact our ecosystems and energy and water supplies. Geologists, specifically those with advanced degrees, are also needed to help plan and construct buildings and transportation corridors. Here is a list of some of the employers of geologists:

• U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
• Department of Natural Resources
• Oil and mining companies
• NASA
• U.S. Forest Service
• U.S Army Corps of Engineers
• Environmental consulting companies
• Construction and development firms

Current Research

In addition to being excellent educators, our faculty are also very active in research pursuits. Our faculty members design their research projects specifically around the involvement of students. Here’s a sample of some our most significant research efforts:

• Clarkia Tertiary Research Center
• Computational Hydrology
• Health Effects of Mineral Dusts
• Hydrogeology Program (Idaho Falls)
• Hydrogeology Program (Moscow)
• Optical Mineralogy
• Planetary and Terrestrial Structural Geology

Activities

The Department of Geological Sciences seminar series brings you lectures and workshops from top geologists in the field.

Hands-On Experience

Laboratory work and study in the field will prepare you to tackle real-world challenges you’ll face on the job. Here are examples of some research projects our graduate students are working on:

• Fracture Styles at Upheaval Dome, Canyonlands National Park, Utah, Imply Both Meteorite Impact and Salt Diapirism.
• Facies Analysis and Sequence Interpretation of the Late Devonian Three Forks Formation, Lost River Range, Idaho.
• The study of fracture networks exposed in steep basalt canyons at Box Canyon, near the Idaho National Laboratory (INL). The team is looking to develop new techniques for storing carbon dioxide in the deep subsurface to reduce carbon emissions and reverse global climate change.
• Aquifer Characterization in the Palouse Basin.
• Global Climate Change in the Miocene Recorded in Columbia River Basalt-hosted Paleosols.
• The Case for Recent Tectonic Activity on Jupiter’s Moon Europa.

Facilities

The University of Idaho has extensive research facilities and tools, such as rock cutting and crushing equipment, petrographic microscopes and photomicrograph facilities, and more. In addition, quite often, our faculty has established relationships with professors at neighboring universities, which gives you access to even more high-tech equipment. Other equipment and facilities include:

• Computing facilities
• Geovisualization Facility
• Geochemical and mineralogical facilities, including state-of-the-art, ICP AES and HPLC chemical laboratory
• Geophotography and remote sensing laboratory
• Geophysical equipment

Faculty Involvement

With about 100 undergraduate and graduate geology students, our department will allow you to have direct interaction with our 10 active faculty and support personnel who are nationally recognized for their excellence in research and teaching.

Jerry Fairley, Ph.D.
Professor - Hydrogeology
Research Interests: Multiphase flow and transport in heterogeneous porous media; Faults and fluid flow; Geothermal systems/EGS
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Dennis J. Geist, Ph.D.
Professor - Igneous Petrology, Volcanology
Research Interests: Volcanology of the Galapagos Islands, Northern Andes, Snake River Plain, Iceland, and Antarctica; Geology and island biodiversity
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Mickey Gunter, Ph.D.
Department Chair & Professor - Mineralogy, Optical Mineralogy
Research Interests: Health effects of mineral dusts; Optical mineralogy; Zeolites
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Peter E. Isaacson, Ph.D.
Professor - Paleontology, Stratigraphy
Research Interests: Glaciations of western Gondwana; Late Paleozoic stratigraphy and paleogeography of the central Andes; Sequence stratigraphy of southern Idaho
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Gary Johnson, Ph.D.
Associate Professor - Hydrogeology
Research Interests: Surface and ground water interaction; Regional modeling of ground water and surface water; Water and energy interactions
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Simon A. Kattenhorn, Ph.D.
Professor - Geomechanics, Structural Geology, Planetary Geology
Research Interests: Fault and fracture mechanics; Tectonics of oblique spreading ridges; Planetary geology; Tectonic-magmatic interaction
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Eric Mittelstaedt, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor - Geodynamics
Research Interests: Tectonic and Magmatic Evolution of Mid-Ocean Ridges, Mantle Plume-Ridge Interaction, Hydrothermal Vents, Analog and Numerical Simulation of Earth Systems
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James Osiensky, Ph.D.
Professor - Groundwater Hydrology
Research Interests: Contaminant hydrogeology; Hydrogeologic site characterization; Hydrogeophysical applications in hydrogeology; Groundwater resource evaluation
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Kenneth F. Sprenke, Ph.D.
Professor - Geophysics, Environmental and Planetary Science
Research Interests: Planetary and Environmental Geophysics
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Brian Yanites, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor - Geomorphology
Research Interests: Geomorphology; Landscape evolution; Climate-tectonic-topography interactions; Tectonic geomorphology; Numerical modeling of landscape processes
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