Where campus is basecamp
The classroom of the great outdoors awaits
Roll up your sleeves and step into the natural laboratories of the Rocky Mountains and desert Southwest. With FLC’s Geosciences program, you’ll learn to interpret the origins of materials, explore the effects of tapping natural resources, and study Earth processes integral to the political, economic, and social decisions of the future. Apply your research findings from field work to publication.
"FLC is in a world-class location for studying the Geosciences. Our outdoor classroom includes mountains, rivers, deserts, ancient volcanoes, mineral and energy resources, and over a billion years of geologic history."
FLC prides itself on an experiential focus, and majoring Geology, you’ll get those opportunities in spades. From class trips to a summer in our “outdoor lab.” You’ll also have the chance to do original research with faculty mentorship and get experience presenting at conferences.
You’ll have access to the natural geological laboratory that is the Four Corners region of Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. This enables regional field trips and outdoor laboratory activities, which expose you to an array of geologic processes and field-based research opportunities. Furthermore, the numerous mines and oil fields in our vicinity will provide you real-world experiences in those professional fields.
All Geology majors take part in our four-week summer Geology Field Camp. You’ll undertake exploration and mapping exercises in Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, and sometimes California.
You’ll generate a clearly articulated hypothesis, demonstrate the use of multiple working hypotheses as an investigative method, perform a critical review of published literature, develop an experimental design, collect and analyze original data, and draw tenable conclusions. Many of our students present their research at regional and national geosciences meetings.
Whether you're interested in volcanoes, mining, petroleum, or the ways that water carves its routes through the earth, your Geology major from FLC opens up opportunities.