DEPARTMENT OF GEOSCIENCE/GEOGRAPHY
The geological and geographical science components of the department
provide a strong background in the physical and earth sciences to all students.
Special emphasis is placed on development of the intellectual, technical
and career skills required for professional employment in students’ chosen
areas of interest.
All general education courses in our department provide students with
an up-to-date introduction to the concepts, methods and skills essential
to an understanding of the earth and geographical sciences. Major courses
deepen and broaden students’ understanding of these concepts and methods.
Laboratory and field work stresses their application to the needs and problems
of modern society. Because our class sizes are generally small, we work
closely with our students on an individual basis; thus providing a strong
foundation in the earth and geographical sciences.
Our program provides a career component that includes a strong connection
with the University's cooperative education program. Job placement, for
those undergraduates who wish it, is a primary goal. Our program also helps
to guide students into many excellent graduate programs throughout the
country. The faculty members have contacts with professionals in many of
these programs and with prominent professionals in government and industry
as well. These contacts help us to place students in rewarding situations
after they graduate from our program.
The Geoscience Program:
2. Provides students with a thorough understanding of how to recognize,
describe, and interpret earth, ocean, and atmospheric processes.
3. Gives students skills in interpreting and synthesizing data from
a variety of sources including maps, graphic displays, photographs, computerized
imaging, rocks, and fossils. Since computer skills are necessary, they
are developed and encouraged through appropriate training.
4. Provides students with practical experience in solving problems both
in the laboratory and in the field.
5. Gives advanced students experiences in research and opportunities for oral presentations of scholarly materials.
The long range prospects for employment in the earth sciences is good.
Our graduates are currently employed in a variety of settings. For some
positions, specialized graduate study is required; for others, it is not.
Graduates of our department are employed by a number of United States
government agencies including the Geological Survey, the Bureau of Mines,
the Bureau of Land Management, the Department of the Interior, and the
Environmental Protection Agency. Many graduates hold prominent positions
in geological engineering and environmental consulting firms where they
use their knowledge of earth systems to solve practical problems and to
improve our general quality of life. Some of our graduates are employed
by petroleum and mining companies. They are involved in the exploration
for new resource deposits. Talented geoscientists hold management positions
in such firms. Other graduates are, or have been, employed at water treatment
plants, chemical engineering firms, and by oceanographic research laboratories.
One former student even was a weatherman on a radio station in Pennsylvania.
Not all are working as field scientists, many graduates also are employed
in various capacities in diverse companies in which their undergraduate
degree provided eventual entry to management positions.
Teaching has always attracted many of our graduates and with the demand
for qualified science teachers growing will undoubtedly continue to do
so. In short, the skills of our graduates have allowed them to succeed
in a wide variety of professional careers.
Our graduates are employed in business and industry, some as managers
and supervisors with considerable responsibilities. The communications
industry, food industry, and travel industry are a few examples where our
geography graduates are found. One graduate is teaching college-level geography,
others are teaching in elementary school or high school, while yet another
is a map librarian working with a university.
AND:
The department sees the academic and practical value to the student
of other University related programs, such as chemistry, business or computer
science. Many are extremely compatible with the Geoscience/Geography program.
Students can develop minors or acquire double majors. New Jersey City University
is also supporting the department through New Jersey Marine Science Consortium
(NJMSC). The Consortium provides laboratories, equipment, and vessels for
our use in the exploration of marine and coastal ecologies.
AND:
Our active Geoscience/Geography Club lends another dimension to the student faculty relationship. Via national and regional conferences, trips, field experiences, meetings, and get together a sense of community is developed among students and faculty.
Geoscience/Geography Facilities
Geoscience/Geography Program Tracks