What is Geology ?
Geology is an interdisciplinary science that emphasizes the study of major Earth systems and how they are connected. The Department of Geology has strong research groups in paleontology (paleontology and evolutionary paleoecology; our program is ranked 6th in the nation), Quaternary geology and geomorphology (glacial geology, Quaternary geochronology, fluvial and slope processes, desert geomorphology, and tectonic geomorphology), sedimentology and stratigraphy (sequence stratigraphy, geology of shales, and geochemical records of Earth history), tectonics (mountain building and volcanism), environmental geology (groundwater studies and landslide and seismic hazard mitigation), and biogeochemistry and global change (carbon cycling, isotope geochemistry, and impacts of climate change).
The goal of the Department of Geology is to produce well-rounded graduate students who not only take part in advanced research, but also gain extensive field, laboratory, and teaching experience. The department and the University of Cincinnati provide financial support on an academic year and summer basis for most graduate students in the form of Teaching Assistantships, Research Assistantships, tuition scholarships, endowed fellowships, and external grants to aid students in achieving their goals.
Majoring in Geology
Graduate students have the opportunity to gain extensive laboratory experience. The department has research equipment for X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence, cosmogenic nuclide and optically stimulated luminescence dating, advanced image analysis, infrared-spectroscopy, gas chromatography, greenhouse gas analysis, and elemental analysis. Available in collaborating departments are instruments for environmental scanning electron microscopy and atomic absorption spectrophotometry.
