S389 ESC
PO Box 24606
Provo, Utah 84602-4606
(801)422-3918 / Fax (801)422-0267
Brigham Young University
Founded in 1877, Brigham Young University is the largest private university in the United States. The University enrolls about 30,000 students in eleven academic and professional colleges. The Department of Geology is one of seven departments in the College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences.
The Department of Geology
The faculty of the Department of Geology consists of 15 (tenure-track) professors and a varying number of adjunct and part-time faculty members representing the core of the earth and environmental sciences. The Department has about 80 undergraduate majors and 30 graduate students. Women comprise about 45% of the undergraduate students and about 30% of the graduate students in the Department.
Location
View of Mt. Timpanogos Dominates the Skyline North of Campus
The Wasatch Mountains overlook Provo, the home of BYU, on the east, and to the west lies Utah Lake. The Provo-Orem area is the second largest metropolitan area in Utah, with a population of over 250,000. Provo is the home of the Utah Valley Symphony and several talented community choirs and theatre groups. About 60 km to the north of Provo lies Salt Lake City, the capital of Utah. Salt Lake City is home to Ballet West, the Utah Opera Company, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and the Utah Symphony. The Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association also has its home in Salt Lake City. The Utah Geological Survey, U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Bureau of Mines also have offices in Salt Lake City.
The BYU campus is near the juncture of three major tectonic provinces: the Basin and Range province, the Northern Rocky Mountain province, and the Colorado Plateaus province. Igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rock units from Archean to Recent age are well-exposed in the in mountain ranges near campus. Geologic resources include petroleum, natural gas, coal, copper, silver, and gold. Groundwater resources have been extensively developed and concerns about environmental problems and hazards has given rise to opportunities for study in these areas. Over the millenia, this region has been deformed repeatedly and compressional and extensional faults and folds developed.
Utah offers a wide variety of natural environments, ranging from mountains to deserts. Within an hour's drive are several canyons and ski resorts of the Wasatch Mountains. World-class mountain biking and river running are just a few hours hours away. Outdoor gear can be rented on campus for everything from skiing to windsurfing. Within the region there are six national parks (Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Great Basin, and Zion), six national monuments (Timpanogos Cave, Cedar Breaks, Dinosaur, Hovenweep, Natural Bridges, and Rainbow Bridge), and two national recreation areas (Flaming Gorge and Glen Canyon). All show spectacular geologic relationships and showcase the geologic history of the area.
Programs of Study
The Department offers undergraduate and graduate programs in four different emphases: Geology (B.S., M.S.), Geology: Environmental Geology Emphasis (B.S., M.S.), Engineering Geology (B.S.), and Earth and Space Science Education (B.A.). An Honors degree in Geology is also available. Most entering graduate students have undergraduate degrees in geology, but students with degrees from other fields, including chemistry, biology, geography, physics, mathematics or engineering, are also encouraged to apply.