Geology
Study the planet’s past, better understand its future.
Geology connects you to the very planet you live on.
Geologists look deep into the ground—and thus deep into the past—searching for clues about how the world became the way it is. Our field is about way more than looking at rocks: we seek to understand how mountains form, how life evolves, how glaciers move, and how entire oceans expand and contract. As a geology major, you’ll learn about the interconnectedness of the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere; you’ll study the evolution of life on this planet over millions of years; you’ll ponder how processes deep inside the planet impact the Earth’s surface and climate; and you’ll consider how, in the age of humans and climate change, the world might evolve next.
A geology degree will teach you:
- How the natural world around you has evolved, and continues to evolve, over time
- How study of the past can inform our understanding of climate change today
- How coveted natural resources are formed, distributed, and depleted, from the water you drink to the metals in your cell phone
- How life on our planet has evolved in conjunction with earth processes
Why major in Geology at Macalester? Research
It’s tough to beat Macalester’s urban location, which offers numerous research and internship opportunities through our connections to local museums and research labs. The state (and surrounding region) also contains an abundance of interesting geological features—many resulting from the ancient oceans and glaciers that once covered the area—including an abundance of interesting rocks and fossils just down the road at the Mississippi River. Finally, our faculty love working side-by-side with Macalester students, and invite many of them to collaborate on research as we explore and discover.
Our research-active faculty offer students the chance to:
- Analyze glacial lakes in Glacier National Park, Montana
- Dig up dinosaur bones in Montana, Madagascar, and other locales
- Collect samples from earth’s crust in the Sierra Nevada mountains, Mexico, and other destinations
- Reconstruct ancient environments and ancient climates way out West and right here in Minnesota
Current home of the Keck Geology Consortium
In the 1980s, several of the nation’s top liberal arts colleges joined forces to create the Keck Geology Consortium, which organizes and sponsors research projects for the next generation of geoscientists. Today, Macalester is proud to not only be a member school, but to also serve as the co-organizer for the consortium. Our professors also frequently lead students from Macalester and the other Keck schools on research trips around the country, including one to sample glacial lake cores in Glacier National Park, another to study reefs in Belize, and yet another to dig up dinosaurs in Montana.
Life after Macalester
After leaving Macalester, geology majors go on to a wide variety of careers. We’ve placed students in many of the most prestigious geology PhD programs around the country, where they’ve studied methods for precisely dating rocks, the effects of forest fires on soil erosion, the formation of mountains, and the quality of the fossil record (among many other things). Plenty of our graduates complete their graduate studies and stay in academia for their careers, and many others find fulfilling careers as environmental consultants, teachers, science communicators, organic farmers, and lawyers and doctors, to name a few.
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- Caltech
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- Colorado School of Mines
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- Fresno State University
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- Montana State University
- New Mexico State University
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- Oregon State University
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- Penn State University
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- Princeton University
- Rhode Island School of Design
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- University of California—Berkeley
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- University of California—Riverside
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- University of California—LA
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- University of Chicago
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- University of Colorado-Boulder
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- University of Connecticut
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- University of Georgia
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- University of Oregon
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- University of Washington
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- Vanderbilt University
- Washington University
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- AECOM
- American Engineering Testing
- Bay West LLC
- Denver Museum of Nature & Science
- Exit Glacier Guides
- Geosyntec Consultants
- Minnesota Geological Survey
- Minnesota Department of Health
- National Grid Renewables
- NV5/PES Environmental, Inc
- Southwest Conservation Corps
- University of St. Thomas
- US Forest Service
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Join our community
We don’t typically rely on anecdotal evidence, but from what we’ve heard, geology majors just might be the happiest students on campus. We hypothesize that could be for one of several reasons:
- Regular opportunities to travel and go on field trips, researching and camping with professors and peers
- Weekly GeoClub meetings to hear speakers and gather with friends
- Weekly tea times when geology majors and professors get together (with our friends in Physics and Astronomy)
- Awesome department swag (recycled flannels) sporting our geology logo that every new major can proudly display
2024 Graduating Seniors
Celebrate our previous years’ grads too:
Department Happenings
December 5, 2024 the department celebrated the 20th Annual Jökulhlaup BBQ in balmy 19 °F and party sunny conditions. The Jökulhlaup borrows its name from the Icelandic term for a glacial outburst flood, and happens at the end of the fall term. Grilling, s’mores, hammer throwing, and laughter are all key components.
Emily First’s Fall 2023 Mineralogy class participated in a departmental Mineral Cup, inspired by the public contest of the same name on X. Each student chose a mineral to learn about and represent, which meant summarizing peer-reviewed scientific articles about their mineral, completing a detailed mineral information sheet, and giving a 3-minute lightning talk. At the end of the talks, we voted bracket-style to crown the semester’s champion mineral. Congratulations to runner-up olivine, represented by junior Marisa Luft (right), and to champion apatite, represented by junior Lily Zugschwert.
Geology Quick Links
