Undergraduate students who wish to may pursue extracurricular research projects with members of the faculty. The Department of Geology and Geophysics is housed in the 76,000 square-foot M.T. Halbouty building complex. Numerous modern classrooms and well equipped laboratories are available for teaching and performing analytical and experimental geological and geophysical research. The College of Geosciences was founded in 1964, and continues to be one of the preeminent academic organizations in the earth sciences dedicated to research and graduate education. The College encompasses the departments of Geology and Geophysics , Geography, Meteorology, and Oceanography, and is science operator for the largest geoscience research program in the world, the international Ocean Drilling Program.
Graduate programs are comprehensive, and interdisciplinary study is encouraged.
Although the University has grown to over 43,000 students, it still retains many cherished traditions. Areas of study include the sciences, arts and humanities, architecture, engineering, medicine, veterinary medicine, business, education, and transportation. Centers and institutes devoted to interdisciplinary studies in areas as diverse as biotechnology, trace characterization and hazard reduction are part of the University. Modern university facilities provide students unlimited opportunities for learning and research. More than 28,000 serial titles are received, including government documents and some 190 state, national and foreign newspapers.