The geology department consists of seven permanent faculty , each of whom has earned a doctorate degree. Their areas of expertise cover many subdisciplines of the geological sciences, including earth history, environmental geology, geochemistry, geomorphology, geophysics, hydrogeology, mineralogy, paleontology, petrology, plate tectonics, stratigraphy, structural geology, and volcanology. The small size of the department offers students an educational experience usually associated with small private liberal arts colleges, yet it also includes all the economic and curricular advantages of a larger state institution. Our recently renovated facilities were designed to limit enrollment in major core courses to 15 students or less, thus insuring individual attention in classes. Students are encouraged to pursue research problems in collaboration with faculty members.
Professional organizations anticipate an increasing demand for geologists into the next century.
Both salaries and employment opportunities are forecasted to increase, particularly for geoscientists specializing in hydrogeology, environmental geology, and petroleum geology. Careers in the geosciences routinely rank in the top five in financial magazine surveys of job satisfaction. CMU geology alumni have fared very well in the competition for entry-level positions with just a B.S. degree, largely because of the individual attention they received from faculty, the rigor of the program, and their experience with original research. Home Page Return to Central Michigan University Home Page.