Two students conduct research during a geology lab at Hart's Falls near campus.

Geology

About Our Program

Through rigorous hands-on learning, our geology program empowers you to become a better observer and steward of the natural world and its many resources. You’ll seek academic adventures beyond the classroom and conduct research that could take you anywhere--from the heart of the Adirondack Park to field sites across the globe. What you learn and observe will inform your responses to some of today’s most pressing issues, like resource scarcity and climate change. 

In the process, you’ll form connections with faculty mentors who are as invested in your research as you are. You’ll also join an active and close-knit alumni network eager to share its experiences and help you understand the different ways you can turn your undergraduate passions into rewarding career paths.

Program Offerings

  • Major
  • Minor

Department

Learning Experiences to Prepare for Your Career

At its core, geology requires hands-on research and observation in the field. Our North Country location includes world-class geologic sites, and we offer plenty of off-campus trips for students curious to compare and contrast diverse environments.

Center for the Environment 

We've combined our environmentally focused programs and bold new initiatives to create a brand new Center for the Environment–your hub for all things climate change, energy, conservation, sustainability, environmental justice, outdoor leadership, and more.

Explore the Center for the Environment 

Conduct Award-Winning Research

Geology majors at St. Lawrence are known for producing high-caliber, graduate-level research on topics that they’re passionate about. As a result, students like Claire Bartlett ’21 have a long history of earning top honors when presenting their research at professional conferences such as the Geological Society of America Conference. In 2020, Claire won the National Council Award for her work analyzing data from downed trees in Adirondack Park. 

Fellowship Opportunities

The geology department offers ample opportunities to secure funding for your researchand there are no limits on where it might take you, from mountains in North Dakota to lagoons in Honduras, and lakes, forests, highlands, and lowlands across the North Country. 

Explore Research Opportunities

Nature Up North

This community-based organization housed at St. Lawrence connects people to the North Country environment through citizen scientist projects and outdoor adventuresand it offers internship and volunteer opportunities for geology majors like you.

Learn More About Nature Up North 

Past Internships

Learn by doing in a real-world environment. Our majors intern with a wide range of organizations, including: 

  • Upper Saranac Lake Foundation
  • Isotope Lab at the Memorial University of Newfoundland
  • Gardenshare Canton, N.Y.
  • U.S. Geological Survey 

Learn More About Internships

Conference Research Presentations

St. Lawrence University Geology Alumni Conference (SLUGAC)

Geology alumni are eager to give back, and many do so through SLUGAC. Held every three years, this on-campus conference welcomes generations of alumni back to campus to share their career experiences and connect with current students.

Geological Society of America’s (GSA) Annual Meeting

For several years in a row, St. Lawrence students have earned awards at the Geological Society of America’s (GSA) Annual Meeting for their outstanding research projects conducted alongside their faculty mentors. 

Read About Student Award Winners

Study Abroad

Choose from more than 30 semester-long programs offered in more than 20 international locations, including Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, and Costa Rica. 

Explore Our Programs

Short-Term Trips & Field Experiences

Hands-on fieldwork in our department includes exposure to diverse environments across the country and world. You’ll have several opportunities to embark on weeklong off-campus trips every year, plus many more day trips to world-class geologic sites in St. Lawrence’s backyard.

Read about a Recent Volcanology Excursion

Connect with Community

Among the 150+ clubs and organizations at St. Lawrence, you’ll find many that involve the outdoors, wildlife and environmental advocacy, including: 

  • Outing Club
  • Environmental Action Organization 
  • Sigma Gamma Epsilon Earth Sciences Honor Society
  • CLAW - Connecting Laurentians Around Wilderness
  • The Finer Things Cheese and Turophile Society
  • Seed to Table
  • St. Lawrence River Alliance
  • The Greenhouse 
  • Model U.N. 
  • Divestment Club
  • Geology Club
  • Euphrates Institute
  • SLU Legal

Explore Student Life at St. Lawrence

Alumni Network 

St. Lawrence graduates are big thinkers, problem solvers, and fearless leaders at companies and organizations across the country and world. Our alumni network is the second-most influential source for recent graduate employment (only behind internships).

Explore the Power of our Alumni Network

Outcomes

For all of our alumni, the quest for evidence and answers doesn’t stop after Commencement. Some choose to make this activity a profession. You can find them in the field or the lab, using their talents to communicate the importance of their research and engage others in their work.

Recent Employment Opportunities

  • Mohawk Valley GIS

  • Development Authority of the North Country
  • Arcadis Engineering
  • California Conservation Corps
  • New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
  • American Museum of Natural History

Recent Graduate School Placements

  • Tufts University 

  • University of Vermont
  • Syracuse University 
  • Montana State University
  • University of Arizona

Learn About Success After St. Lawrence

Why St. Lawrence for Geology

96%

of St. Lawrence geology majors are employed or continuing their education within a year

3

The number of weeklong trips to places like Jamaica or Norway offered per year

Recent Employment Opportunities

  • Mohawk Valley GIS
  • Development Authority of the North Country
  • Arcadis Engineering
  • California Conservation Corps
  • New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
  • American Museum of Natural History

1 Billion

Years, the age of ancient rocks in the Adirondack Park, the oldest in New York State.

Jessica Normandeau, wearing bright red rubber waders, holds two large silver salmon while standing on a boat deck.

Alumni at Work: The Great Outdoors

Laurentians' passion for the outdoors is no accident. These examples show how the business of the outdoors comes with great responsibility that creates impactful careers.

Read About Adventurous Alums

2

trips to the Arizona Laserchron Center in Tucson to conduct geochronological analysis with a faculty member

Faculty member teaching class by a stream

20 Miles to Your Outdoor Classroom

St. Lawrence County and Adirondack Mountains host some of the best sites for the collection and study of rare mineral samples.

60+

The number of alumni you’ll have an opportunity to connect with at the Geology Alumni Conference every three years

78

miles to Ottawa, Canada, home of the Isotope Geochemistry and Geochronology Research Centre at Carleton University, where you’ll have opportunities to complete lab work

Recent Graduate School Placements

  • Tufts University 
  • University of Vermont
  • Syracuse University 
  • Montana State University
  • University of Arizona

A professor and student stand in a tall green grass field and examine a specimen they have just captured using a large butterfly net.

Center for the Environment

Our brand-new Center for the Environment is a hub of environmental leadership, scholarship, and action. 

Learn More About CFE

More Program Information

Program Requirements & Courses

Geology major requirements, as well as electives and popular double major combinations.

Complementary and Related Programs

Faculty member and student doing field work

Expert, Passionate Faculty

Several of your faculty literally wrote the book on Adirondack geology. They’re excited to help you explore compelling geologic sites in your backyard, throughout the country, and across the globe.

Alumna speaking with student

The Power of Connections

St. Lawrence geology alumni are eager to give back and show current students all they can do with their degree. Many attend the department’s Geology Alumni Conference, held every three years, to mentor students on applying to graduate school or finding career opportunities.

Learn About Our Alumni Network
Faculty member working with student in classroom

What's In Your Toolkit?

Everything you’ll need to prepare and analyze rock samples is on campus including rock saws and crushers, petrographic microscopes, a scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive analysis (SEM-EDS), an x-ray diffractometer (XRD), and an x-ray fluorescence spectrophotometer (XRF).

A student and professor stand in a lush green field. The student is holding a large net while the professor examines the specimen they discovered.

Center for the Environment

We've combined our environmentally focused programs and bold new initiatives to create a brand new Center for the Environment–your hub for all things climate change, energy, conservation, sustainability, environmental justice, outdoor leadership, and more.

Explore the Center for the Environment 

Get More Information

We’re excited to learn more about you, tell you more about our interdisciplinary academic programs, show you around our beautiful campus, and help you navigate your college search.

Apply to St. Lawrence

We’re looking for curious students who are eager to make a difference. We take a holistic approach to reviewing applications and consider all aspects of your application and what we learn about you.