We emphasize hands-on activities.  We get out in the field and do geology whenever possible.  Field trips and group projects are an important part of our program, even during the winter.  Each year we head out in the field to map geology in the Wallowas, study the glacial geology in the Elkhorns, and examine the geologic history and record of evolution in the John Day Fossil Beds.  And, there are trips in our upper division courses to the Owyhee area, the Oregon coast, the Cascades and many other spectacular geologic areas.  Each year, Phi Beta Rock, the EOU geology club travels to far flung destinations such as Hawaii, Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks, the Grand Canyon, and Mexico.

Our introductory classes include:  GEOL 101 (Intro to Geology), GEOL 102 (Environmental Geology), GEOL 103 (Geological Oceanography), GEOL 201 (Mountain-building), GEOL 202 (Erosion) and GEOL 203 (Historical Geology).  Take the GEOL 200 series first if you are interested in pursuing a geology degree.  We also offer a wide range of upper division geology classes, including Mineralogy (Earth materials), Optical Mineralogy, Petrology, Volcanology, Sedimentology, Glaciology, Structural Geology, Paleontology, Hydrology, Coastal Geology, Field Investigations, and Geology of the Pacific Northwest .   Seniors focusing on geology usually do a research project focusing on the geology of our area, although this has varied from studying the relationships between geology and music to doing detailed structural and paleontologic analyses of outcrops in the Wallowa Mountains!
 

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