(for 2013–2014 academic year)
Directors D. McHugh (Biology), C. Soja (Geology)
This program is particularly applicable for students who wish to take courses in both biology and geology. Students major in natural sciences, with a topical emphasis in marine science — freshwater science. Students completing this program have pursued graduate, health-related, and law degrees, as well as private and government consulting positions and nautical education. Students anticipating graduate study should plan their course selections carefully. Interested students should see biology professors Fuller or McHugh, or geology professors Leventer, Pinet, Selleck, or Soja.
1. BIOL 211 and GEOL 135
2. BIOL 254 or GEOL 215
3. Two of the following courses: BIOL 212, 335, 340
4. Two of the following courses: GEOL 217, 302, 403, 415, 416, 426
5. One 400-level research-focused course: BIOL 478, BIOL 487, BIOL 491, GEOL 441, GEOL 491
6. CHEM 111 or CHEM 101 and either CHEM 102 or GEOL 203
7. One year of cognate courses (two courses) from one of the following departments: chemistry, mathematics, or physics, in addition to requirement 6.
8. One field experience at a marine or freshwater science station. In consultation with their major advisers, students are encouraged to seek off-campus opportunities where they can be engaged in field work.
A semester’s course equivalence (two or three courses such as marine ecology, aquatic ecology, geological oceanography, etc.) at a marine or freshwater station may be substituted for some of the above courses when approved by an evaluating committee representing both the biology and geology departments. Students must petition the evaluating committee for approval once they are accepted at a marine or freshwater station, prior to actual enrollment in the courses. The affiliation agreements between Colgate and the University of Montana Flathead Lake Biological Station, the Williams College-Mystic Seaport Program in American Maritime Studies, the SEA Semester Program, and the Semester in Environmental Science at Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory make these programs of special interest to students in this major. For more information, see “Additional Off-Campus Study Opportunities” in Chapter VI.
Following consultation with his or her research adviser, a student may be allowed to stand for honors following the departmental regulations in the biology or geology department. The awarding of honors will be decided by faculty members from both departments and will be in Natural Sciences.