See Also
Why Graduate School at IU with lots of information that applies to undergraduates as well
Prospective Students
Getting a Geology degree at IU has a lot of big advantages. This section of our website goes into the enormous range of good things about the department.
Geology degrees from IU can get you a job (no written guarantees here, but at this time a near certainty). And the pay can be, in the words of former IU student Kristin Wood:
“quite substantial.”
“When I came to college I knew I wanted to study science, but I didn't really know which field. I took a summer geology field course at IU. I thought that it would be fun to essentially get college credit for hiking around in Montana. I liked that course which led me to take some more geology classes and I discovered that I really liked the field.”
Mark is now an Assistant Professor of Geology at the University of Florida. [Read the full text of Mark Panning's comments about the department.]
Your fellow students, faculty and scientists work together – there's a collegial, non–competitive, open–door spirit in the department.
The student–to–teacher ratio is unimaginably low – around 3–to–1. The department is pretty well funded with a big alumni network to plug into.
As to a career in geology, to further quote from Ms. Wood . . .
“Geologists, in general, tend to be laid back, and the people I've met have been great.”
[Read the full text of Kristin Wood's comments about the department.]
Students from around the world come to study here. IU itself is pretty great and welcoming. Bloomington has a thriving cultural life. The area around and including Bloomington is geologically interesting – riddled with caves, filled with state and national forests, hills, woodlands, rivers, streams, pastures, rock quarries, and even Indiana's biggest lake.
Weather is pretty good most of the time, and the city is safe and relatively inexpensive.
And that's just scratching the surface. We've got lots more information on the department that's divided into two sections, cleverly labeled:
- Jim Brophy, Professor and , brophy@indiana.edu,
812–855–6417 - Bruce Douglas, Professor, douglasb@indiana.edu, 812–855–3848
- Carlin C. Schrag, cschrag@indiana.edu 812–855–2391
- Gary Pavlis, Professor and , geodgs@indiana.edu, 812–855–5141
Or wander around the site looking for interesting research and people. Anyone in the department would be happy to talk with you.
