A 6-credit field experience is required for the B.S. in Geology and optional for other degrees. Most students will complete this through the EES Immersion Semester.

The immersion semester is offered each spring to students in our B.S. programs. It is a suite of EES courses that ends in a field course. The spring semester starts with three 8-week courses on campus. After spring break, students travel to Southern California for EAR 474, Advanced Field Methods in Earth and Environmental Sciences, a 6-credit field course.

The field course integrates geology, geophysics, and hydrology from the Death Valley area to the Coast Ranges near Santa Barbara. Students start with map and compass fundamentals and build toward digital data collection, geophysical survey design, and hydrologic field methods. Field areas include Rainbow Basin, Red Rock Canyon, Shoshone and Tecopa, Zzyzx, Death Valley, and the Garlock and San Andreas faults. The course ends with a synthesis project at Santa Barbara Canyon. Students stay at three field stations and are not required to camp.

A faculty member and teaching assistant are with students for the full 5.5 weeks in the field. Other EES faculty join the course for specific topics.

Prerequisite: EAR 317 (Sedimentary Geology). For more information, contact Professor Greg Hoke (gdhoke@syr.edu).