Contact Info

195 Rankin Science
572 Rivers Street
Boone, NC
28608
(828) 262-3049
FAX: (828) 262-6503

Chairperson:
Dr. Johnny A. Waters
watersja@appstate.edu

General Questions:
Geology Webmaster

Field camp requirements and information for Appalachian Students

Geology majors in B.S. and B.A. Geology degree programs are required to complete an approved geology summer field course that carries at least 6 semester hours of credit. In some instances, this course must be taken at another college or university because Appalachian does not always offer this course, with the exception(s) noted below. The procedures which must be followed for completion of this requirement are described below.

• Field Camp Requirements and Procedures
• A Brief List of Universities with Field Camps
• Some Questions to Ask About Potential Summer Field Courses
• Check list for geology field camp procedures
• Geology Summer Field Course Substitutes
• Appalachian State University Field Camp

1. You must have completed courses in petrology and structural geology, stratigraphy and sedimentology, and preparation of geologic reports before you are eligible to take a geology summer field course. Some schools recommend that you complete paleontology before taking the geology summer field course. Most students normally take the course between the Junior and Senior years, although it is permissible to take it at the end of the Senior year.


2. Early during the fall semester of each year, a required meeting of majors is held. During the meeting you will be instructed about how to choose a summer field course. It is your responsibility to attend this meeting! Universities whose field courses have been approved in the past are below. Names of additional field course possibilities are available in the AGI Directory of Geoscience Departments in the departmental office. Regardless of the course you choose, it MUST BE APPROVED BY THE CHAIRMAN before you enroll in it. You should obtain information about course content, costs, etc. and then apply to several appropriate schools no later than mid-November. Do not apply to any school unless its course is approved by the chair at Appalachian.


3. If you decide to attend a summer field course other than one offered by Appalachian, and after you have been officially accepted by an approved school, you must request the chairman of the Geology Department at Appalachian State University to write a memorandum to the Dean of Arts and Sciences at Appalachian State University notifying him that you have departmental permission to register for the course and receive credit for it by transfer to Appalachian State University. This must be done before the end of the Spring Semester preceding the summer field course.


4. Before you complete the summer field course at another school, you must fill out and submit to that school's registrar a request for an official transcript of your summer field course be sent to the Registrar's Office, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC 28608. Unless this is done, you will not receive credit for the summer field course and will not be able to graduate.


5. Direct all questions concerning the summer field course to the Chairman, Department of Geology, 195 Rankin Science Building, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC 28608-0001.

• North Carolina System-wide course
• Georgia State University
• Northern Illinois University
• University of Missouri, Rolla
• University of Missouri, Columbia
• Ohio University, Athens
• University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa
• University of Texas, San Antonio
• Fort Lewis College, Colorado
• University of Tennessee
• Idaho State University
• University of Kentucky
• University of Montana
• Purdue University
• University of Wyoming
• University of Oregon
• Oregon State University
• Indiana University

When you write directors of summer field courses in which you have an interest, you should ask questions such as the following:

1. Does the course accept students other than its own?
2. What is the total cost of the camp including weekend meals, out-of-state tuition, equipment, supplies, transportation, and optional trips (if any)?
3. If the camp is located at a great distance from North Carolina, is it possible to travel there with an official group or other students to reduce travel expenses?
4. How many students will be there? How many professors?
5. What are sleeping, eating, and study facilities like?
6. How many hours per day are actually spent in the field?
7. What are the main types of field work done?
8. How many projects are done in Field Camp and what is the length of each project? Is there a final report? If so, how long is it and when is it due? When will grades be available?
9. What are the prerequisites? When will I be notified if I have been accepted?
10. Will you send me application materials?

It is generally advisable to apply to several different schools in order to assure yourself of a good chance of acceptance. If you do not get accepted by the middle of Spring term, contact the chairman for help.

1. ____Attend meetings about field course in fall semester
2. ____Select names of approved field courses in fall semester (chairman approved)
3. ____Write letters to field camp directors at selected schools in fall semester
4. ____Receive responses from field camp directors at selected schools
5. ____Select schools to send formal applications and reservation fees
6. ____Mail formal applications and reservation fees (early Spring)
7. ____Receive formal acceptance from school(s)
8. ____Request chairman of Appalachian geology for approval memo to Appalachian Dean of Arts & Sciences
9. ____Follow-up letter, payment, etc. sent to school of choice
10. ____Attend the summer field course
11. ____Request official transcript of summer field course grade be sent by the Registrar at the host school to the Appalachian Registrar before leaving field camp

A student desiring to substitute any activity such as summer work, independent study, etc. for the standard geology summer field course requirement must submit a written petition to the faculty for consideration. The petition must be submitted no later than the beginning of November immediately before the summer during which field work is to be undertaken. The petition should include a detailed description of the nature of the substitution work, etc. including criteria for grading, name and background information on supervisor/teacher (if not an Appalachian professor), and reasons why the substitution is either equal to or superior to the normal geology summer field course.

The departmental Chairperson can provide information concerning criteria that summer work must meet in order to qualify for field course substitution. In general, substitutions are not approved as the purpose of the summer field course requirement is to insure that our majors are competent in basic field techniques that are more varied and different in scope and purpose than what is normally provided by summer jobs or non-field mapping summer experience.

From time to time, some of the ASU faculty will prepare a summer field course for a group of students. These camps are not limited solely to ASU students, which allows for interactions with students from other schools. The number of spaces available is limited, however, and the GPA requirements are stringent. The advantage of a home-grown specialty camp is that they are usually run in locations that are a bit more exotic than a standard field course.

Since 1996 Professor Fred Webb has run a course in the Dolomite Mountains of Italy that has been well received by ASU students, other US students, and faculty alike. With Dr. Webb's retirement, the status of the Italian field camp is yet to be determined. When further information about attending this camp is available, it will be posted.