The world needs professionals who can apply engineering to solve complex geologic, atmospheric, and environmental problems facing humankind.
At Michigan Tech, explore industrial practices for safely and efficiently adapting geologic features to society’s needs, while protecting the Earth and its inhabitants. Geological engineers play an important role in identifying and mitigating man-made and natural hazards that pose a threat to civil structures, infrastructure, or people.
Their work includes performing site investigations for planned tunnels, dams, or roads; locating sites and designing facilities for nuclear waste disposal; developing and restoring groundwater resources; stabilizing rock and soil slopes for dams, highways, and property development; exploring and harvesting mineral and energy resources; and studying geologic hazards such as volcanoes, landslides, and earthquakes.
Our ABET accredited BS in Geological Engineering prepares students to create the future.
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18students for average class size
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5thmost focused geoscience engineering school
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5:1undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio
Tomorrow Needs Geoscientists in Diverse Landscapes
The daily duties of geoscientists, such as geological engineers, could include investigating natural phenomena and collecting data on location, interpreting the results in a lab, and writing reports.
Field studies bring geoscientists to diverse landscapes around the globe—from volcanoes to oceans to oil fields. Geoscientists must have the ability to develop a picture of a field site based on limited data; therefore, sound critical-thinking skills are advantageous in this discipline. Due to the nature of their work, these professionals must adapt to a variety of situations and working conditions.
Specialty areas in geological engineering include the following:
- Soil mechanics
- Rock mechanics
- Geotechnics
- Groundwater engineering
- Hydrogeology
- Civil design
- Hazard investigation and planning
- Natural resources
Mission Statement
The Bachelor of Science in Geological Engineering will provide students with a broad background in science and engineering, a thorough foundation in geology and sufficient depth and breadth in the areas of humanities, social science, and economics, to ensure that they can function and communicate in an effective and responsible way in meeting the needs of society. Students will receive a thorough background in applied geophysics, which will support advanced engineering courses. To maximize the benefits to society, students will receive a balanced curriculum of junior and senior level engineering courses in energy resources, mineral resources, groundwater engineering, and geomechanics.
Be Career-ready
Discover a world of opportunity. A bachelor’s degree in geological engineering will prepare you for a career in industry or graduate study. Generally, geologists employed in industry spend part of their working time outdoors enjoying nature and, if desired, traveling the world. Students interested in certain sectors of industry, such as oil exploration, or a career in academia should explore graduate education options. An advanced degree provides greater specialization.
Each year, more than 400 employers come to campus to recruit Huskies at our career fairs and our business grads go on to work at Fortune 500 companies, tech startups, small businesses, and everything in between.
Career Opportunities for Geological Engineering
- Groundwater and surface water monitoring and cleaning
- Natural-hazards mitigation
- Satellite remote sensing of environmental processes
- GIS mapping of environmental data
- Site investigations of underground hazards
- Slope failure investigations
- Oil or gas exploration and recovery
- Subsurface visualization
- Natural and induced seismicity evaluation