Advanced Courses

Over 650 students have completed the Teachers in Geosciences program and received their MS degree. Most states provide additional incentives to teachers for completion of 30 hours of course work past the MS degree. We now offer ten additional courses available only to those students who complete the TIG program. These courses include Geospatial Methods for Teachers, Severe Weather, Rocks and Minerals, Landforms, Earthquakes and Volcanoes, Weather Predication, History of Life, Geology of North America, Climate Change, and Cosmology.

FIRST YEAR +30 COURSES

SECOND YEAR +30 COURSES

Course Descriptions

Rocks and Minerals:
Rocks and Minerals is a survey course designed to teach students various methods for the identification of common rocks and minerals. Students will also gain understanding of the origins and uses of common rocks and minerals. Laboratory exercises include the identification of actual specimens in addition to analysis of images.
Sample Syllabus (pdf)

Severe Weather:
Severe Weather will focus on the atmospheric processes necessary in the production of severe storms. In addition to the needed formation parameters, various storm type (i.e. single cell, multicell, tropical, etc...) dynamics will also by discussed.
Sample Syllabus (pdf)

Landforms:
This course looks at landforms all over the earth and explores how these landforms are created. This is a great class for anyone interested in learning about how, what, and why the earth looks like it does! However, please note that Landforms is a very image intensive course. Though it is designed for the 56k modem user, access to broadband connection will save you a significant amount of time. Students will be required to view pictures of various landforms and explore web pages that tend to include many photographs.
Sample Syllabus (pdf)

Planetary and Stellar Processes:
This course offers a discussion of stellar and galactic motions, nuclear processes (governing star formation, life-cycles and the production of heavy elements required to form planets), supernovae, pulsars and black holes. Cosmology, the history of the Universe, is also discussed.
Sample Syllabus (pdf)

Earthquakes and Volcanoes:
Earthquakes and Volcanoes will focus on the main processes and products of earthquakes and volcanoes within the framework of plate tectonics. Case studies and exercises will be used to develop an understanding of the causes and mechanisms of earthquakes and volcanoes and how these phenomena affect humans.
Sample Syllabus (pdf)

Geospatial Methods for Teachers:
The course will review basic geospatial principles and introduce the student to Geographic Information Systems, remotely sensed data, and global positioning systems concepts and techniques. The course will include an introduction to commonly-used software and enable the student to take greater advantage of software applications and data available on the Web.
Sample Syllabus (pdf)

Weather Prediction:
Weather Prediction will focus on various forecasting tools and techniques. The use of analysis charts and prognostication models will be demonstrated for a variety of forecast situations (i.e. heavy rain events, lake effect snow, typical summer environments, etc..).
Sample Syllabus (pdf)

Geology of North America:
Geology of North America will provide a regional summary of North American geology. Case studies and exercises will be used to unravel the structural, stragraphic, and tectonic evolution of each of the major physiographic provinces of North America.
Sample Syllabus (pdf)

History of Life:
History of Life will look at the fossil record and major events in evolution of life. This course will address how fossils get perserved, how they lived and the information that we get about the past from the study of fossils.
Sample Syllabus (pdf)

Climatic Change:
This course takes a multidisciplinary approach in developing an understanding of the earth's climate and how it has varied (and why) through time. We explore the types of data used as evidence of climate change, evaluate "Global Warming" using evidence collected throughout the scientific community, and discuss the possible implications of Global Warming. We also take a look at the world's approach to Global Warming (IPCC reports, government policy, etc.).
Sample Syllabus (pdf)