B.S. in Geophysics

The Geophysics major prepares students to explore the structure, dynamics and evolution of the Earth and other planets. It will provide students with a solid foundation in seismology and geodynamics as well as exciting applications in natural hazards, resource exploration and environmental monitoring. Geophysicists specialize in imaging the subsurface and interior of the Earth and the modeling of Earth and planetary processes.

Why geophysics?

Geophysics combines adventurous field work and sophisticated experiments with cutting edge techniques in data science and powerful tools in computational modeling. The core of geophysics is real-world, quantitative problem solving. This allows geophysicists tackle important societal problems including understanding of earthquake hazards and their mitigation, remote sensing of the environment, exploration for critical minerals in the energy transition or the stability of the ice caps and predictions of future sea-level rise. Geophysicists also try to answer fundamental and profound questions about the origin and evolution of the Earth and other planets. For example: Why does only the Earth have plate tectonics and how did it get started? What caused the ice ages? What drives the volcanism beneath Yellowstone National Park?

What do geophysicists do?

From global studies to microscopic scales, and from processes happening on timescales of seconds to billions of years, geophysicists contribute fundamental insights into properties of the Earth. Geophysicists acquire data, image the Earth, model processes from the atmosphere to the inner core, and monitor hazards from earthquakes to tsunamis, whether naturally occurring or induced by human activity.

Career and graduate school opportunities

The geophysics major emphases analytical reasoning, computational problem solving, uncertainty quantification and high-tech sensing and monitoring. These skills are highly transferrable and an excellent preparation for both advanced graduate study and exiting careers in the private sector as well as government agencies. With a geophysics degree, students are well equipped to solve cutting-edge problems in a wide range of disciplines, from fundamental Earth, climate and planetary science research, to applications in the energy sector, critical minerals, data science and technology, and national security.

Wage data for related jobs

Median annual wage data courtesy of the Bureau of Labor Statistics

Research opportunities

Geophysics majors have the opportunity to conduct research with top scientists from all three of the Jackson School’s units — the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, the Institute for Geophysics, and the Bureau of Economic Geology. Students can explore questions about earthquakes, geomechanics, planetary science, energy applications and geodynamics. At UTIG, students can contribute to the Megathrust Modeling Framework (MTMOD), the Gulf of Mexico Basin Depositional Synthesis (GBDS) project, and at the Bureau, they can join the teams conducting earthquake monitoring.

All Jackson School undergraduates have an abundance of research opportunities at their fingertips. Explore more on our Undergraduate Research page.

Degree requirements

Every Jackson School undergraduate is required to take foundational courses that cover the breadth of the geosciences, along with advanced courses specific to their major. Students will explore these fields, advancing their quantitative reasoning skills, developing computational literacy, applying geospatial tools, and learning how to manage, evaluate, and visualize data.

Geophysics foundation courses

These are the courses every geophysics major is required to take.

Geoscience courses

These are the courses required of all Jackson School undergraduates. They will typically be completed within the first two years of study.

Building block courses

These courses take place outside of the Jackson School and are required of all geophysics majors. This major requires a robust understanding of mathematics, physics, and chemistry to prepare students for advanced classes specific to the degree.

Read more about these courses in the University of Texas course catalog. The 2024-2025 catalog will be available soon.

The 2024-2026 geophysics degree plan is coming soon.

Past degree plans: 2022-2024 | 2020-2022 | 2018-2020 | 2016-2018 | 2014-2016

Complementary minors

Geophysics majors can select any minor available to University of Texas undergraduate students. Here are a few that we recommend pairing with a geophysics degree in order to further your expertise in related subjects such as energy, sustainability, and policy.

• Leadership in Global Sustainability
• Public Policy
• Energy Management
• Sustainable Energy
• Energy Management

Next steps: Applying and transferring

Ready to start changing the world? If you’re a high school student interested in applying to the Jackson School to be a geophysics major, please select Geological Sciences during the process of your undergraduate application to The University of Texas at Austin. Additional application information can be found on the UT Office of Admissions website and the Jackson School’s Admissions page.

Thinking of transferring to the Jackson School to be a geophysics major? If you’re an undergraduate student already enrolled at The University of Texas at Austin, you may enter the Jackson School through an internal transfer process which occurs twice a year. Please visit the Jackson School’s Internal Transfers webpage for details about the internal transfer process, deadlines, and upcoming information session dates to learn more about our school and programs. We also encourage you to contact academic advising before you start this process.

These animations of continental drift and seafloor spreading show velocity amplitudes (NNR frame), reconstructed age, poloidal, and toroidal surface velocities.

Matthews et al. (2016), corrected for Torsvik et al. (2019), ages computed by Krister Karlsen, reconstruction provided by Clint Conrad