The Department of Geological Sciences is the main academic unit of the Jackson School. Founded in 1888, the Department is one of the oldest, largest, and most prestigious geoscience programs in the world. U.S. News & World Report ranks the Department’s graduate program in the top ten nationally for earth sciences, the only program in Texas with this distinction. The Department also has top ten specialty rankings in geology and geophysics/seismology.
With 58 faculty members, the Department is among the largest and most academically diverse in the world. The Department is home to one of the largest combined graduate and undergraduate enrollments – 687 – of any major geoscience program. We also have nearly 4,800 alumni.
Undergraduate Programs
Want to study the Earth? Find your future? Make a difference? We offer an unparalleled undergraduate experience featuring the benefits of a small college within a major university.
Read MoreGraduate Programs
This is an exciting time to pursue a graduate degree with the Department of Geological Sciences. It’s among the largest and most academically diverse programs in the world, with a strong emphasis on global field work.
Read MoreResearch & Education Programs
The Department of Geological Sciences seeks to answer some of the fundamental questions in earth science and address some of the most pressing issues of the 21st century for the benefit of society.
Department Research News
February 11, 2019
Texas Geosciences Dean Stepping Down After a Decade of Excellence
After 10 years of leading The University of Texas at Austin Jackson School of Geosciences, Dean Sharon Mosher is stepping down and rejoining the faculty…
Read MoreJanuary 31, 2019
Climate Change Could Make Corals Go It Alone
Climate change is bad news for coral reefs around the world, with high ocean temperatures causing widespread bleaching events that weaken and kill corals. However,…
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