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EducationBest Mineralogy colleges in US?
5th Aug 2012 23:05 UTCZach Berghorst
Any help is appreciated,
-Zach
6th Aug 2012 01:08 UTCPatrick Haynes (2) Expert
6th Aug 2012 01:10 UTCIbrahim Jameel Expert
6th Aug 2012 03:28 UTCChris Stefano Expert
In general I think Ibrahim is right though, if you want a good paying job, particularly at the bachelor's level, materials science is the way to go.
6th Aug 2012 03:44 UTCDennis Tryon
Dennis
6th Aug 2012 04:12 UTCTom Loomis
Good question..there are several I would consider. All doing some serious work in their fields. So depending upon your interest, you might find these choices good:
John Rakovan at the Miami U. at Oxford, OH http://www.cas.muohio.edu/~rakovajf/
Bob Downs at U of A in Tucson http://www.geo.arizona.edu/xtal/group/index.htm
David London at the Univ. of Oklahoma
Skip Simmons and Karen Webber at the University of New Orleans
I'm sure there are more but the ones above all show good interest in classical mineralogy while producing cutting edge research.
good luck.
Tom
6th Aug 2012 15:56 UTCPaul Brandes 🌟 Manager
Sorry to say, I don't believe there are any universities in the US that offer a straight "mineralogy" degree as a BS. My advice to you would be to pick a university that offers the best undergraduate geology program to first get the broad spectrum of earth science, including courses in mineralogy. Then, if you decide to pursue a graduate degree, that is where you could specialise in mineralogy, or perhaps you might find another aspect of geology that you are interested in while an undergrad. One thing I will mention about university mineralogy courses is that they are very technical and you will have to know a fair bit about chemistry and be able to visualise things in three-dimentions. There is a lot more to mineralogy than just looking at pretty minerals.
As far as great geology schools; it's hard to beat Colorado School of Mines, South Dakota School of Mines, or New Mexico Tech. Some other universities I would look at, in addition to the above mentioned, include Wisconsin-Madison and Minnesota-Duluth. I'm not sure where you're located Zach, but in-state tuition may be a concern of yours (and your parents) so you may want to find the best geology program in your state. Job prospects are fairly good these days. Petroleum and mining are both booming at the moment, and there is some very good mineral research going on as Chris mentioned.
Good luck!!
6th Aug 2012 18:42 UTCJohan Kjellman Expert
cheers
6th Aug 2012 19:53 UTCJeff Weissman Expert
Good luck!
6th Aug 2012 22:17 UTCZach Berghorst
Paul, I live in Minnesota so Duluth (which I was looking at aswell) may be the best option for a general geology program.
I am aware that colleges don't offer straight up mineralogy as a course, but if I were to get general eath science or geology finished, where would I go (or what would I do) to specialize in more of the mineralogy field?
Thanks again for the responses, I will definitely will keep them in consideration.
-Zach
6th Aug 2012 23:27 UTCDean Allum Expert
Something you should consider in any college is the opportunity for internships.
I noticed that none of these geologists mentioned the classical US geological heavyweights Yale and Harvard. These Universities must have evolved to more lucrative pursuits.
Also, what is going on with the recent fad for re-naming the Geology departments as "Earth Sciences" or
"Earth and Environmental Sciences"?
-Dean Allum
6th Aug 2012 23:41 UTCMartin Rex
7th Aug 2012 20:06 UTCPaul Brandes 🌟 Manager
UM-Duluth has a great geology program, even though it hurts me to say that (I'm a Michigan Tech grad :-D). You might also take a look at UM-Twin Cities as they have a good program as well, but if it were me, I'd choose Duluth. While you are an undergrad, I would recommend joining the Geological Society of America and attending their annual conference. There, you will be able to attend several mineralogy sessions and get a good idea of who is conducting interesting mineral research and at what schools across the country.
Unfortunately Dean, other than Cornell, the Ivy league schools have really slipped in recent years when it comes to the earth sciences; they seem to be more interested in law/medicene than anything else. Plus, I really haven't been too impressed with any recent geo graduates from Yale or Harvard (sorry alums, that's just my observations).
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