Founded in 1926, the Department of Geophysics at the Colorado School of Mines is recognized and respected around the world for its programs in applied geophysical research and education. With 20 active faculty and an average class size of 15, students receive individualized attention in a close-knit department. Given the interdisciplinary nature of geophysics, the undergraduate curriculum requires students to become thoroughly familiar with geological, mathematical, and physical theories in addition to the various geophysical methodologies.

Geophysics entails the study and exploration of the earth’s interior through physical measurements collected at the earth’s surface, in boreholes, from aircraft, and from satellites. Using a combination of mathematics, physics, geology, chemistry, hydrology, and computer science, a geophysicist analyzes these measurements to infer properties and processes within the earth’s complex interior. Non-invasive imaging beneath the surface of earth and other planets by geophysicists is analogous to non-invasive imaging of the interior of the human body by medical specialists.

The earth supplies all material needed by our society, serves as the repository of used products, and provides a home to all its inhabitants. Geophysics and geophysical engineering have important roles to play in the solution of challenging problems facing the inhabitants of this planet, such as providing fresh water, food, and energy for earth’s growing population, evaluating sites for underground construction and containment of hazardous waste, monitoring non-invasively the aging infrastructures of developed nations, mitigating the threat of geohazards (earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, avalanches) to populated areas, contributing to homeland security (including detection and removal of unexploded ordnance and land mines), evaluating changes in climate and managing humankind’s response to them, and exploring other planets.

Energy companies and mining firms employ geophysicists to explore for hidden resources around the world. Engineering firms hire geophysical engineers to assess the earth’s near-surface properties when sites are chosen for large construction projects and waste-management operations. Environmental organizations use geophysics to conduct groundwater surveys and to track the flow of contaminants. On the global scales, geophysicists employed by universities and government agencies (such as the United States Geological Survey, NASA, and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration) try to understand such earth processes as heat flow; gravitational, magnetic, electric, thermal, and stress fields within the earth’s interior. For the past decade, 100% of CSM’s geophysics graduates have found employment in their chosen field, with about 20% choosing to pursue graduate studies. The undergraduate program in the Department of Geophysics leads to a Bachelor of Science in Geophysical Engineering. The Geophysical Engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), www.abet.org. Students who earn this degree and pass the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam become designated as an “Engineer in Training”, the first step toward licensure as a Professional Engineer.