Geology students at Bates not only study the Earth, they see a lot of it firsthand — from the coast of Maine to sheltered, inland lakes, from the Appalachian Mountains to the Arctic, from New Mexico to Scotland. Classes take you to the field and back to the laboratory for the kind of experience that leads to thinking like a geologist.
Starting with first-year courses, fieldwork is the emphasis. Bates College affords students excellent opportunities for study and research in the geological sciences. The curriculum utilizes this setting by stressing field-oriented and laboratory-supported inquiry into bedrock, surficial, and environmental geology. In 2024 the Geology Department formally changed it's name to Earth and Climate Sciences.