Academic Programs and Courses

Students can complete the entire General Education "Studies in Nature" requirement in the Black Hills with three courses in eight weeks of study. The mountain geology of the Black Hills give students an extraordinary opportunity to study dynamic earth processes, rocks, minerals and fossils. Clear, dark night skies reveal near and deep space objects, as seen through high-power telescopes. The national forests and parks of the Black Hills, as well as municipal Rapid City, provide venues for the study of environmental issues and man’s role and responsibility in the stewardship of natural resources. All courses include many day trips off-campus and some overnight camping trips to remote locations. Gen Ed courses include:

GEOL 201: Introductory Geology in the Field (4 cr. hours)

ASTR 302: Stellar Astronomy (2 cr. hours) or PHYS 315: Meteorology (2 cr. hours)

BIOL 314: Environmental Science (2 cr. hours) or GEOL 215: Environmental Geology in the Field (2 cr. hours)

See the schedule for Gen Ed courses being offered next summer.

Required and elective courses in the Biology major are offered each summer in the Black Hills. Up to ten credit hours of study can be completed in one summer. Fauna and flora from west and mid-west fill the many different ecological settings of the Black Hills. Students choose among courses offered in animal and plant biology and general ecology. All courses include many day trips and some overnight camping trips to study the diversity of life in the region. The Ecology course includes a week-long excursion across Wyoming and Montana to the Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. Biology courses include:BIOL 343 Plant Taxonomy (3 cr. hours) BIOL 351: General Ecology (4 cr. hours)BIOL 385: Special Topics in Biology: Ornithology (3 cr. hours)BIOL 385: Special Topics in Biology: Entomology (3 cr. hours)

See the schedule for Biology Major courses being offered next summer.

Geology majors can complete the required six-credit (six weeks) Field Geology course in the Black Hills. An additional two-credit (two weeks), elective course includes travel to geological sites of interest in the Black Hills and in Wyoming and Montana (including the Big Horn and Beartooth Mtns. and Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. Offered alternate years. Geology courses include:

GEOL 412: Field Geology (6 semester hours)

GEOL 413: Rocky Mountain Field Geology (2 cr. hours)

See the schedule for Geology Major courses being offered next summer.

Environmental Science majors can complete required and elective courses in the Black Hills. Courses include those in the Geology and Biology Major tracks that may apply to the Environmental Science major or Environmental Chemistry and Field Natural History. Offered alternate years. Environmental Science courses include:

CHEM 350: Environmental Chemistry (3 semester hours)

BIOL Field Natural History (4 cr. hours)

See the schedule for Environmental Science Major courses being offered next summer.

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