Field Camp

All Whitman geology majors attend a field camp or take a field course to develop a solid grasp on practical, hands-on-the-rocks geology techniques and concepts and fulfill the major requirement for GEOL 480, Field Mapping. Though Whitman classes are heavy on the field trips and hand samples, field experiences add a further dimension to our majors' breadth of study. Field camps have different emphases depending on the school, but the idea is that students learn to interpret what they see in the landscape and in the rocks in order to successfully compile geologic maps. Additionally, field camp can be the pivotal experience that converts a student of geology into a hopelessly enthusiastic geologist.

Many students choose to fulfill this requirement during the summer of either their Junior or Senior years, but there are also opportunities to take this while abroad. Programs through Frontiers Abroad, New Zealand;  University of Otago, New Zealand; James Cooke University, Australia; St. Andrew's in Edinburgh, Scotland offer field courses. 

How To Chose The Right Field Camp

List of Schools with Field Camp Programs

Need help paying for field camp? Here are a few funding opportunities:

• AEG Beardsley-Kuper Fund and Tilford Scholarship
• Association of Women Geoscientists ($500 each for two female geoscientists)
• GSA/ExxonMobil Field Camp Scholar Award ($2,000 each)
• NAGT Scholarships for Field Study ($500 each)