The Geology degree at Stockton University prepares students to study the Earth through fieldwork, lab science, and hands-on research. Students build a strong foundation in geology — the science that deals with the Earth's physical structure and substance, its history, and the processes that act on it — while developing skills for careers in environmental consulting, natural resource management, and geoscience fields.
Coursework includes mineralogy, petrology, sedimentology, field geology, and structural geology, with opportunities to study hydrology, coastal processes, and soils. Students gain experience with fieldwork, geographic information systems (GIS), lab analysis, internships, and research projects, preparing them for professional work or graduate study.
Explore Your Future in Geology
What makes Stockton University’s geology program unique?
The geology program at Stockton University combines small class sizes with extensive fieldwork and laboratory analysis to help students understand earth systems in real environments. Students gain experience through regional field trips, weekend excursions, and research projects that involve geochemistry, structural geology, sedimentology, and environmental geology applications.
What topics do geology majors study?
Students study a wide range of earth science topics including mineralogy, petrology, sedimentology, stratigraphy, field methods, and structural geology. They also have opportunities to explore related fields such as hydrology, coastal processes, environmental geology, water resource management, and oceanography.
How important is fieldwork in the geology program?
Fieldwork is a central part of the geology degree at Stockton University. Students participate in frequent day trips across New Jersey and surrounding regions, along with extended weekend and research-based travel. These experiences allow students to apply geologic mapping, data collection, and environmental analysis directly in the field.
What facilities and tools do geology students use?
Geology students work in specialized labs that support structural analysis, petrologic investigation, geochemistry, and sediment analysis. They also gain hands-on experience with GIS mapping tools, specialized software, geologic mapping equipment, geophysics instrumentation, and sampling tools.
What degree options are available in geology at Stockton University?
Students can earn either a Bachelor of Science or a Bachelor of Arts in Geology. Both degree options include core coursework in mineralogy, petrology, sedimentology, stratigraphy, field methods, and structural geology, along with experiential learning through fieldwork, internships, or faculty-led research. The program also offers a robust minor in geology that works well with other majors such as Environmental Science or Marine Science.
Geology Faculty
Jeffrey Webber
Jeffrey Webber
Program Chair Associate Professor of Geology
BIOGRAPHY
Greetings, I originally hail from Bozeman Montana where I grew up surrounded by the Rocky Mountains and gained a curiosity for the local geology. During my undergraduate studies at Montana State University, I became fascinated with the deformation and metamorphism of crustal rocks and decided to pursue a Master's degree at The University of Vermont under the mentorship of Dr. Keith Klepeis. While at The University of Vermont, I was able to work on magmatic processes within the Coastal Batholith of central Chile and assisted research on deformation distributions in deep-crustal rocks of Fiordland National Park, New Zealand. After finishing my Master's degree, I began working on a doctoral project at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. This project, advised by Dr. Laurie L. Brown and Dr. Michael L. Williams, focused on the role of deformation and metamorphism in controlling the spatial distributions of aeromagnetic anomalies in northern Saskatchewan, Canada. I am excited to continue with past research while starting new projects involving Stockton undergraduates.
Website/CV: Dr. Jeffrey Webber Website
Ph.D., University of Massachusetts, Amherst
M.S., The University of Vermont
B.S., Montana State University
Structural Geology, Tectonics, Metamorphic Petrology, and Rock Magnetics
Physical Geology, Field Geology, Geophysics, Earthquakes, Mountains and Mountaineering, Physical Geography, and Environmental Geology.
My current research interests incorporate many aspects of structural geology, metamorphic petrology, and rock magnetism within the context of field geology. I am interested in understanding the relationships between deformation and metamorphism at a variety of scales from thin sections to crustal exposures. These relationships provide the context for geochronological analyses that can be related to kinematic studies and metamorphic conditions including pressure, temperature, and oxygen fugacity. By determining the conditions of deformation and metamorphism, geophysical data derived from aeromagnetic and gravity surveys can be better interpreted with an understanding of the processes that influence rock properties such as magnetic susceptibility and density. I believe that this approach is instrumental in accurately reconstructing the kinematics, timing and rheology of crustal domains within polydeformed terrains. Ultimately, the information gained from this style of research furthers our understanding of modern tectonic processes and gives us insight to the geologic history of specific locations.
Webber, Jeffrey R., Laurie L. Brown, and Michael L. Williams. "Petrophysical constraints on magnetic anomalies associated with metamorphic reactions in northern Saskatchewan, Canada." Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 56, no. 9 (2019): 895-911.
Bailey, Scott W., Donald S. Ross, Nico Perdrial, Michael Jercinovic, Jeffrey Webber, and Rebecca Bourgault. "Determination of primary mineral content and calcium sources in forest soils using electron probe microanalysis mapping and cluster analysis." Soil Science Society of America Journal 83, no. 6 (2019): 1830-1841.
Regan, S. P., M. L. Williams, L. Zieman, J. R. Chiarenzelli, M. J. Jercinovic, B.
L. Cousens, J. R. Webber, and L. B. Aspler. "IN-SIMS zircon U-Pb geochronology from the Snowbird tectonic zone
Large igneous Province (STZ LIP), western Churchill Province, Canada." Precambrian
Research 377 (2022): 106751.
J.R. Webber, K.A. Klepeis, L.E. Webb, J. Cembrano, D. Morata, G. Mora-Klepeis, and G. Arancibia. Deformation and magma transport in a crystallizing plutonic complex, Coast Batholith, central Chile. Geosphere, 11(5), 2015.
L.L. Brown, J.R. Webber, M.L. Williams, S.P. Regan, and S.J. Seaman. Magnetism of the Lower Crust: Observations from the Chipman Domain, Athabasca Granulite Terrain, northern Canada. Tectonophysics, 624-625:66-74, 2014.
Matthew J. Severs
Matthew J. Severs
Associate Professor of Geology
.
BIOGRAPHY
I'm from Indiana originally and have always had an interest in the earth and its formation. I attended Colby College as a history major originally before switching to geology as it was far more interesting and then went to Virginia Tech for my doctorate. I am the hard-rock geologist in the Geology Program at Stockton, meaning that I focus my teaching and research on igneous and metamorphic rocks. All of my classes have a strong field component to them as geology is best seen in the field. It has been my pleasure to involve my Stockton students in research projects that have taken us to Rhode Island, Maine, Newfoundland, Mount St. Helens, WA the Adirondacks, NY, and to Virginia. I am also the faculty advisor for the Geology Club.
Website/CV: https://www.rockyseversgeology.com/
Ph.D. Geosciences, Virginia Tech
BA, Geology, Colby College
Geochemistry of igneous and metamorphic rocks, ore deposit formation, melt and fluid inclusions, lamprophyres and their generation in the mantle, pegmatite generation, migmatites and early stage melting of rocks, and adakites; Igneous Petrology; Metamorphic Petrology; Volcanology; Ore Deposits; Mineralogy
Physical Geology and Lab (GEOL 2101/2105)
Earth and Space Science (GEOL 2120)
Mineralogy (GEOL 3211)
Petrology (GEOL 3212)
Hydrothermal Fluids and Ore Deposits (GEOL 3202)
Tectonics (GEOL 4610)
Minerals and Human History (GNM 1048)
Volcanoes (GNM 2194)
The History of You (GIS 3XXX)
My research focuses on using geochemistry to answer geological questions that focus on igneous petrology, ore deposits, and tectonics. Techniques that I use include petrography, bulk rock geochemistry, mineral geochemistry, and microanalyses of fluid inclusions. My largest current project involves looking at alkali-rich igneous rocks called lamprophryes from the end of Appalachian mountain building events in northern New Jersey and southern New York to better understand how they formed and their relationship with other intrusions in the area. My newest project is looking at critical minerals necessary for alternative energies such as gallium, germanium, and others in historic mining districts in New York to better understand whether these deposits or others like them could be reimagined for modern metals, but also how they form from hydrothermal fluids. A third project is aimed at understanding the mantle beneath the continental lithosphere of the East Coast by looking at xenoliths of the mantle rocks brough to the surface by volcanic activity in lamprophyres from Rhode Island. Finally, the last project that I am working on is understanding how iron oxide-apatite ore deposits form and whether these deposits can have rare earth elements needed for alternative energies, electric vehicles, and all modern technologies.
Severs, M.J., Gryger, K.J.*, Makin, S.A.*, Bodnar, R.J., and Bradford, W.B.*, 2013. Investigation of long-term geochemical variations and magmatic processes in Mount St. Helens eruptive units. Geofluids 13, 440-452.
Bodnar, R.J., Azbej, T., Becker, S., Cannatelli, C., Fall, A., and Severs, M.J., 2013. Whole Earth Geohydrologic Cycle: From the Clouds to the Core – The Role of
Water in the Dynamic Earth System. In: M.E. Bickford, Ed., Geological Society of America
Special Paper 500, 125th Anniversary Special Volume I: The Web of Geological Sciences:
Advances, Impacts, and Interactions. Chapter 13, 431-462.
Severs, M.J., Beard, J.S., Bodnar, R.J., Fedele, L., Hanchar, J.M., and Mutchler, S.M., 2009.
Partitioning behavior of trace elements between dacitic melt and plagioclase, orthopyroxene,
and clinopyroxene based on laser ablation ICPMS analysis of silicate melt inclusions.
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 73, 2123-2141.
Severs M.J., Azbej, T., Thomas, J.B., Mandeville, C.W., and Bodnar, R.J., 2007. Experimental
determination of H2O loss from melt inclusions during laboratory heating: Evidence
from Raman spectroscopy. Chemical Geology 237, 358-371.
Azbej, T., Severs, M.J., Rusk, B., and Bodnar, R.J., 2007. In situ quantitative analysis of H2O-CO2 fluid
inclusions by laser Raman Spectroscopy. Chemical Geology 237, 255-263.
*Indicates Stockton student/alumni author
Associated Faculty
Matthew F. Bonnan
Matthew F. Bonnan
Professor of Biology
BIOGRAPHY
Since the tender age of five, I have been fascinated by dinosaurs. It was never so much the treasure-hunter aspect of paleontology that attracted me to this science, but rather the thrill of reconstructing long-dead animals and breathing life into old bones. In other words, I am a zoologist and anatomist at heart who happens to be fascinated by dinosaurs. I see dinosaurs as living animals, and I want to reconstruct how these animals moved and behaved when their bones were still pulsing with blood. As time has gone by, I have come to have a
deep appreciation and fascination with all the backboned (vertebrate) animals, their collective natural history, and their evolution. I have come to realize that the questions about dinosaurs that I began to pursue in earnest in graduate school have a broader and more powerful context across our vertebrate family tree.
I have helped discover and describe three new species of dinosaurs with colleagues in South Africa, and have overseen nearly fifty undergraduate and graduate student research projects on vertebrate functional morphology and evolution.
Website/CV: matthewbonnan.com
Susanne Moskalski
Susanne Moskalski
Assistant Professor of Marine Science
BIOGRAPHY
Dr. Moskalski earned her M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Delaware. Her dissertation research was about factors influencing sediment transport in the St. Jones River in Delaware. She completed a post-doctoral research position at the University of South Carolina studying the effects of rainfall on sediment and trace metal mobilization in salt marshes. Her most recent post prior to Stockton was a post-doctoral fellowship at the Université de Bretagne Occidentale/Institut Universitaire Européen de la Mer in Brest, France, during which she studied sediment flux and decadal-scale change in a small macrotidal estuary.
Website/CV: Weebly
PhD Marine Studies/Geological Oceanography, The University of Delaware
M.S. Geology, The University of Delaware
B.S. Earth Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University
Clastic sedimentology, sedimentary and surficial processes in marshes and estuaries, sediment flux, deposition/erosion rates and patterns, storm effects, human impacts, time series analysis.
GEOL 2110 Marine Geology
GEOL 2102 Historical Geology
MARS 3305 Coastal Processes
GEOL 3231 Sedimentology and Stratigraphy
GNM 2129 Ocean Planet: Where the River Meets the Sea
GEOL 2110 Marine Geology
GEOL 2102 Historical Geology
MARS 3305 Coastal Processes
GEOL 3231 Sedimentology and Stratigraphy
GNM 2129 Ocean Planet: Where the River Meets the Sea
Emma L. Witt
Field Trips
An important part of the geosciences is experiencing the results and processes of the Earth in its natural setting – the field!
Since geology is the study of the earth in all its aspects, one of the best places to learn is out in the field. As such, Stockton Geology puts a premium on field trips at all levels, from the introductory classes through upper-level core classes and electives, and also on research trips.
Course field trips include a number of day trips throughout the greater New Jersey area (eastern Pennsylvania, southern New York, Delaware, and Maryland) for all of the classes. Extended weekend trips for upper-level core and elective geology classes take students through the Adirondacks of New York, central Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Rhode Island, the Hudson River Valley, and Pennsylvania.
For students who choose to do research with one of the faculty members, most projects will involve some amount of fieldwork. These can be “local” projects along the Jersey Shore or in northern New Jersey and southern New York, or they can be much further away in places as diverse as Montana, Rhode Island, Arizona, Maine, or Vermont. Geology faculty are always looking for engaged students to study interesting geological problems in cool places.
Special Opportunities
The Arts and Sciences Building houses Geology and the Environmental Sciences. Its facilities include a rock cutting, polishing, and thin sectioning lab; geological and paleontological collections; computer laboratories, some of which are tailored for geographic information systems; soil and hydrology lab; chemical and biological laboratories; greenhouse. Students interested in Marine Geology have access to the research station at the Marine Field Station and its facilities, including research vehicles (boats), side scan sonar, marine geochemistry, sediment sampling, and water quality instrumentation and laboratories. The required internship or research project also enables students to utilize the equipment present here at Stockton and sometimes instrumentation and techniques in conjunction with other companies, organizations, and institutions. Research projects are typically presented by the students at the Northeastern Section meeting of the Geological Society of America.
The Geology Program supports a vigorous field program that provides experience with field techniques in regular coursework with weekend field trips for most upper-level classes. Additionally, the student-run Stockton Geology Club takes an annual 2-3 week-long trip in May to a variety of locations across the country, including sites such as the Grand Canyon, Zion National Park, Big Bend National Park, and even up to the Atlantic Provinces of Canada.
Alumni Success
Geology alumni are currently employed by a diverse group of companies and agencies in a variety of geoscience disciplines. These include:
- NJDOT
- NJDEP
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
- Chevron
- Southwestern Energy
- Arcadis
- TRG
- Langan
- EMSL, Inc.
What our students say:
The geology program at Stockton has provided me with exceptional knowledge of the subject, as well as practical, hands-on experience. One of my favorite aspects of the program are the field trips where students get direct, first-hand experience learning about geologic processes.
Read Daniel's whole story
B.S. Geology
I often look back on my life to see if some key moments or choices had a lasting impact on me. Choosing to major in geology at Stockton has single-handedly been the best choice I have ever made in my entire life. I cannot imagine where I would be if I hadn’t taken the chance to switch majors.
Read Katie's whole story
B.S. Geology
Stockton geology heavily emphasizes fieldwork, a crucial component for the geological industry. This includes day trips, weekend trips, and multiple week-long trips across the country to places like Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and others, allowing students to apply what they’ve learned in lectures and labs in the field.Read Jame's whole story
B.S. Geology
Course material and research gave me the skills and knowledge I needed to excel and stand out in my field. I learned how to properly research topics and how to implement new information in the projects I work on in my industry.
Read Andrew's whole story
B.S. Geology
At Stockton, I had the pleasure of being involved in research with three faculty members and developed my own research project senior year. Being so involved with research as an undergraduate really aided me in becoming more confident in myself as a person and as a scientist.
Read Ally's whole story
B.S. Geology and Oceanography
The immersive experience that being a geology student provided was irreplaceable. I was able to go on many field trips and participate in research which prepared me very well for graduate school.
Read Shannon's whole story
B.S. Geology
I cherish my Stockton geology experience. It helped me grow into the professional I am today by providing me with the necessary knowledge in my field of work, and it was a great social experience as well as completing field and lab projects with other students. I can not praise the geology program enough.
Read Glenn's whole story
B.S. Geology
Why Geology "ROCKS"!
Geology alumna Anna Teranova was well prepared her for soil classification work when she landed a geologist position at TRC Companies.
Understanding how containments move through water underground is an crucial component
in environmental remediation.
Learn more about Ternova in the 2021 The Essential Elements article A Day in a Life of a Geologist ROCKS!. And don't miss other alumni stories in our current e-zine edition!
Career Information
Sample list of potential careers:
Recent studies indicate that the majority of geology graduates establish careers related
to their major. They fill positions in industry; in state, federal, and local governmental
agencies; in schools; and in other organizations, including engineering, insurance,
consulting, and mining, oil, and natural resource management and exploration companies.- Engineering geologist
- Geochemist
- Geotechnical engineer
- Wellsite geologist
- Environmental Consultant
- Mudlogger
- Hydrogeologist
- Sustainability consultant
- Quarry manager
- Minerals surveyor
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