Geologic field camp is standard capstone course in most geology majors, in which students master the skills of field geology during an intensive five to six week field course. Field camp courses are sponsored by many larger geology department and are usually structured to accept students from outside their home institution. A typical field camp course builds on upper-level classroom knowledge to foster field skills including measuring of stratigraphic section, identification of structural features, and interpretation of geomorphology, ultimately leading to the ability to develop accurate geologic maps of structurally deformed terrain, integrating surface, subsurface, and remote data while learning to function effectively in the rough-and-tumble of a field setting. For serious students, field camp is usually a crucial event in the integration of their geosciences knowledge and the blossoming of their confidence as capable geologists.
The menu below provides useful information for geology majors planning their field camp experience: