Page 184 - Handbook Bachelor Degree of Science Academic Session 20202021

Faculty of Science Handbook, Academic Session 2020/2021

DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY Department have played important and pioneering roles in
organising activities that are beneficial to the nation and
region, such as organising conferences, training courses and
The Department of Geology, UM is the oldest Department of
Geology in the country. It was founded in Singapore in 1956 field work.

and relocated to The Kuala Lumpur Campus in 1960. From The Department has established cooperation in research with
its modest beginning with only 4 academic staff and 2 final- geoscientists, universities and research laboratories from
year students in 1962, the Department has expanded and developed and developing countries in fields of common
evolved in terms of staff, facilities and students in line with the
development of our nation and the increase in demand of interest. The Department also has good rapport with agencies
earth science graduates. In the last 15 years, the Department in the public and private sector in activities related to research
and consultancy.
produces about 50 graduates with Bachelor of Science in
Geology and Applied Geology (introduced in 1968) annually.
Presently there are 12 academic staffs, 1 Adjunct Professor Facilities
and 20 support staffs in the Department. The Department is equipped with a wide range of laboratory
and field facilities for both teaching and research purposes.
Objectives Facilities for the preparation of rock slabs, rock thin-sections
As a main centre for earth science studies in a rapidly and polished sections are available and include rock saws of
developing nation, the Department is aware of its various diameters and an automatic polishing. Excellent
teaching petrological, reflected and transmitted light
responsibility to train graduates of high quality in terms of microscopes, as well as stereoscopes and a large reference
academic excellence and communication skills. The collection of topographic and geological maps, rocks,
Department constantly reviews and introduces new relevant
courses from time to time, to fulfil the requirements of both the minerals and fossils are available for undergraduates and
public and private sectors. postgraduate students.

The Department of Geology has one of the most advanced
Degree Programs organic geochemistry laboratory in Malaysia. The laboratory
The Department of Geology offers two undergraduate degree is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities such as hydrocarbon
programs, namely Bachelor of Science in Geology and Source Rock Analyser (SRA), GC, GC-MS, Pyrolysis-GC,
Bachelor of Science in Applied Geology based on semester ATR-FTIR and microscope photometry system.
system. This system provides students the chance to
complete the course in a minimum of 7 semesters. Students Other major teaching and research equipment include LiDAR
who apply for the undergraduate course should have some (Light Detection And Ranging), ICP (Inductively Coupled
background in Physics, Chemistry & Mathematics in the Plasma), XRD (X-ray Diffractometer), XRF (X-Ray
STPM level, Matriculation or other equivalent qualification. Flourescence Spectro-meter), AAS (Atomic Absorption
The medium of instruction is English. Spectrometer), gravity meter, seismograph, magnetometer
and particle size analyser. Macro- and micro-photography and
The Department has an excellent program of research image analysis facilities are also available within the
training leading to a Master of Science (MSc) or a Doctor of Department.
Philosophy (PhD) Degree. These postgraduate programs are
based on supervised research and preparation of dissertation. A well-equipped computer laboratory with internet support,
The Department also offers Master of Science in Petroleum complete with geological and geophysical modelling software
Geology by coursework. For admission to the Master Degree are also available for students who are encouraged to use
program, the candidate must possess a Bachelor of Science computer techniques for analysis of their data. There is also a
degree with Honours, while for the PhD program the workstation laboratory with softwares for geological,
candidate must possess a Master’s degree. geophysical, petrophysical, structural and reservoir analysis,
modeling, visualization and simulation that are widely used in
Academic and Research Activities the industry.
The staff of the Department are actively involved in studies
and research in all aspects of geosciences in Malaysia. To The Department library, known as the Klompe Reading
fulfil the needs of the private sectors, research on economic Room, is well stocked with a wide variety of recent geological
mineral deposits, engineering and environmental geology, books and literature and has access to the Main Library of the
and aspects related to petroleum exploration have been University which has the largest collection of books and
emphasised. Publications by the academic staff have journals in the region.
contributed significantly to understanding of general geology,
mineralogy, petrology, geophysics, stratigraphy, Career Opportunities
palaeontology, sedimentology, structural geology and In our rapidly developing nation, graduates in geology have
tectonics of Malaysia and the region. excellent career opportunities. Graduates from the
Department have excelled in their career in both the public
The staff of the Department are actively involved in the and private sectors, in various fields such as academic,
promotion and advancement of geosciences in Malaysia and mining, petroleum industry, engineering geology and the
the South-East Asia countries through cooperation and construction sector. There is an increase in demand for
linkages with various organisations such as the Minerals and geology graduates. Expertise in geology is also required in the
Geoscience Department of Malaysia, Geological Society of construction of infrastructures, the chemical industries,
Malaysia, AGID (Association of Geoscientists for International mitigation of natural hazards and environmental monitoring.
Development), IUGS (International Union of Geological
Sciences), AAPG (American Association of Petroleum
Geologists), UNESCO, and PETRONAS. Members of the

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