King Saud University was established in 1957 and the Department of Geology, which is one of the departments of the College of Science, founded in 1958 (1378 H). The Department, upon successfully celebrating its Golden Jubilee in 2008, was re-named as the Department of Geology and Geophysics to incorporate the Geophysics teaching curriculum that started in 1980. The Department has achieved diversification of teaching and research programs at the University in order to cater for the needs of an ever increasing number of qualified earth science graduates in the Kingdom.
The Department of Geology and Geophysics is housed in a three-storey building in the College of Science (building-4) in the main campus of King Saud University. It is recognized as one of the distinguished science departments in the Arab World because of its teaching standard, wide range of course options offered in the disciplines of geosciences, intense laboratory and field training, the cultivation of the student'scapability for independent thinking and research, the use of modern educational tools for teaching, well equipped laboratories and a museum, and the maintenance of a reasonably good teacher-student ratio. Furthermore, the Department contains specialist laboratories for Petroleum Geology, Geophysics, Hydrogeology, GIS, and the Seismic Studies Centre for seismic monitoring at the national level and seismological research studies in Saudi Arabia.
The Department is enriched with its scientific interaction with other academic institutions and agencies in Saudi Arabia, including the Saudi Geological Survey, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, ARAMCO, etc. Moreover, the Department participates actively in academic exchanges with internationally renowned research laboratories in countries like USA., Germany and the UK.
The Department of Geology and Geophysicshas a group of recognized faculty members with broad specialties in different geological and geophysical branches. The majority of them obtained their PhD degrees from high ranked universities in the USA, UK, Germany and France.The faculty members are supported by staff assistants and non-academic technicians.
The Department follows a generous policy in encouraging sabbatical and study leave as well as other scientific visits by its faculty members. All such measures help sustain a good academic and research environment in the Department. The Department has recently started co - publishing an Earth Science journal; Arabian Journal of Geosciences, published by Springer (Germany).
Dr. Saleh Qaysi
Chairman, Department of Geology and Geophysics
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To be a leader in imparting quality education in the fields of applied earth sciences and to contribute in building the knowledge based society.
moreTo achieve excellence in imparting higher education in the fields of earth sciences, with due emphasis on the quality of students at undergraduate and graduate levels. To develop applied scientific research through geological, geophysical and hydrogeological projects as per the national plan in
moreTo offer educational programs and research projects in the field of geology and Geophysics capable of providing knowledgeable and trained personnel to the society through a stimulating environment of learning, creativity, scientific research.
moreACADEMIC PROGRAMS
The Department offers two Undergraduate Programs leading to the B.Sc. Degree in Geology and Geophysics, as well as two Postgraduate Programs leading to the M.Sc. Degree in Geology and Geophysics