US colleges offer four types of paleontology programs: biological science, geological science, environmental and plant biology, and anthropology. In the UK and Australia, paleontology is mostly offered as a minor track within earth science or geology programs. Students learn to use imaging devices and prepare fossils in labs. Graduate students can participate in research projects on paleontological digs.
Colleges and universities in the United States offer four different types of paleontology programs for students who want to study fossils and Earth history: biological science programs with a concentration in paleontology, geological science programs with an emphasis on paleontology, environmental, and biology programs plant with a concentration in paleontology and anthropology programs with a concentration in paleontology. In the UK, Australia and other parts of the world, offerings are mostly limited to earth science programs or geology programs as the only routes to a paleontology degree. Generally, paleontology is not offered as a degree in its own right anywhere in the world, but as a minor track or focus within another branch of study. Offered at the undergraduate and graduate levels, these paleoscience hybrid programs teach the skills to unearth, analyze, and categorize buried relics and records from past ages using a variety of sciences.
Bachelor’s and graduate programs in biological sciences teach students about fossils preserved in the bodies or habitats of various species of vertebrate and invertebrate animals. Students study the habits of ancient aquatic and marine life, examining how these animals may have used found relics to interact with their ecosystems. Extinct and ancient mammals and insects are also studied.
Departments of geological sciences and earth sciences that offer paleontology programs examine the types of fossil records hidden in sediments and rocks. Students learn about the different types of soil that existed in past times and how climate change has affected the soil. Most academic hours are devoted to courses on topics such as hydrology, environmental changes and carbonate evolution.
Paleontology programs offered by departments of environmental and plant biology focus on paleobotany, which is the study of ancient plants, plant fossils, and ancient molds and fungi. Students learn the structure and reproductive nature of planets, as well as the evolution of various plant species. The effects of coal deposits, climate, and terrestrial changes on vegetation are also studied. Anthropology-based paleontology programs, also called paleoanthropology, prepare students for the study of ancient primates and human evolution.
Regardless of course, all students on a paleontology track learn the basics of paleontology research, including how to use imaging devices such as laser scanners, digital microscopes, and fluorescent microscopes in order to delineate buried fossils. Students also learn how to process photos created by these instruments. Paleontology students spend a portion of their studies in laboratories learning how to properly prepare fossils using foundry equipment, molds and extraction methods. Advanced students, such as those in a graduate track, can also participate in research projects that take them to the actual site of a paleontological dig to work with professional paleontologists.
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