Faculty of Geography and Geology

Overview

Higher education in the field of geo-sciences is linked to the early years of the university in Iași. In 1863, professor Grigore Cobălcescu was appointed titular of the Chair of Natural Sciences within the Faculty of Sciences, thus establishing geological education, followed later by geographical education, materialized through the creation of the Chair of Geography.

The faculty offers students training with a complex worldview, based primarily on knowledge from the sphere of earth sciences. Curricula also include practical applications, with students in the fields of Geography, Environmental Science, and Geology benefiting from the faculty’s three student practice stations – one located in the Rărău massif, the second at Tulnici in the Vrancea Subcarpathians, and the third at Mădârjac in the Moldavian Plateau.

The faculty benefits from a research infrastructure of considerable importance at the national level and competitive internationally. Modern laboratories for Remote Sensing and Photointerpretation, Cartography-Topography, Climatology and Meteorology, Geoinformatics, Optical Microscopy, Atomic Absorption Spectrometry, Organic Matter Analysis, and Geochemistry, as well as scientific collections of Mineralogy, Petrology, and Paleontology, are made available to students.

Within the faculty, at the Department of Geography, two new laboratories were established, integrated into the University’s research structures: the Geoarchaeology Laboratory and the Enviromatics Laboratory. These are equipped with state-of-the-art analytical techniques and equipment, such as a laser diffraction particle size analyzer, bathymetric echosounder, soil moisture determination sensor, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer, etc. Additionally, two other laboratories operate within the Department of Geology: the X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) Spectrometry Laboratory and the Vibrational Spectrometry Laboratory (Raman and IR).

The curricula include, alongside theoretical courses, practical applications so that students can put what they learn into practice at partner companies in Romania and abroad in the fields of cartography, tourism, environmental protection, geological engineering, and others. In addition, students are offered a complex field experience, not only through mandatory practice but also through internship opportunities (3 months) in European Economic Area countries. Approximately 20% of students benefit from such European mobilities.

Graduating from the Faculty of Geography and Geology opens new horizons and offers numerous career prospects in diverse fields such as tourism, territorial planning, environmental protection, urbanism, meteorology, hydrology, analysis and monitoring of soil, water, and air quality, natural and anthropogenic hazard management, petroleum geology, technical and experimental mineralogy, gemstone evaluation, pre-university and university education, as well as career prospects in research institutes, etc.

The Geography-Geology Library is located in building B of the University, 3rd floor, 20A Carol I Blvd., 700505, Iași, E-mail: bib.geo@uaic.ro, Phone: +40 232 26 1796.