Instructors.
Outcrops.
No middlemen.
Published feesBuilt on safetyNo contracts
Find your way back to the field.™
Why the field
Geoscience makes sense where it happens: outside, at the rock, doing the work.
We run field courses for geoscientists in energy, water, hazards, government and academia, and for anyone curious about the ground under their feet. Our mission is simple: get people outdoors, learning, and sharing what they saw with others.
Why it works
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01 · Learning by doing
Doing beats listening.
Across 225 studies of college science and engineering courses, students in active-learning classes scored about 6% higher on exams. Students in lecture-only classes were 1.5 times more likely to fail.
Classroom studies, not field courses. Field courses are active learning by design.
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02 · The field
Geoscientists say the field is where it clicks.
In a survey of 172 geoscience students, instructors and professionals at GSA meetings, 89.5% said fieldwork should be a required part of a geoscience degree. They ranked critical thinking and problem solving, core concepts, and field skills as the top things a field course teaches.
An opinion survey of students, instructors and professionals, not a test of results.
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03 · Preparation
Come prepared, learn more.
In a one-day geology field trip with 296 Israeli high-school students (Grades 9 to 11), students who were made familiar with the setting beforehand gained significantly higher achievement and attitude levels than those who were not. The authors recommend a short preparatory unit before the trip.
That study was with teenagers, not adults. We borrow the idea: course materials open one month before each course starts.
Orion & Hofstein, 1994, Journal of Research in Science Teaching
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04 · Health
Time outdoors lowers stress hormones.
City residents who spent time in a place that felt like nature saw the stress hormone cortisol fall faster than its normal daily decline. 20 to 30 minutes gave the most benefit for the time spent. In 24 forests across Japan, young adults had lower cortisol, pulse and blood pressure in the forest than in the city.
Short-term effects in small to mid-sized studies (36 and 280 people).
Hunter, Gillespie & Chen, 2019, Frontiers in Psychology · Park et al., 2010, Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine
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05 · Thinking
Four days out, more creative problem solving.
Backpackers on day four of an Outward Bound trip, with no phones, scored about 50% higher on a creative problem-solving test than a separate group tested the morning their trip began.
A small study (56 people) that can't separate nature from no screens. Reviews of the wider attention research find some support, but results are mixed.
Atchley, Strayer & Atchley, 2012, PLOS ONE · Ohly et al., 2016, J Toxicol Environ Health B (review)
For managers, HR and engineering leads
The fair question: your people are well paid, and a field course takes them off the job for 4–5 days. Here is what research on training and fieldwork says, and where it says nothing.
What the time buys
- Safer habits. In 95 studies of worker safety and health training (20,991 people), the more hands-on the method, the more people learned and the fewer accidents, illnesses and injuries followed. Burke et al., 2006, American Journal of Public Health
- Better calls on uncertain data. When 184 experts read one synthetic seismic section, just over a third got it right. The 18 who checked that their answer was geometrically possible and could have formed that way were almost three times as likely to be right. Checking ideas against rock is the daily work on our courses. Bond et al., 2012, Geology
- A crew that works together. Across 2,650 teams, team training gave moderate gains in teamwork and team performance. Our courses are not a formal team-training program; crews working an outcrop together is our approach. Salas et al., 2008, Human Factors
Versus the alternatives
- Classroom or online. In the same safety review, lectures, pamphlets and videos were the least effective for learning and for cutting accidents. Virtual field trips can teach content well, and our course materials open a month before the trip. But nearly all students who tried one said it could not, and should not, replace real field trips. After a real trip, they saw it as most effective for preparing for, or revising after, one. These were students' views, not a test. Mead et al., 2019, Journal of Geoscience Education · Spicer & Stratford, 2001, Journal of Computer Assisted Learning
- Rework. The same data can be read many ways: of 412 interpretations of one synthetic seismic image, 21% found the right tectonic setting. A wrong call costs time and money. We don't put a figure on it. Bond et al., 2007, GSA Today
- Cost per outcome. We found no study that compares the cost per outcome of field and classroom courses. Our approach: a classroom course also takes days out of the office, often with travel. We put those days on the rock.
What you get back
- Skills that carry over, if work backs them. Across 89 studies, training carried over to the job more when people were motivated and their workplace supported using it. Your part matters too. Blume et al., 2010, Journal of Management
- Safer work practices. A review of 22 randomized trials found strong evidence that safety training changes what workers do, but not enough evidence that it cuts injuries. Robson et al., 2012, Scand J Work Environ Health
- Less stress, better attitudes (short term). Cards 04 and 05 show short-term stress and thinking effects. In about 300 UK university students, attitudes grew more positive after a residential field class, and the extra worry some groups felt beforehand evened out. Boyle et al., 2007, Journal of Geography in Higher Education
What we don't claim. No ROI figure. No promise on staff retention: we found no solid study that links field courses to it. The results above come from the people each study looked at (workers and work teams, students, expert test-takers, adults in nature studies), not from our courses.
Got a land-access note from us?
We're a Texas-based field school. We bring geoscientists outside to look closely, learn, and treat the land and the people who own it with respect. Questions are always welcome: contact us.
Why Geology Field School
Founder and Director
Christopher Oswalt
16 years of outdoor risk management
Founder & Director
Nationally Registered EMT (Emergency Medical Technician)
4406-4805-4868
Built different
01 · Safety
Field safety is our program.
Over a decade of geology-specific field course expertise. Built by an EMT. Highest safety standards since day one.
02 · Pricing
Simple pricing. No contracts.
The price is the price: clear fee up front. No membership contracts, no year-end extras, no “inquire for cost.”
03 · Local expertise
We're Texas-based.
We're in the country where most of the field trips happen. International trips get ground recon before any participant ever pays to come.
04 · Customer service
Customer service 24/7, 365.
Flat structure — no bloated layers. You write, we answer. Concept to boots on the ground in as little as 4 weeks.
05 · Instructor IP
Instructors own their IP.
We help build and modernize their courses — tech, web, field tools — then profit-share. They own the science.
Pricing
Two price points to help you find your way back to the field
We don’t hide behind subscription models, paywalls, or “inquire for cost.” It’s all right there — based on actual costs of transportation and lodging. No crazy upcharges or gouging. Our price is on the page. On certain courses we offer two tiers of pricing to make courses more affordable — see the chart below.
Geology Field School Options:
Course fees shown are examples; each course page lists its actual fee.
Tech
Every course gets a dedicated participant page with pre-reading, relevant videos, and a digital Field Course Atlas of the field stops, access to select 3D models , and where possible a secured digital copy of the course manual, along with course photos.
The course app allows in-field measuring, easy group communication, and logistics and safety info in one tap. It includes an in-depth geological resource and low-resolution copies of 3D models from all over the world.
Upcoming field schools
Scheduled open-enrollment weeks with published fees, plus on-request and coming-soon destinations. Want a week just for your company? Request private in-house training.
San Diego
Deepwater Reservoir Architecture
Special guest instructor Vitor Abreu leads; Rene Jonk co-instructs.
Rene Jonk, co-instructor; listed as instructor on N442 (NTA page, Nov 1, 2026).
- Same six deepwater systems as NTA course N442, Reservoir Architecture of Deepwater Systems (California, USA).
- Partners: Geology Field School + ACT-GEO (Rene Jonk, Director).
- WFR-qualified field staff on every course.
N442 (Nov 15–19 2027): Fee From USD $14,180, excl. tax, as published Nov 1, 2026 (opens in a new tab). Other NTA rates may apply. Ours (Feb 22–26 2027): $9,499 single public fee. Programs, dates and inclusions differ.
Independent and proud of it: Geology Field School is not affiliated with or endorsed by Tetra Tech, RPS or the Nautilus Training Alliance.
Scotland
Play, Prospect & Field Characterization
Partner ACT-GEO · Geology Field School exclusive.
West Texas
Play, prospect and field characterization across carbonate, clastic and unconventional systems
Rene Jonk, lead instructor; listed as instructor on N526 (NTA page, Nov 1, 2026).
- Same Guadalupe area as NTA course N526, Play, Prospect and Field Evaluation ….
- Partners: Geology Field School + ACT-GEO (Rene Jonk, Director).
- WFR-qualified field staff on every course.
N526 (Oct 4–8 2027): Fee From USD $14,180, excl. tax, as published Nov 1, 2026 (opens in a new tab). Other NTA rates may apply. Ours: Crinoid tier $6,700 (single lodging, vans, lunches; no dinners). Programs, dates and inclusions differ.
Independent and proud of it: Geology Field School is not affiliated with or endorsed by Tetra Tech, RPS or the Nautilus Training Alliance.
Ainsa, Spain
Deepwater Systems & Source-to-Sink
Rene Jonk, lead instructor; listed as instructor on N751 (NTA page, Nov 1, 2026).
- NTA course N751, Deep-Water Clastic Depositional Systems …, lists Aínsa on its itinerary.
- Partners: Geology Field School + ACT-GEO (Rene Jonk, Director).
- WFR-qualified field staff on every course.
N751 (Oct 18–22 2027): Fee From GBP £9,950, excl. tax, as published Nov 1, 2026 (opens in a new tab). Other NTA rates may apply. Ours: Crinoid tier USD $6,700 (single lodging, vans, lunches; no dinners). Programs, dates and inclusions differ.
Independent and proud of it: Geology Field School is not affiliated with or endorsed by Tetra Tech, RPS or the Nautilus Training Alliance.
Kilkee, Ireland
Deepwater Depositional Systems
Ireland: how the two courses compare
- Tetra Tech RPS’s NTA course N009: Sedimentology, Stratigraphy and Reservoir Geology of Deepwater Clastic Systems (County Clare, Ireland).
- Ours: 13 Clare Basin drone models, May 2025: Ross Formation fans, Gull Island mass-transport.
N009 (Jul 11–15 2027): Fee From GBP £9,950, excl. tax, as published Nov 1, 2026 (opens in a new tab). Other NTA rates may apply. Ours: Crinoid tier USD $7,900 (single lodging, vans, lunches; no dinners). Programs, dates and inclusions differ.
Independent and proud of it: Geology Field School is not affiliated with or endorsed by Tetra Tech, RPS or the Nautilus Training Alliance.
Geo-Hikes
Social Geology Hikes & Backpacking
Geologic Maps Foundation / Geo-Hikes are not officially part of or affiliated with Geology Field School — we like them and what they do.
- Nov 8 2026 Howard Canyon to Nordhoff Ridge Free
- Nov 21 2026 Geology Hike at Taft Gardens, Ojai, California Free
- Sep 1–4 2027 Santa Rosa Island backpack $100
Flights and other travel to and from the course start are not included. Flight averages on each card are a rough guide, not a quote.
Course fees are billed in USD. GBP and EUR amounts are approximate conversions.
Field safety
EMT-Founded. We are the world experts on industry field course safety and field risk management.
16 years and counting of wilderness medical certification. Six years as a nationally registered EMT (NREMT). 213 industry field training courses personally run and counting.
Geology Field School to date since founding in 2019 has a TRIR of 0. Field safety is our first job.
We send experienced staff to the field, never new hires with a fresh medical training certificate, or an executive who took a weekend class. Our field safety directors are the best in the world.
Built different
Catalog model vs Geology Field School
A training-program catalog sells membership access to curated titles. Geology Field School partners with the instructor, posts a clear fee, and runs the field week.
Work with us
3 ways to work with us
Portfolio trips, company-internal trainings, or bolt us onto a course you already run.
01 · Our portfolio
Our portfolio
Built trips, ready to go. Book the course, book your flight. Done.
See the trips02 · Custom internal
Custom internal trainings
Company in-house. Name the instructor. We handle logistics, safety, and the details to exacting industry HSE standards.
03 · Instructors
Instructors — bolt us on
Have a course? Bolt us on and become an instant top-tier course. The science is yours; we handle the field, registration, logistics, safety, and the small details.
Next step
Register interest or request in-house
Open-enrollment weeks and private company weeks. Courses are listed above — pick a card or send a note with the buttons below.