The prerequisite for the PhD program, in addition to that for the MS program, is either a master’s degree with a major in geology or a bachelor’s degree plus completion of 24 hours of graded graduate course work. These courses may be taken while completing other course requirements.
Requirements
Successful completion of the PhD requires a minimum of 24 hours of approved coursework beyond that required for the master’s degree (i.e., a student entering the PhD program with a bachelor’s degree must complete 48 hours of approved graduate coursework), an additional 24 hours of dissertation credit, approval of a written dissertation proposal, completion of a comprehensive examination, and successful oral defense of a written dissertation.
Students are required to pass a comprehensive examination. The examination includes both written and oral components in which individuals are tested on their knowledge of their intended research area and related fields. The candidate is expected to be conversant across a wide range of the geological sciences. Students entering the PhD program with a Master’s degree must complete the comprehensive examination by no later than the end of the student’s third semester. Students entering the PhD program with a Bachelor’s degree (but without a Master’s degree) must complete the comprehensive examination by no later than the end of the student’s fourth semester.
The written dissertation will demonstrate high-quality, original research by the student. Research results will be presented orally in a departmental seminar open to the public, and will be defended in a private defense restricted to the Dissertation Committee and interested departmental faculty.
In addition to University requirements, the Department has several compulsory additional course work requirements for the PhD. All students pursuing a PhD degree must enroll in course number GEOL 595 every semester they are in residence unless course or teaching conflicts preclude a student from being present. Each student must also enroll in course GEOL 596 one time during their residency. A student may apply a maximum of 4 hours of GEOL 595/596 toward graduation. All PhD students are required to enroll in a minimum of 9 hours of graded approved coursework at the 600-level (this requirement supersedes the University requirement). Before receiving a PhD degree, students must demonstrate committee-approved proficiency in field-based Earth Sciences. A minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA is required in all graded graduate course work, and taking courses from outside the department is encouraged.
Print this Page