Geosciences, Thesis Option, M.S.

Master’s Degree Programs

A master’s degree can be earned through either a thesis or a non-thesis program. In the non-thesis program, a non-thesis report is substituted for the thesis and six credit hours of course work are added.

Admission

Applicants must satisfy the general admission requirements of the Graduate School. They must also be approved by the Graduate Advisor and satisfy the following requirements:

Bachelor’s degree in natural science, physical science, mathematics, or engineering.
An undergraduate grade point average of at least 3.0. Students who do not satisfy this requirement but have at least a 3.0 GPA in their major field may be admitted on probation at the discretion of the Graduate Advisor.
Probationary status is removed by completing nine credit hours of approved graduate study with a GPA of 3.0 or higher in one semester for a full-time student and within three terms for a part-time student.
Letters of recommendation from at least three professors or former supervisors who are familiar with the applicant’s work performance and academic potential.
If the student’s undergraduate major is not in one of the geological sciences, admission to the Graduate School may be deferred and the student is required to take appropriate undergraduate geosciences courses, as determined by the Graduate Advisor, before reevaluation for admission. These deficiencies may, under certain circumstances and with the approval of the Graduate Advisor, be made up after admission to the Graduate School.
All applicants are required to take the General Graduate Record Examination.
Applicants to the non-thesis option whose native language is not English must also take the TOEFL examination and score at least 85 on the internet-based exam or 563 on the paper exam for admission to the non-thesis option. Non-native English speakers may also submit a minimum score of 6.5 from the IELTS examination. Applicants to the thesis option are expected to submit a TOEFL score of at least 90 on the internet-based exam or 577 on the paper exam, with at least a score of 22 on the Writing subsection. Exceptional applicants with TOEFL scores below these published minimums may be admitted conditionally and required to take deficiency courses in English or retake the TOEFL examination.

General Requirements

A 3.0 grade point average is the minimum needed for all master’s degree programs.

No graduate credit is allowed for a course in which a grade lower than C has been received. Thesis and report grades are recorded on a pass-fail basis and are not computed in grade point averages, although a passing grade in all thesis or report credit hours is required.

Initial advisement of all master’s program students is by a departmental Graduate Program Advisor. Students are expected to select a general research area and to make arrangements with a research advisor during their first year. The research advisor approves the remainder of the course of study and supervises the student’s research.

All courses taken for graduate credit in these programs shall be selected from those listed in this Bulletin, except for students concentrating in environmental geoscience, and the choices are subject to the approval of the student’s advisor, the thesis committee, and the Graduate Advisor. Students concentrating in environmental geoscience may take up to 6 hours in the College of Law, which will be taken pass/fail and counted as courses outside the major discipline.

Thesis Program Requirements

Minimum credit hours outside major discipline	6
Required credit hours of thesis	6
Minimum credit hours of at least 7000 level, excluding thesis	12
Minimum credit hours in major discipline, excluding thesis	9
Maximum credit hours of independent study	6
Maximum credit hours of 6000-level course work	12
Minimum total credit hours	30

Students may be required to complete prerequisite undergraduate courses and remove deficiencies without graduate credit, resulting in a program of more than 30 credit hours. Under the guidance of the research advisor, the student will prepare a thesis research proposal acceptable to prospective committee members. This must occur by the end of the second semester in the master’s program. The student will also present his or her research proposal orally to the thesis committee.

The thesis committee consists of the research advisor, acting as chair of the committee, and a minimum of two other graduate faculty members. At least one member of the committee must be from outside the specific area of research; one member may be a recognized expert in the research area from outside the University. The thesis committee is recommended by the advisor, after consultation with the student, to the Dean of the Graduate School for approval.

On completion of the research, the student will write a thesis that conforms to the Graduate School’s guidelines. With the advisor’s approval, a draft of the thesis will be forwarded to the other members of the thesis committee for examination and review. After the thesis has been reviewed and judged ready for defense by the advisor and all members of the thesis committee, the student must pass an oral defense of thesis. The oral defense will cover the research work and content of the thesis. A reading copy of the thesis that has been judged ready for oral defense by the advisor must be delivered to all members of the committee at least 14 calendar days before the date of the oral examination. The oral defense should be scheduled for a date at least one week prior to the start of final examinations in any given semester, but a student planning to graduate at the end of the spring semester must complete the oral defense and deposit the final, typed version of the thesis in the library by April 15.

Published Manuscript Option

A student enrolled in the thesis option master’s program may, with the approval of the thesis committee, submit a manuscript that has been accepted by a peer-reviewed journal as a substitute for a formal thesis. The manuscript must be approved by the committee, and the student is required to document acceptance of the manuscript for publication. Although not required, it is expected that the thesis committee will be involved in the review and revision of the manuscript prior to publication. The committee may require that the student include appendices in the final document in order to preserve data and techniques that are not described in the manuscript. The final document must include the manuscript, in journal format, or a copy of the published paper, plus any required appendices. After the manuscript has been reviewed, and judged ready for defense by the advisor and all members of the thesis committee, the student must pass an oral defense.

The oral defense will cover the research work and content of the manuscript. A copy of the manuscript, and the appropriate appendices, must be delivered to all members of the committee at least 14 calendar days before the date of the oral examination. The oral defense should be scheduled for a date at least one week prior to the start of final examinations in any given semester, but a student planning to graduate at the end of the spring semester must complete the oral defense and deposit the approved manuscript and appendices in the library by April 15.