a minimum of two semesters at the University

total of 30 credit hours, including at least 16 to 24 credits of formal graduate coursework with the remaining credits earned through research

an overall grade point average of at least 3.0

successful completion and defense of a written research thesis in front of a committee (composed of the student's research advisor and two additional readers).

M.S. students are expected to complete all degree requirements, except defense of the thesis within three semesters.

Earth Sciences research in the department focuses on the fundamental controls on environmental and geologic process, with strengths such as:

Geochemistry

Mineralogy & Petrology

Hydrogeology

Geomicrobiology

Planetary Science & Exploration

Environmental Science

In addition, the Earth Sciences have strong links with the Environmental Engineering focus area.

Research and teaching address a range of highly-relevant social issues, including:

the fate and transport of surface, soil, and groundwater contaminants

the nuclear fuel cycle and nuclear forensics

planetary-scale geochemical processes

supervolcanoes

biogeochemical cycling of the elements

natural and engineered nanoparticles

global climate change

Integrating advanced laboratory, field, and modeling approaches, Earth Sciences research in the department is highly quantitative and multidisciplinary. There are opportunities for Earth Science majors to undertake research projects with a faculty member. Students are encouraged to contact the individual faculty members below to see what research opportunities exist in particular topics. Majoring in the Earth Sciences opens up a wide range of career choices, as demonstrated by the varied research and teaching subjects currently being pursued by the faculty.

All incoming students in our graduate program receive full financial support, which consists of a stipend and a tuition waiver. Our graduate students’ research greatly benefits from working in a well-resourced private university that houses state-of-the-art laboratories and analytical equipment.