School of Science

Departmental E-mail: earthsciences [at] iupui [dot] edu

Departmental URL: www.earthsciences.iupui.edu

(Please note that when conferring University Graduate School degrees, minors, certificates, and sub-plans, The University Graduate School’s staff use those requirements contained only in The University Graduate School Bulletin. Requirements may or may not be reflected identically in departmental URLs.)

Curriculum

Curriculum
Courses
Faculty

Degree Offered

Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Earth Sciences

Special Departmental Requirements

(See also general University Graduate School requirements.)

The objective of the Ph.D. in Applied Earth Sciences is to provide training at the interface between earth sciences, including water, land, soil, and human welfare. This research degree will focus on the beneficial and harmful interactions between human beings and earth systems, and is interdisciplinary in scope and training. Graduates of this program are ideal candidates for academic teaching and/or research, as well as for research positions and science policy positions in government institutions and industry.

Admission Requirements

Prospective students should have a bachelor’s degree in geology, including a summer field course, and a minimum of a B (3.0) average in geology courses. One year of chemistry and mathematics through college algebra and trigonometry are required. Individuals with a bachelor’s degree in another area of science are also encouraged to apply; the departmental graduate advisory committee will prescribe a plan of study to remove deficiencies. The Graduate Record Examination General Test is required. Each student must submit three letters of recommendation.

Program Requirements

The degree requires 90 credit hours; we accept up to 30 credit hours of previous graduate course work to satisfy the 90 credit hour requirement.  Students will have several required courses, determined by the Graduate Committee, and at least 12 credit hours of course work in satisfying the Ph.D. requirement.

Minor

The minor consists of 12 credit hours in any of the advanced basic science courses, as approved by the student’s advisory committee and the chairperson of the minor department.  Credit hours for the required courses may not count toward the minor courses.

Admitted students will be assigned a three-person advisory committee at the beginning of the first year of graduate study. The committee will prescribe a study program based on the interests of the student and the principal graduate advisor. Students must complete all degree requirements within six years of beginning this study program. A B (3.0) average or higher must be maintained, and no grade below C is acceptable.

Qualifying Examination (for Admission to Candidacy)

The qualifying exam consists of two parts:  1) writing and presenting an oral defense of a research proposal, and 2) sitting for a comprehensive written examination.

Admitted students will be assigned a three-person advisory committee at the beginning of the first year of graduate study.  The committee will prescribe a study program based on the interests of the student and the principal graduate advisor.  Students must complete all degree requirements within six years of beginning this study program.  A “B” (3.0) average or higher must be maintained, and no grade below “C” is acceptable.

Grades

A "B" (3.0) average or higher must be maintained; no more than 6 credit hours of "C" are acceptable.

Master of Science in Geology, with concentration in environmental geology

Special Departmental Requirements

(See also general University Graduate School requirements.)

Admission Requirements

Prospective students should have a bachelor’s degree in geology, including a summer field course, and a minimum of a “B” (3.0) average in geology courses. One year of chemistry and mathematics through college algebra and trigonometry are required. Individuals with a bachelor’s degree in another area of science are also encouraged to apply; the departmental graduate advisory committee will prescribe a plan of study to remove deficiencies. The Graduate Record Examination General Test is required. Each student must submit three letters of recommendation.

Course Requirements

Both thesis and non-thesis options are available. Both options require at least 21 credit hours of non-research course work, with at least 3 credit hours in courses approved for graduate credit from allied sciences, mathematics, or the environmental program of the School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA). Up to 6 credit hours of 400-level courses approved for graduate credit may be counted toward the degree with the approval of the graduate advisor. The thesis option requires the completion of 30 credit hours, 6 of which are taken as G810 Research (the thesis). The non-thesis option requires the completion of 36 credit hours, 3 of which consist of a research project taken as G700 Geologic Problems. The departmental graduate committee must approve elective credits outside the Department of Earth Sciences for both options.

Admitted students will be assigned a three-person advisory committee at the beginning of the first year of graduate study. The committee will prescribe a study program based on the interests of the student and the principal graduate advisor. Students must complete all degree requirements within six years of beginning this study program. A “B” (3.0) average or higher must be maintained, and no grade below “C” is acceptable.

Grades

A “B” (3.0) average or higher must be maintained; no more than 6 credit hours of “C” are acceptable.