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.)

Curriculum

Curriculum
Courses
Faculty

Degree Offered

Master of Science in Geology (with concentration in environmental geology), Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Earth Sciences

Doctor of Philosophy

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 focuses on the beneficial and harmful interactions between humans and earth systems, and is interdisciplinary in scope and training. The PhD program is organized into four concentration areas (or cores): physical earth, geochemical processes, water resources, and human and environmental systems. 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 or master's degree in the physical, biological, or medical sciences, and a minimum of a B (3.0) average in science courses. One year of chemistry and mathematics through college algebra and trigonometry are required. The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) 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 their advisory committee and their research committee, to satisfy the Ph.D. requirements including the concentration area (15 credits), and the minor (12 credits). Within a chosen concentration area, students must take at least 9 credits in the Department of Earth Sciences. 

Admitted students are assigned a three-person advisory committee at the beginning of the first year of graduate study. The committee prescribes a study program based on the interests of the student and the principal graduate advisor. By the end of the second semester, the advisory committee appoints a research committee (5 members) to oversee the qualifying exam and the dissertation defense. The research committee includes at least three faculty members from the department of Earth Sciences and the minor advisor (who must be outside the department of Earth Sciences). In order to maintain proper balance in the expertise represented in the research committee, the principal graduate advisor can petition the Graduate Affairs committee to replace one Earth Sciences faculty by an external member, as long as this member has already been approved by the University Graduate School. Upon advancement to candidacy, students must complete all remaining degree requirements within five years.

Common Core

Because of the interdisciplinary nature of the program and the diverse academic background of admitted students, all students are required to take the common core class, "Applied earth sciences: The human dimension." The advisory committee may recommend one more fundamental earth sciences course to address deficiencies.

Minor

The minor consists of 12 credit hours of advanced coursework completed either outside of the department of Earth Sciences (ES), or within an Indiana University (IU) approved minor program, as approved by the student's advisory committee and the chairperson of the department hosting the minor. If the IU minor also includes courses within the ES Department, such courses cannot also count toward the required 15 credits for the concentration area (see above).

Qualifying Examination (for Admission to Candidacy)

The qualifying exam consists of writing and presenting an oral defense of a research proposal. Successful completion of the qualifying exam is one of the requirements for advancement to degree candidacy.

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 (GRE) 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 disciplines with the approval of the graduate advisor. 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 are assigned a three-person advisory committee at the beginning of the first year of graduate study. The committee prescribes a study program based on the interests of the student and the principal graduate advisor. Students must complete all degree requirements within five years of beginning this study program. 

Grades

A “B” (3.0) average or higher must be maintained; and no grade below “C” is acceptable.