Geology - MS

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College of Science

Department of Geosciences

The department offers advanced study and research opportunities leading to the MS degree in Geology. Although many research specialties require advanced courses selected primarily from Geology offerings, additional courses may be selected from other departments on campus, such as Biology; Civil and Environmental Engineering; Mathematics and Statistics; Plants, Soils, and Climate; and the S.J. and Jessie E. Quinney College of Natural Resources.

Specializations available for the MS in Geology: Geomorphology and Earth Surface Processes, Geophysics, Hydrogeology, Petrology and Geochemistry, Sedimentology and Paleoecology, Structure and Tectonics, and Climate Adaptation Science.

Degree Requirements

A bachelor’s degree from an accredited U.S. college or university or a similarly recognized international university is required for admission to and completion of a graduate program. Students enrolled in the MS Geology program will be expected to complete the majority of the Geology undergraduate core course requirements if they have not done so prior to enrollment (e.g., Introductory or Physical Geology with laboratory, Minerals and Rocks (Earth Materials), Historical Geology, Sedimentation and Stratigraphy, Geomorphology, Structural Geology, and Field Methods or relevant experience).

Only the Plan A thesis option is allowed for the MS degree in Geology. The recommended distribution is 20 credits of coursework and 10 credits of Thesis (GEO 6970 ) to obtain the required 30 credits for the MS degree. The Program of Study must include at least 15 semester credits at the level of 6000 or above. Graduate students are required to maintain at least a 3.0 GPA for degree-program courses. Grades of C- or lower will not be accepted for a graduate degree.

At least 24 semester credits for a master’s degree must be from a committee-approved and a School of Graduate Studies-approved Program of Study from Utah State University.

The thesis option requires completing a MS thesis proposal. Students must prepare and defend a MS thesis based on their original research. Plan A theses must be submitted to the Merrill-Cazier Library.

Geoscience graduate students using department or university facilities and/or under Geosciences faculty supervision must register for a minimum of 3 credits every semester, up to and including the semester in which the thesis is cleared by the School of Graduate Studies.

A master’s degree must be completed within six years of entering the degree program. Additional time may be requested by the student’s committee and submitted to the Vice Provost of Graduate Studies for review. Coursework over eight years old at the time of degree completion may not be used for a graduate degree unless it is revalidated.

Students must submit and obtain approval of academic forms required for master’s students by the School of Graduate Studies.