Geosciences, Ph.D.

About the Geosciences Doctoral Program

Requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy require completion of a minimum of 72 hours of graduate credit. A minimum of 36 hours of taught graduate coursework is required, of which a minimum of 12 hours must be completed in the Department of Geosciences. Additional coursework may be recommended at the discretion of a student’s Dissertation Committee. At least 12 hours of dissertation credit must also be completed. The first-year Ph.D. student will be expected to prepare and defend research pre-proposals. The intent of this work is to determine whether the individual is capable of doctoral-level research. In the second year, the student will formalize the dissertation topic and committee. Under normal circumstances the committee will consist of three to five members, including the faculty advisor. The Comprehensive Examination will be completed before the end of the fourth long semester in residence. At least 6 credit hours of tool subject credit is required. Tool subjects are courses where students acquire a particular skill-set. These include foreign language, computer science, analytical techniques, microscopy or statistics. Tool courses are determined by the graduate advisor and the student’s dissertation committee. The tool subject requirement can be met by taking two successive courses in the tool subject for a total minimum of at least 6 semester credit hours, except for foreign language as outlined in the Graduate School  section of this catalog.