Admission Requirements

Applicants should have a bachelor’s degree in geology or a related field, although students with a strong record and willingness to take additional courses to make up deficiencies in geology and related sciences are encouraged to apply. Few with GPAs below 3.0 (on a scale of 4.0) will be accepted, and grade-point averages of 3.3 or higher are most competitive for financial assistance. Students with GPAs lower than 3.0 may be admitted on a probationary basis in some circumstances. The rules for this are described in detail in the university’s Graduate Handbook (http://www.k-state.edu/grad/graduate-handbook/).

Prospective candidates must meet both the minimum admission requirements for the Graduate school (http://www.k-state.edu/grad/admissions/application-process/admit.html) and for the Geology Department. For example, students with a Geology/Earth Science background must hold a minimum GPA of 3.0 in all Geology/Earth science coursework. All international students admitted must demonstrate the same level of achievement as U.S. students.

Graduation Requirements

This option requires the satisfactory completion of a master’s thesis. The thesis option is where a student will research and report an original project, earning 6 credit hours toward the total 30 credit hours required for the degree, with 24 credit hours of course work.

Course Requirements

There are no required core courses – our M.S. program coursework is designed for students to tailor their coursework to best fit their M.S. research and overall career goals. 

Of the 30 credit hours required for the Master’s degree (Thesis Option) in geology, 24 hours are coursework while 6 hours are M.S. thesis hours (GEOL 899 ).  Of these 30 credit hours, at least 18 credit hours should be at the 700 level or above (including GEOL 899 ).  

Of the 24 coursework credit hours, courses at the 600-level may be included, but 500-level courses in the student’s major area are expected to have been completed as undergraduate prerequisites to graduate study or as undergraduate deficiency courses assigned upon admission. Courses at the 500-level outside a student’s major area (e.g., Geology) can be applied toward the program of study, provided they do not exceed 6 credit hours in total.

Unless specifically approved by the graduate school, no more than 3 credit hours of problems courses (GEOL 790 ) or other individualized courses may be applied to the master’s degree, and no more than 3 credit hours of credit/no credit or pass/fail (exclusive of research credit hours) may appear on the program of study. Note that while GEOL 790  courses may be used for individualized study, they are not intended as an alternative or extension to the thesis research (GEOL 899  or GEOL 898 ). 

• Core Coursework Credits: 24
• GEOL 899 - Master’s Thesis Research Credits: 1-6 (6)

Admission Requirements

Applicants should have a bachelor’s degree in geology or a related field, although students with a strong record and willingness to take additional courses to make up deficiencies in geology and related sciences are encouraged to apply. Few with GPAs below 3.0 (on a scale of 4.0) will be accepted, and grade-point averages of 3.3 or higher are most competitive for financial assistance. Students with GPAs lower than 3.0 may be admitted on a probationary basis in some circumstances. The rules for this are described in detail in the university’s Graduate Handbook (http://www.k-state.edu/grad/graduate-handbook/).

Prospective candidates must meet both the minimum admission requirements for the Graduate school (http://www.k-state.edu/grad/admissions/application-process/admit.html) and for the Geology Department. For example, students with a Geology/Earth Science background must hold a minimum GPA of 3.0 in all Geology/Earth science coursework. All international students admitted must demonstrate the same level of achievement as U.S. students.

Graduation Requirements

Under the report option, students will not complete a thesis but will be required to satisfactorily complete a substantive research project totaling 2 credit hours, representing a scholarly effort in the research or practice of geology leading to completion of a publicly presented research report.

Course Requirements

There are no required core courses – our M.S. program coursework is designed for students to tailor their coursework to best fit their interests and overall career goals. 

Of the 32 credit hours required for the Master’s degree (Report Option) in geology, 30 hours are coursework while 2 hours are M.S. report research hours (GEOL 898 ). Of these 32 credit hours, at least 18 credit hours should be at the 700 level or above (including GEOL 898 ).  

Of the 30 coursework credit hours, formal graded graduate coursework needs to be completed from at least four different graduate instructors.  Up to 12 credit hours may be from outside the geology department. No more than 3 of the 30 credit hours may be from directed independent study (GEOL 790  or equivalent). The university also permits transfer of up to 10 credit hours from another institution, provided that certain criteria are met (see University Graduate Handbook, Section D.6 Transfer of Credits).  Note that while GEOL 790  courses may be used for individualized study, they are not intended as an alternative or extension to the thesis research (GEOL 899  or GEOL 898 ). 

• Course Coursework Credits: 2
• GEOL 898 - Master’s Report Research Credits: 1-2 (2)