MGEOL - Geology (MS)
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The Thesis option is meant to be more intensive than the report option and is required of all students entering the graduate program as teaching or research assistants.
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 (course) 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 course courses may be used for individualized study, they are not intended as an alternative or extension to the thesis research (course or course).
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The Report option (i.e. Professional Studies Option) is only available to those students who have limited time for completion of a degree and are not contributing to the department’s teaching or research efforts. Students choosing this option might include foreign students fully supported by their governments, or military personnel supported by the U. S. government, planning intense courses of study to complete the M.S. degree in the shortest possible time. Other students might include professional educators at the public school or community college level, or professional geologists with full-time employment, planning part-time studies to complete the M.S. degree over a period of years.
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 (course). Of these 32 credit hours, at least 18 credit hours should be at the 700 level or above (including course).
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 ).
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