Graduate Programs in Geoscience
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The Department of Geoscience offers the
M.S. in geoscience, with or without thesis, and the Ph.D. in
geoscience.
All geoscience graduate students are responsible for meeting
requirements and deadlines. They should acquaint themselves
with the Manual of Rules and Regulations of the Graduate
College-particularly sections IX, X, and XII (see Graduate
College in the Catalog)-and with the University calendar
(for deadline dates and so forth).
New graduate students receive a handout that provides
detailed information about graduate degree requirements.
See Graduate Programs in Geoscience on the department's web
site.
Entering graduate students are required to enroll in 012:207
Geologic Orientation. By the first month of their
second semester in residence, they must select an advisor.
Also during their second semester in residence, they must
consult with faculty members and arrange for an advisory
committee.
Throughout their graduate study, all M.S. and Ph.D. students
must maintain a g.p.a. of at least 3.00 on all course work
required for their degree and on all graduate-level
geoscience course work. Students whose g.p.a. drops
below 3.00 are placed on academic probation.
Geoscience graduate students are encouraged to present their
research at local, regional, national or international
meetings. The department provides partial funding for
travel to such meetings.
Master of Science
The M.S. program
is designed primarily to prepare students for professional
careers in geoscience, or for more advanced studies.
It requires a minimum of 30 s.h. of graduate credit.
No more than 8 of the 30 s.h. can be earned in research.
At least 24 s.h. must be completed in residence at the
University of Iowa.
M.S. students are responsible for obtaining their advisory
committee's approval of a suitable program of course work
and for satisfactory development of research plans as
outlined in a thesis proposal, which should be completed
before the end of the second semester of full-time study.
Master's students are required to deliver a half-hour public
presentation of the thesis, followed by an oral defense,
supporting research, and related topics. They also
must take a final examination, for which members of their
advisory committee act as examiners.
Nonthesis
Option
The M.S. without thesis is designed for
students with extensive geological background and
experience. Individuals interested in pursuing the
nonthesis option must obtain the department chair's
permission.
Requirements for the nonthesis option are similar to those
of the M.S. with thesis, except that in place of the thesis,
the student must submit a manuscript that his or her thesis
committee deems acceptable for submission for publication.
The student may choose to submit a previously published
manuscript. Nonthesis students also must take a final
examination that covers course work and the work done in
place of the thesis.
Master of Arts in Teaching (Earth Science)
This program enables students to combine
certification to teach in secondary schools with participation
in a specialized graduate curriculum. Awarded by the College
of Education, the M.A.T. requires at least 20 semester hours
of graduate study in professional education and at least 18
semester hours of graduate course work in earth science.
Doctor of Philosophy
The Ph.D.
program is designed primarily to train
students to be independent researchers and/or teachers, and
to bring students to the forefront of a specialized area of
goescience. It requires a minimum of 72 s.h. of
graduate credit. At least two semesters beyond the
first 24 s.h. earned in graduate work must be spent in
full-time study (9 s.h. per semester) in residence at The
University of Iowa.
Ph.D. students usually enter the program with established
fields of interest and a research advisor already selected.
Under exceptional circumstances, a student may be admitted
to the Ph.D. program without an established field of
interest.
During the first semester of study, students consult with
faculty members and their advisor to select course work and
to choose a faculty committee for the comprehensive
examination. Students should complete most of their
course work before taking the comprehensive examination,
which consists of both written and oral portions and which
must be passed before the end of the second year of doctoral
study.
Once candidates have passed the comprehensive examination,
they are required to register each semester until they
receive the Ph.D. Candidates who have completed their plan
of study may register for 000:002 Doctoral Continuous
Registration or 000:003 Doctoral Final Registration.
Doctoral candidates, in consultation with their advisors and
other faculty members, prepare a formal dissertation
proposal, which must be submitted to the chair of the
goescience department by the end of the third semester of
the candidate's full-time doctoral study and before the bulk
of his or her research is completed. The proposal must
receive the dissertation committee's unanimous approval.
The written dissertation must be available to the committee
at least two weeks before the final examination. All
Ph.D. candidates must deliver a one-hour public presentation
associated with the dissertation defense.
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