G-EOS-PHD - Earth and Climate Sciences - PhD

Students entering the graduate program normally have an undergraduate degree in one of the natural sciences. It is expected that the incoming student will have taken one year of college chemistry, one year of college physics, and mathematics through calculus. Both MS and PhD graduate students take 30 course credits of courses and research. Typically, the total time for a PhD is five years beyond the BS or three years beyond the MS. Because the division encourages participation in fieldwork and other research opportunities outside the university, there are no firm time limits for degrees, except as required by the university.

MS on the Way to PhD Option

A student in the PhD program may elect to get an MS degree while working toward the PhD. If this option is elected, the requirements are the same as for the MS program in terms of coursework, time limits, and thesis requirements.

The student must indicate their intention to receive the MS degree before the deadline in the semester during which they wish to receive the degree. If agreeable to both the student and their committee, the MS defense can be part of the PhD preliminary exam. If this is the case, both a MS Defense and a Preliminary Exam Report must be submitted to The Graduate School. The MS thesis can be on the same topic as the PhD dissertation or different. If the former, the MS thesis must be a fully independent piece of work, which can be referenced but not duplicated in the PhD dissertation.