Graduate Studies in Earth and Planetary Sciences
The Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences offers both the Master of Science and Doctor Philosophy degrees with a major in geology. Individuals interested in these programs should contact the Director of Graduate Admissions in the department and the faculty most closely related to the applicant’s research interests for information and application procedures.
Admission
For admission, an applicant must provide transcripts of previous university work, two rating forms or letters of recommendation, and GRE scores (general). Students are not normally admitted under non-degree status. Prerequisite for either graduate degree is a bachelor’s degree in the geosciences or other field typically, but not exclusively, from the physical, natural, or life sciences or engineering. Upon admission each student is assigned an Advising Committee of three faculty members, which forms the initial point of contact for the student and which designs a curriculum of required course-work for the student. After a student’s research proposal is accepted, the Advising Committee is dissolved and a Thesis/Dissertation Committee is formed. The Thesis/Dissertation Committee is primarily responsible for advising the student’s research activities, but also can modify the course curriculum based on the student’s area of research.
MASTER OF SCIENCE - GEOLOGY MAJOR
Requirements
The department offers a thesis option in the master’s program. Successful completion of the master’s degree requires a minimum of 30 hours of approved graduate credit, including six hours of thesis credit, an approved written thesis proposal, successful oral defense of a written thesis, and a minimum 3.0 GPA in all graduate course work.
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY - GEOLOGY MAJOR
The prerequisite for the PhD program, in addition to that for the MS program, is either a master’s degree with a major in geology or a bachelor’s degree plus completion of 24 hours of graded coursework with at least one course from any three of the groups listed in the third bullet above. These courses may be taken while completing other course requirements.
Requirements
Successful completion of the PhD requires a minimum of 24 hours of graded course work beyond that required for the master’s degree, and additional 24 hours of dissertation credit, approval of a written dissertation proposal, completion of a comprehensive examination, and successful oral defense of a written dissertation. A minimum 3.0 GPA is required in all graduate course work, and taking courses from outside the department is encouraged. After a written dissertation proposal is approved, students are required to pass a comprehensive examination, which is usually taken by the end of the second year. The examination includes both written and oral components in which individuals are tested on their knowledge of their intended research area and related fields. The candidate is expected to be conversant across a wide range of the geological sciences. The written dissertation will demonstrate high quality, original research by the student. Research results will be presented orally in a departmental seminar open to the public, and will be defended in a private defense restricted to the Dissertation Committee and interested departmental faculty.
Contact Information
Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences
306 EPS Building
1412 Circle Dr
Knoxville TN 37996-1410
Phone: (865) 974-2366
Fax: (865) 974-2368
Email: eps@utk.edu