Mar 28, 2024  
2009-2011 Graduate Catalog 
    
2009-2011 Graduate Catalog ARCHIVED CATALOG: CONTENT MAY NOT BE CURRENT. USE THE DROP DOWN ABOVE TO ACCESS THE CURRENT CATALOG.

Geosciences M.S.


 

Degree Requirements

A minimum of 30 credit hours beyond the undergraduate degree is required for the M.S. degree in Geoscience. Six credits of:
GEOL 797 - Thesis  and 24 credits of course work will be counted toward the degree program, although more course and thesis credits may be taken. Of the 24 required course credits, at least 12 credits must be in 700-level courses and include:
GEOL 701 - Research Methods in Geoscience  and
GEOL 795 - Poster Presentation and Time Management .
GEOL 701 and 795 must be taken during the first year of enrollment. Credits taken at other institutions will be considered for transfer, however, at least 16 of the 24 course credits required for the degree must be taken at UNLV.

Students must confer with their appointed advisor prior to enrollment in their first semester. An approved degree program and thesis prospectus must be filed with the Graduate College, and a thesis committee must be appointed by the end of the second semester after admission to the college. This responsibility rests with the student. Students will be dropped from the program and separated from the Graduate College if they fail to fulfill this requirement.

Satisfactory progress toward meeting the degree requirements is required of all students. Satisfactory progress includes maintaining at least a 3.00 grade point average in all graduate-level courses. Specific grade requirements are slightly different for M.S. students than they are for Ph.D. students: consult the Geoscience Graduate Student Guidelines at http://geoscience.unlv.edu/graduatestudentguidelines.htm for full details.

Geoscience Emphasis M.S. and PhD


Emphasis in Geology


The emphasis in Geology includes the fields of economic geology, environmental geology, geochemistry, geochronology, geomorphology, igneous petrology, paleontology, metamorphic petrology, Quaternary geology, pedology, sedimentology, stratigraphy, structural geology, surficial processes, tectonics, and volcanology. Students must satisfy all of the general degree and admission requirements in addition to those listed below.

Admission requirement in addition to those listed above for the Master of Science and Ph.D. degrees:

  1. A bachelor’s degree in geology or equivalent. A Master of Science degree in geology or equivalent is recommended for the Ph.D. applicants, but not required.
  2. In order to be admitted without contingencies the student must have completed an introductory geology class and six of the following eight classes (or their equivalents): mineralogy, geochemistry, geomorphology, structural geology, igneous and metamorphic petrology, paleontology, field geology, and sedimentology/stratigraphy.

Emphasis in Geophysics


Admission requirements in addition to those listed above for the Master of Science and Ph.D. degrees:

  1. A bachelor’s degree in geology, engineering, physics or mathematics. A Master of Science degree is recommended for Ph.D. applicants, but not required.
  2. To be admitted to the program with a Geophysics emphasis, it is recommended that the student have completed the following courses for unconditional admission to the program.
    Mathematics: Three semesters of calculus
    Physics: Two semesters of introductory (calculus level) physics
    Geology: Physical geology, historical geology, mineralogy, structural geology, sedimentology/stratigraphy, and igneous and metamorphic petrology.

Degree requirements in addition to those listed above for the Master of Science and Ph.D. degrees.

Emphasis in Soil Science


Admission requirements in addition to those listed above for the Master of Science and Ph.D. degrees:

  1. A B.S. degree in a Natural Science (or similar field and course work) or B.A. degree in Natural Science (or similar field and course work) with approval of the graduate coordinator. A Master of Science degree is recommended for Ph.D. applicants, but not required.
  2. To be admitted to the program with a Soil Science emphasis, it is recommended that the student have completed two of the following courses for unconditional admission to the program: Mineralogy, Geomorphology, Sedimentology/Stratigraphy, or Geochemistry.

Degree requirements in addition to those listed above for the Master of Science and Ph.D. degrees.

Emphasis in Hydrogeology


Admission requirements in addition to those listed above for the Master of Science and Ph.D. degrees:

  1. B.S. or master’s degree in geology or a related discipline (e.g., civil engineering). A Master of Science degree is recommended for Ph.D. applicants, but not required.
  2. To be admitted to the program with a hydrogeology emphasis, it is required that the student have completed four of the following courses (or their equivalents) for unconditional admission to the program:

GEOL 474  Hydrogeology
GEOL 330  Geochemistry
GEOL 333  Geomorphology
GEOL 341  Structural Geology
GEOL 348  Field Geology
GEOL 462  Stratigraphy and Sedimentology

Degree requirements in addition to those listed above for the Master of Science and Ph.D. degrees.