Geology (GEOL)

Abstract

The Department of Geology was established in 1973 and its graduate program begun in 1982. A strong sense of collegiality and cooperative spirit characterizes the Department, which currently has ~30 graduate students. We offer programs leading to the M.S. and Ph.D.degrees in Geology. The M.S. normally requires two years of work, which includes courses, completion of an M.S. research thesis, and an oral defense of the thesis. The Ph.D. commonly requires two or three years of work, if conducted after the completion of an M.S. program, or four to five years from the time of admission if pursued directly from the Bachelor level. The Ph.D. program normally includes course work, a qualifying examination, a dissertation, and an oral defense of the dissertation. The graduate program trains students to conduct independent and original research. This is most often achieved via the collaboration between students and faculty in ongoing research programs. The Department faculty have broad research interests in Earth Sciences. Students are encouraged to develop a program that suits their interests. Current faculty and student research focuses primarily on structural, geochemical, and petrologic investigations of tectonic and metamorphic processes; mechanisms of sediment transport; sedimentary cycling; surface, near-surface, and deep-crustal fluid flow; laboratory, geochemical and field studies of magmatic and ore-forming processes; and geochemical investigations of early solar system evolution.

Admissions Information

Qualified students with a major in geology, physics, mathematics, chemistry, biology, engineering or other related sciences are invited to apply for admission to the graduate programs. All students must submit the Graduate Record Examination scores to be considered for admission.

Application Deadlines

Fall

Spring

Domestic Applicants:
U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents

Domestic Applicant Deadlines

Applications must be received by March 15 (February 1 preferred) .

October 1 (October 1 preferred) .

International Applicants:
Applicants from Outside the U.S. or U.S. Citizens / Permanent Residents with Non-U.S. Credentials

IMPORTANT: International Applicants and U.S. Applicants with Non-U.S. Credentials must follow the domestic deadlines above if they are earlier than the deadlines listed below.

Applicants seeking admission under F (Student) or J (Exchange Visitor) visas

February 1
If Domestic Deadline is after Feb. 1

June 1
If Domestic Deadline is after Jun. 1

Applicants seeking admission under A, E, G, H, I, and L visas and immigrants

May 1
If Domestic Deadline is after May 1

October 1
If Domestic Deadline is after Jun. 1

U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents with foreign credentials

May 15
If Domestic Deadline is after May 15

October 31
If Domestic Deadline is after Oct.31

Application Requirements

GRE General
3 Letters of Recommendation

	Fall	Spring
Domestic Applicants: U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents
Domestic Applicant Deadlines	Applications must be received by March 15 (February 1 preferred) .	October 1 (October 1 preferred) .

International Applicants: Applicants from Outside the U.S. or U.S. Citizens / Permanent Residents with Non-U.S. Credentials IMPORTANT: International Applicants and U.S. Applicants with Non-U.S. Credentials must follow the domestic deadlines above if they are earlier than the deadlines listed below.
Applicants seeking admission under F (Student) or J (Exchange Visitor) visas	February 1 If Domestic Deadline is after Feb. 1	June 1 If Domestic Deadline is after Jun. 1
Applicants seeking admission under A, E, G, H, I, and L visas and immigrants	May 1 If Domestic Deadline is after May 1	October 1 If Domestic Deadline is after Jun. 1
U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents with foreign credentials	May 15 If Domestic Deadline is after May 15	October 31 If Domestic Deadline is after Oct.31

Degree Requirements

Master of Science (M.S.)

The Department of Geology offers a Master of Science degree. There is no single prescribed curriculum. Although 24 credit hours of course work and 6 credit hours of thesis research are required, the entire course of study is individually developed for each student by his/her graduate program committee as approved by the Graduate Committee. The M.S. degree is awarded following the successful completion of the course requirements, submission of a satisfactory thesis, and an oral defense of the thesis. The M.S. normally requires two years of work.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

For the Ph.D. degree, requirements include satisfactory completion of course work, preparation of a research proposal, an oral candidacy and research proposal examination, and a successful dissertation defense. The Ph.D. commonly requires three to four years of work, if conducted after the completion of an M.S. program, or four to five years from the time of admission if pursued directly from the bachelor level.

Facilities and Special Resources

The department houses a variety of facilities and equipment for research including: three solid source mass spectrometers; four gas source mass spectrometers including peripheral inlet devices for carbonate, water, and organic isotope analyses; both multicollector inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS), and single collector magnetic sector ICP-MS; two UV lasers for in situ analyses with plasma mass spectrometers, clean labs for chemical separations; JEOL 8900 superprobe with an Oxford instrument mini-cathodoluminescence detector; scanning electron microscopes; color image analysis system; fluid inclusion stage; high temperature and high pressure equipment for dry or hydrothermal experiments; flame and graphite furnace atomic absorption equipment; automated X-ray diffractometer; electromagnetic and acoustic doppler velocity meters; ion chromatograph; laboratory and field hydrogeology equipment; campus drill rig; microstructures and fabrics analysis instruments; research microscopes with reflectance capabilities; rock preparation and mineral separation facilities; GIS laboratory; computer network with direct access to supercomputer facilities;

Although students will choose an advisor within the Department of Geology, they can also take advantage of research opportunities by collaborating with other departments on campus, including: Natural Resource Sciences, Chemistry, Geography, Atmospheric and Oceanic Science, and other institutions in the area, including: NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center, Carnegie Institution of Washington's Department of Terrestrial Magnetism and Geophysical Lab,National Institute of Standards and Technology, Smithsonian Institution, and the United States Geological Survey. In addition, the Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center (ESSIC), is a collaborative venture between the Departments of Geography, Geology and Meteorology and NASA. This wealth of in-house and collaborative resources positions our graduate students with an unmatched spectrum of opportunities and gives them access to a strong multi-disciplinary program of international stature.

Financial Assistance

Graduate students are eligible for Departmental teaching assistantships, Graduate School fellowships and grant-supported fellowships and research assistantships. In addition, some curatorial, library and other part-time work is sometimes available.

Contact Information

See the Department of Geology Web page at URL http://www.geol.umd.edu for additional information. The Department's Graduate Studies in Geological Science s also provides additional information on the requirements, examinations, faculty research interests and publications, research facilities and financial aid. Copies are available from:

Graduate Secretary
1117 Geology Building, University of Maryland, College Park
MD 20742
Telephone: (301) 405-4385
geolgrad@deans.umd.edu

http://www.geol.umd.edu/

Courses: GEOL GEOL

Related Programs and Campus Units

Behavior, Ecology, Evolution and Systematics