MSES-MS Geological Sciences

Select courses in each core competency area in consultation with an advisor: 

• Geological Sciences Core – 9 credit hours
• Environmental Science Core – 9 credit hours
• Economics, Management, and Policy Core Competencies – 6 to 9 credit hours
• Tool Skills Courses – 3 credit hours
• Capstone Course – 3 credit hours

Dual Geological Sciences – Environmental Science Concentration – 15 to 18 credit hours*

*At least two courses should be selected from the Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Department and at least two courses should be selected from the O’Neill School.

Each candidate for the MSES-MS Geological Sciences dual degree program must obtain professionally relevant experience through one of the following options: 

1. Approved internship SPEA-E 589 (0-3 credit hours): Work with the O’Neill Career Hub and the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences to arrange for a suitable internship. Internships vary greatly according to the expectations and requirements of the sponsor. You will be expected to give careful attention in the selection of an internship suitable to your professional goals. Typically, students do not use credit hours for the internship, and as a result, have minimal fees for the experience. However, students who want the additional credit hours can receive up to three credit hours for an internship involving the appropriate amount of work; these students will owe fees to the relevant school for the three credit hours.
2. Professional experience (3 credit hours): If you have had significant environmental management, technical, or administrative work experience in the past, you may receive a three-credit hour reduction and a waiver of the experiential requirement. Students must apply to receive professional experience credit and their experience must meet O’Neill guidelines. Professional experience credit and transfer credit, together, may not total more than 12 hours. Students receiving prior professional experience credit should carefully plan the balance of their program with their faculty advisors.

(6-9 credit hours)

Candidates choosing to focus primarily on research may replace the capstone and experiential (internship) experience with a graduate-level research project that culminates in a master’s thesis (following EAS thesis or report option definition but not O’Neill thesis definition) or research project. The research/thesis may be directed by a member of the graduate faculty from either the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences or the O’Neill School, but the advisory committee must include at least one member from both departments. Up to nine hours of research, either from EAS-G 810 or SPEA-E 625, may be counted in either the concentration or tool skill requirements as appropriate. The capstone and experiential (internship) requirements are waived for students taking the research option.