M.S. in Geophysics

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Requirements for Admission

In addition to the materials required of all Master's program applicants by the UTEP Graduate School, applicants for the M.S. in Geophysics must provide

1. Three letters of reference
2. A personal statement/essay explaining the applicant's motivation for pursuing the M.S. in Geophysics and their qualifications and preparation for graduate study.

All Admission requirements will be reviewed holistically to assess the potential of the applicant.  The successful applicant would typically submit three letters of reference from supporting professionals or faculty in the field who can serve as judges of the applicant's competence and commitment, and a personal statement explaining the applicant's motivation for pursuing the M.S. in Geophysics and his or her qualifications and preparation for graduate study.

Requirements for Degree

All University-wide UTEP requirements for Master's degrees and graduate student progress will apply.  Graduate students are expected to enroll in the GEOL 5101 Graduate Seminar during every semester in residence.

Students must complete at least 30 semester hours, including three semester hours each of Thesis I and Thesis II, which may not be taken concurrently.  No more than six semester hours can be in Directed Study coursework and no more than nine semester hours can be in approved undergraduate coursework.

Thesis

A written thesis, approved by the student's thesis committee, is required for graduation.  The subject of the thesis is to be selected in consultation with the student's thesis advisor, and must be approved by the student's thesis committee.

Before enrolling in Thesis I, and prior to the start of the third full semester, all students must successfully complete a written thesis proposal.  The thesis proposal is successfully defended after it has been signed and approved by their thesis committee and circulated to and approved by the Department of Geological Sciences faculty.  The student's thesis committee shall be approved by the Department of Geological Sciences Graduate Studies Committee.

The student is required to successfully defend the thesis on an open meeting under the supervision of his or her thesis committee.  A draft copy of the thesis, approved by the student's thesis advisor, must be submitted to the thesis committee 14 days before the defense.