Geosciences

Study mode:On campus Study type:Full-time Languages: English
Foreign:$ 51.1 k / Year(s) Deadline: Jan 15, 2025
201–250 place StudyQA ranking:2097 Duration:2 years

Photos of university / #umass

The geology and physical geography faculty have a broad range of interests and expertise that includes structural geology, geomorphology, igneous and metamorphic petrology, volcanology, mineralogy, evolution of planetary crusts, geophysics, paleomagnetism, analytical geochemistry, Precambrian geology, stratigraphy, sedimentology, glacial geology, micropaleontology, Quaternary studies, paleoceanography, climatology and paleoclimatology, aqueous geochemistry, sedimentary geochemistry, biogeochemistry, hydrogeology, and environmental geology. Field work is a central feature of the research of most faculty members. Students are encouraged to interact with faculty representing several sub-disciplines in the field. Students also have the possibility of interacting with Five College faculty members. The Five College Consortium promotes academic cooperation between Amherst , Hampshire, Mount Holyoke , and Smith Colleges and the University of Massachusetts.

The general requirements for the M.S. degree are those of the Graduate School. In addition, the following are required (items 1-3 are normally satisfied as part of the candidate’s undergraduate studies):

  1. A full year course in two of the following: biology, chemistry, physics.
  2. A full year course of college mathematics or statistics, beyond the precalculus level, appropriate to the student’s course of study.
  3. Six weeks of field training, field experience, or equivalent course work.
  4. Participation in each semester of residence in GEO-SCI 701 Professional Seminar and at least one oral presentation of research results in this seminar.
  5. An incoming candidate is given a diagnostic interview and assigned a temporary adviser. The candidate should then propose a guidance committee of three graduate faculty, for appointment by the Graduate Program Director. The program of study must be approved by the guidance committee. The committee conducts a semesterly review of the candidate’s program and progress.
  6. A candidate may elect a program with or without a thesis. The former is appropriate for those with strongly focused research interests, and the latter for those wishing to emphasize breadth of geological or interdisciplinary knowledge. The thesis track requires the appointment of a thesis committee of three graduate faculty approved by the Graduate Program Director and the Dean of the Graduate School. The thesis track also requires writing a thesis proposal that is approved by the Student Thesis Committee.  The departmental requirement for M.S. thesis credits is 1-10. Candidates choosing a non-thesis program must have faculty approval. They will also take a General Examination and complete a research project. The content of the General Examination and the number of examiners will reflect the candidate’s choice of program. Further details are contained in the geosciences graduate student manual available in the department.

Courses

  • 510 Natural Hazards (2nd sem, alt yrs)
  • 513 Crystal Chemistry of Rock-forming Minerals (2nd sem, alt yrs)
  • 515 X-Ray Fluorescence Analysis (1st sem)
  • 517 Sedimentary Geochemistry (alt 1st sem)
  • 519 Aqueous and Environmental Geochemistry (alt 2nd sem)
  • 531 Tectonics (alt 2nd sem)
  • 539 Advanced Geological Mapping (1st sem)
  • 551 Geometrics (offered at irregular intervals)
  • 557 Coastal Processes (2nd sem, alt yrs)
  • 558 Climatic Change (2nd sem, alt yrs)
  • 560 Geomorphology (2nd sem)
  • 563 Glacial Geology (1st sem)
  • 567 Planetary Geology (offered at irregular intervals)
  • 571 General Geophysics (2nd sem, alt yrs)
  • 573 Environmental Geophysics (2nd sem, alt yrs)
  • 587 Hydrogeology (2nd sem)
  • 591CM Climate and Environmental Modeling (offered at irregular intervals)
  • 591F Fluids and Geologic Processes (1st sem, alt yrs)
  • 591G Granites and Rhyolites (2nd sem, alt yrs)
  • 591J Microprobe Analysis (offered at irregular intervals)
  • 591P Paleoceanography (1st sem, alt yrs)
  • 591S Subduction Zone Processes (1st sem, alt yrs)
  • 591V Volcanology (2nd sem, alt yrs)
  • 593P Biogeochemistry Seminar (1st sem)
  • 595D Physical Oceanography (1st sem, alt yrs)
  • 596 Independent Study
  • 597 Special Problems
  • 597A Tectonophysics (2nd sem, alt yrs)
  • 597I Isotope Geochemistry (2nd sem, alt yrs)
  • 597P Markers of Environmental Change (2nd sem)
  • 597SE Introduction to Seismology (1st sem, alt yrs)
  • 615 Organic and Biogeochemistry
  • 617 Geochemistry Seminar (offered at irregular intervals)
  • 631 Rock Fracture Mechanics (offered at irregular intervals)
  • 658 Paleoclimatology (1st sem, alt yrs)
  • 687 Advanced Hydrogeology (1st sem, alt yrs)
  • 673 Earth Physics (offered at irregular intervals)
  • 687 Advanced Hydrogeology (1st sem)
  • 696 Independent Study
  • 697 Special Problems
  • 698 Practicum in Geology
  • 699 Master’s Thesis
  • 701 Professional Seminar
  • 723 Igneous Petrology (offered at irregular intervals)
  • 725 Metamorphic Petrology (offered at irregular intervals)
  • 731 Strain and Fabric Analysis (offered at irregular intervals)
  • 735 Seminar in Northern Appalachian Geology (offered at irregular intervals)
  • 749 Sedimentology Seminar (offered at irregular intervals)
  • 763 Seminar in Quaternary Geology
  • 787 Hydrogeology Seminar
  • 791-795 Seminars
  • A completed Application Form.
  • A $75 application fee. This fee cannot be waived or deferred.
  • International Student Sponsor Statement is required of all international students.
  • One official transcript from all colleges/universities attended, undergraduate and graduate, where (nine) 9 or more credits were taken are required. If they are not mailed directly from the college/university, they should be enclosed in sealed envelopes signed by the college/university.  If the official transcripts and/or degree certificate(s) are not in English, notarized English language translations in duplicate must accompany them. Do not list colleges/universities where (eight) 8 or fewer credits were taken.
  • Letters of recommendation (academic references) from two (2) professors or instructors who have taught you in courses in the field you are applying to here. After submission of the electronic application, we will send an email to each referee giving them instructions on how to electronically deliver the recommendation to the Graduate School. All recommendations will be considered confidential unless the applicant doesn't waive his/her right of access.
  • Scores from the following standard examinations:
    • GRE (Graduate Record Examination)-General Test required by nearly all graduate programs - (refer to Degrees and Programs Offered)
    • GRE SUBJECT TEST (not a universal requirement-refer to the Programspage for those programs requiring a Subject Test)
    • GMAT (Graduate Management Admissions Test)-for graduate applicants to Management, Hospitality & Tourism Management, and Sport Management


    • English Language Test: Either TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), or IELTS (International English Language Testing System)-only the academic version of test is accepted, or PTE Academic (Pearson Test of English)

Scholarships

The University does not award student funding of any kind unless this is explicitly stated in writing by the graduate department to which the applicant has applied. Assistance in the form of a teaching or research assistantship is becoming increasingly limited. Tuition scholarships and fellowships are few and are not usually awarded during the first year of attendance, before the student has an academic performance record at the University itself. All applicants should plan on being self-financed, without recourse to part-time employment at the University, at least through the first academic year, unless they have specifically been offered some form of assistance by the department.

 Recommendations from the student's academic program play an important part in determining who will be awarded these waivers of tuition, and competition for the tuition scholarships is great. Those incoming graduate students who have not received any other type of financial assistance and who are interested in applying for a tuition waiver should contact their department directly. Applicants should be aware that the competition for new student tuition waivers is intense. Very few waivers are granted to new students and the few that are granted, are based only on departmental recommendations.

Graduate Assistantships


The University offers a number of teaching and research assistantships in the instructional and research programs of various departments. Stipends vary greatly from as little as $5,000 for a half assistantship to $16,000 for a full assistantship for the calendar year. International applicants who are awarded assistantships, and who have no supplemental means of support, must make sure that the assistantship is adequate to meet their minimum financial needs, refer to Estimate of Expenses. Graduate assistants are not required to pay tuition charges provided their stipend is $5,000 or higher ($ 2,500 is the minimum for a one semester waiver of tuition and most fees). Assistantships are awarded for a maximum of one academic year at a time. A graduate assistantship is not a scholarship, and a full assistantship requires a work contribution by the student averaging 20 hours per week, and Federal and State income taxes will be withheld from earnings.

Research Assistantships


A number of research assistantships, with no teaching duties, are available to qualified graduate students in various departments. Funds are provided by either private industry, the U.S. Government (especially in agriculture, engineering, and the sciences), or by the University itself.

Teaching Assistantships


Many departments offer teaching assistantships to qualified, enrolled graduate students. International applicants are eligible for these assistantships. Since teaching assistantships involve instruction, all incoming students who have been awarded a teaching assistantship and whose native language is not English must demonstrate oral English proficiency, either by passing the Test of Spoken English administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) before their arrival on campus at their own expense or by passing the SPEAK test upon arrival at no cost to the student. In order to pass the TSE or SPEAK test, students must score 50 or above.

University Fellowships


These Fellowships are awarded to graduate students on a very competitive basis and are intended to help superior students pursue graduate study without a work requirement and obtain a degree in the minimum possible time. They are normally awarded only after a graduate student has completed two semesters at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. A University Fellowship is for only one year. A tuition waiver accompanies a University Fellowship, and no service is required.

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