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Programs

Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences

The Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences is an internationally recognized leader in geoscience research and offers programs of study leading to a PhD in geosciences and an MS in geological sciences. These programs provide comprehensive instruction in the geosciences through a wide range of courses, as well as extensive research experience and teaching experience to prepare students for successful careers in academia as well as in private and government sectors. The department faculty conduct research in paleomagnetism, seismology, geodynamics, planetary science, solid earth geochemistry, surface processes, climate and paleoclimate, atmospheric chemistry, chemical oceanography, and the carbon cycle. Graduate research includes exciting field, laboratory and computationally focused projects and is facilitated by state-of-the-art analytical instrumentation and computational facilities.

Information about faculty and research can be found on the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences website.

AdmissionsLink to section

Applying to Master's ProgramsLink to section

The department offers an MS program for highly qualified applicants. Students applying from within the University of Rochester who wish to complete this program in one year should consult with their advisor and start this program early, taking some graduate-level courses in their junior and seniors years in order to fulfill all requirements in a timely manner.

Applications for admission should include transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate coursework done at other institutions, three letters of recommendation, and a personal statement. A sample of scientific writing and GRE scores are recommended but not required. TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo English proficiency exam scores are required for international students. This may be waived for students from countries whose native language is English or for students who have completed at least three years of full time and in-person postsecondary study in one of these countries.

Applying to Doctoral ProgramsLink to section

Graduate students are expected to have a strong background in geoscience and broad knowledge of other sciences and mathematics. However, because of the interdisciplinary nature of research in the department, applications are also welcome from students with strong backgrounds in other areas such as chemistry, biology, physics, engineering, and materials science. Financial aid is available in the form of teaching and research assistantships and fellowships. We strongly encourage applications from underrepresented minorities.

Applications for admission should include transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate coursework done at other institutions, three letters of recommendation, and a personal statement. A sample of scientific writing and GRE scores are recommended but not required. TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo English proficiency exam scores are required for international students. This may be waived for students from countries whose native language is English or for students who have completed at least three years of full time and in-person postsecondary study in one of these countries.

AcademicsLink to section

Master's Degrees and RequirementsLink to section

The department has a Master of Science in Geosciences program, which emphasizes involvement in research projects. Typically, students joining the MS program from outside of EES complete coursework during the first year and undertake their MS research and thesis in their second year. Undergraduate students already a part of EES who apply for the MS program typically continue their senior thesis research with their academic advisor. Graduate courses taken during the third and fourth year that are not required for the undergraduate degree program may be applied toward the master’s degree. To satisfy the requirements for the MS, students need to complete 30 credit hours of relevant graduate work; at least 18 must be in formal graduate courses. Students must also complete either a master’s thesis or an essay and pass an oral examination.

Doctoral Degrees and RequirementsLink to section

Students in the PhD in Geosciences program at the University of Rochester are expected to spend three to five semesters in intensive coursework (both within the department and in other departments) before taking their qualifying examinations. They are encouraged to start research as early as possible and are expected to spend all their time on research after having passed the qualifying exams. The curriculum is designed to ensure that students not only gain background in their own specialty but also become familiar with concepts in other aspects of earth sciences. Students can also complete a specialty outside of the department.

To satisfy requirements for the PhD, students must complete 90 credit hours of relevant graduate work; approximately 36 should be from formal courses. The students must pass a qualifying examination in their fifth semester, and complete and defend an original research thesis that contains sufficient material for approximately three peer-reviewed scientific publications. Students are also required to serve as teaching assistants for at least one semester.

Graduate Course TitlesLink to section

  • EESC 404. Earth Materials
  • EESC 405. Solid Earth Geophysics
  • EESC 406. Petrology
  • EESC 407. Advanced Seminar in Climate and Environmental Change
  • EESC 412. Climate Change Perspectives in Chemical Oceanography
  • EESC 414. Earth Science Data Analysis
  • EESC 415. Seismology and Earth Structure
  • EESC 416. Environmental Geochemistry
  • EESC 418. Atmospheric Chemistry
  • EESC 420. Introduction to Geobiology
  • EESC 423. Earth Surface Processes: The Science of Scenery
  • EESC 424. Geomechanics
  • EESC 425. Seismic Signals and Noise
  • EESC 430. Principles of Geochronometry
  • EESC 432. Current Topics in Biogeochemistry
  • EESC 433. Marine Ecosystems and Carbon Cycle Modeling
  • EESC 434. Fundamentals of Atmospheric Modeling
  • EESC 435. Physical Oceanography
  • EESC 436. Physics of Climate
  • EESC 453. Geodynamics
  • EESC 454. Physics of Planetary Interiors
  • EESC 455. Planetary Science
  • EESC 456. Paleomagnetism and Global Plate Tectonics
  • EESC 461. Stable Isotope Geochemistry
  • EESC 462. Radioisotope Geochemistry
  • EESC 463. Intro to Thermodynamics
  • EESC 464. Experimental Radioisotope Geochemistry
  • EESC 465. Paleoclimate
  • EESC 466. Ice Core Records of Climate and Environmental Change
  • EESC 468. Principles of Experimental Geochemistry
  • EESC 474. Paleoceanography and Climate Change