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Organization, Regulations, and Courses 2023-24

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Earth Sciences - Graduate

Chair: Meredith A. Kelly

Graduate Program Coordinator:  Erich O. Osterberg

Professors X. Feng, R. L. Hawley, M. A. Kelly, M. Morlighem, C. E. Renshaw, M. Sharma; Professor Emeritus G. D. Johnson; Research Professor B. P. Jackson; Associate Professors E. C. Osterberg, L. J. Sonder; J. V. Strauss; Associate Professor Emeritus W. B. Dade; Assistant Professors C. B. Keller, W. D. Leavitt, M. C. Palucis, S. P. Slotznick,; Senior Lecturer E. E. Meyer;  Adjunct Professors F. J. Magilligan; Adjunct Associate Professor J. M. Winter; C. Hicks- Pries, J. Mankin; Adjunct Assistant Professors E. Newton, C. Meyer;  Adjunct Senior Lecturer J. W. Chipman

 To view Earth Sciences Graduate courses, click here. 

To view Earth Sciences Undergraduate requirements, click here.

To view Earth Sciences Undergraduate courses, click here.

 

Requirements for the Master's Degree

 

General requirements of the Master of Science (MS) degree at Dartmouth College include three terms of residence and seven courses of graduate level, not more than four of which may be replaced by research or special study approved and supervised by the department.

To be considered for admission to the MS program a prospective student must:

  1. Complete the equivalent of the following Dartmouth Courses: MATH 3 and MATH 8.
  2. Complete the equivalent (or higher) of any two of the following Dartmouth course sequences:

    CHEM 5 and CHEM 6;

    PHYS 3 and PHYS 4 (or PHYS 13 and PHYS 14);

    Any two among BIOL 11 through BIOL 16.

In the case where a student is admitted into the MS program without having completed these prerequisites, the student must fulfill these prerequisites in addition to the specific degree requirements described below.

To fulfill the specific requirements of the Department of Earth Sciences for an MS degree, a student must:

  1. Successfully complete six courses eligible for graduate credit (EARS 100 and above) at the discretion of the thesis committee. These courses must include EARS 201, EARS 202, and EARS 203 and either EARS 117 or EARS 118. Courses not eligible for course credit toward a graduate degree include thesis research (EARS 141-143), and teaching (EARS 149).
  2. Complete the equivalent of three terms of thesis research for registered credit (EARS 141-143).
  3. Complete a thesis of professional quality, with a view to scholarly publication, and pass a final oral examination on the topic of the thesis.

Requirements for the Ph.D. Degree

 

General requirements for the Ph.D. degree are given in the Regulations for Graduate Study section. In fulfillment of the specific requirements of the Department of Earth Sciences, the student must:

  1. Satisfy all course requirements for the MS degree
  2. Pass the following required courses or their equivalents, if not passed prior to entering the Ph.D. Program.

    MATH 23. Differential Equations.

    EARS 107. Mathematical Modeling in the Earth Sciences

    EARS 118. Advanced Methods for Environmental Data Analysis

    One upper-level science or engineering course outside the department carrying graduate credit. This may include CHEM 51, ENGG 24 or ENGG 34, or other courses approved by the Department.

  3. Pass a minimum of nine courses carrying graduate credit, including those fulfilling the above requirements. Courses not eligible for course credit towards a graduate degree include departmental seminar (EARS 121), special project research (EARS 131), thesis research (EARS 141-143), and teaching (EARS 149).
  4. Present and defend a summer research project before the faculty.
  5. Pass a general qualifying exam.
  6. Present and defend a thesis proposal before the faculty.
  7. An essential element of graduate education at Dartmouth is the experience gained in teaching other students. Therefore, at least one term of undergraduate teaching is required of all graduate students. Students may participate in more than one term of teaching. Each student’s program will be arranged, according to his/ her individual needs and interests, and the teaching needs of the Department.

A candidate who has satisfied the above requirements will receive a Ph.D. degree after he or she has:

  1. Passed any additional graduate-level courses beyond those specified above, as prescribed by the Department.
  2. Completed a thesis of professional quality. The thesis may be a series of publishable papers connected by appropriate text. The candidate must pass a final oral examination on the thesis.