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Earth and Planetary Sciences - Graduate

Chair: Erich C. Osterberg

Undergraduate Major Coordinator: Carl E. Renshaw

Graduate Coordinator: Marisa C. Palucis

Professors R. L. Hawley, M. A. Kelly, M. Morlighem, E. C. Osterberg, C. E. Renshaw, M. Sharma; Professors Emeriti J. L. Aronson, X. Feng, G. D. Johnson; Research Professors B. P. Jackson, W. C. McClelland; Associate Professors C. B. Keller, M. C. Palucis, J. V. Strauss; Associate Professors Emeriti W. B. Dade, L. J. Sonder; Research Associate Professor V. F. Taylor; Assistant Professors M. Al Asad, E. M. Lacroix, S. P. Slotznick; Research Assistant Professor J. D. Landis; Senior Lecturers E. E. Meyer; Lecturers T. Chaffee, J. T. Gilchrist, M. E. Peach, S. B. Penprase, A. N. Sommers, J. S. Stroup, E. Tamre; Adjunct Professors J. Mankin, K. J. Peterson; Adjunct Professors Emeriti F. J. Magilligan, R. A. Virginia; Adjunct Associate Professors C. Hicks-Pries, C. Meyer, E. Newton, H. E. Seroussi, J. M. Winter; Adjunct Assistant Professor Y. Nakayama; Adjunct Senior Lecturer J. W. Chipman.


To view Earth and Planetary Sciences Graduate courses, click here. 

To view Earth and Planetary Sciences Undergraduate requirements, click here.

To view Earth and Planetary Sciences Undergraduate courses, click here.


Prerequisites for all Graduate Students:

To be considered for admission to the graduate program in Earth and Planetary Sciences, 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 (2) of the following Dartmouth course sequences:
    A) CHEM 5 and CHEM 6
    B) PHYS 3 and PHYS 4 (or PHYS 13 and PHYS 14)
    C) Any two among BIOL 11 through BIOL 16

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


Requirements for the Master of Science (MS) Degree:

General requirements of the MS degree include three (3) terms of residence and six (6) courses of graduate level. To fulfill the specific requirements for an MS degree, a candidate must:

  1. Satisfy the prerequisites described above.

  2. Successfully complete six (6) courses eligible for graduate credit at the discretion of the thesis committee. These courses must include:

    • EAPS 201, EAPS 202, and EAPS 203 (3 courses)

    • EAPS 117 (1 course) or the equivalent of two university-level statistics courses, one of which can be AP Statistics with a passing score of 4 or 5

    • Any two (2) additional graduate-level courses (e.g., EAPS 100 and above); at most one (1) of these courses may be a seminar course (EAPS 270 and above)

    • Courses not eligible for course credit towards a graduate degree include: Thesis Research (EAPS 181-183), Field Methods (EAPS 185), and Supervised Teaching in Earth Sciences (EAPS 189)

  3. All graduate students are required to TA at least one course during each year of their graduate degree. To fulfill this requirement, graduate students must be enrolled in either EAPS 185 (for Stretch TAs) or EAPS 189 during every term in which the student serves as a TA. Each student’s TA program will be arranged according to the teaching needs of the Department.

  4. Complete a thesis of professional quality, with a view towards scholarly publication, and present and successfully defend the thesis research before the department.


Requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Degree:

General requirements for the PhD degree are given in the Regulations for Graduate Study section. In fulfillment of the specific requirements of the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, a candidate must:

  1. Satisfy the prerequisites described above.

  2. Successfully complete nine (9) courses eligible for graduate credit at the discretion of the thesis committee. These courses must include:

    • EAPS 201, EAPS 202, and EAPS 203 (3 courses)

    • EAPS 107 (1 course)

    • EAPS 117 (1 course) or the equivalent of two university-level statistics courses, one of which can be AP Statistics with a passing score of 4 or 5

    • One (1) upper-level science or engineering course outside the department carrying graduate credit and approved by the thesis committee

    • Any three (3) additional graduate-level courses (e.g., EAPS 100 and above); at most two (2) of these courses may be seminar courses (EAPS 270 and above)

    • Courses not eligible for credit towards a graduate degree include: Thesis Research (EAPS 181-183), Field Methods (EAPS 185), and Supervised Teaching in Earth Sciences (EAPS 189)

  3. Present and successfully defend a summer research project before the department and subsequently pass a closed-door general qualifying exam with the thesis committee and any other interested faculty.

  4. Present and successfully defend a thesis proposal before the thesis committee. The candidate is welcome to present this to the entire department.

  5. All graduate students are required to TA at least one course during each year of their graduate degree. To fulfill this requirement, graduate students must be enrolled in either EAPS 185 (for Stretch TAs) or EAPS 189 during every term in which the student serves as a TA. Each student’s TA program will be arranged according to the teaching needs of the Department.

A candidate who has satisfied the above requirements will receive a PhD degree after they have:

  1. Passed any additional graduate-level courses beyond those specified above, as prescribed by the thesis committee and/or department.

  2. Completed a dissertation of professional quality. The thesis may be a series of publishable manuscripts connected by appropriate text. 

  3. Present and successfully defend the thesis research before the department.