Graduate Program

Saline Pond, Atacama Basin, Chile

The department offers MS and PhD degrees in Geological Sciences, with emphasis on a broad range of field, laboratory, and theoretical studies. Specializations include: environmental geology, geochemistry and petrology, geomorphology, geophysics (including seismology and global geodesy), hydrogeology, sedimentology and stratigraphy, structure and tectonics. In addition, the department, together with the School of Education, offers the MAT degree in Earth Science.

Suzanne using a gravimeter to measure gravity in Environmental Geophysics class.

Degree Programs in Geological Sciences:

The Doctor of Philosophy degree is a four- to five-year program in which the student concentrates on graduate-level course work during the first two years, passes a comprehensive examination during the second year, and then concentrates on dissertation research for the remainder of the program. The degree is awarded primarily on the basis of a dissertation describing original research in some area of the geological sciences. The majority of students in the PhD program have completed a masters degree, but in some cases students with a bachelors degree may apply directly to the PhD program.

Jonathan climbing on columnar basalts in the Mesozoic Rift Basin in Connecticut.

Graduate Courses:

Graduate Students:

Bob's field trip to the Windley Key Quarry, Florida Keys, where Pleistocene Key Largo Limestone was deposited during the last interglacial period when sea level was higher than present.

Costs and Financial Aid:

Most eligible graduate students are currently supported on teaching or research assistantships. MS students in good academic standing are eligible for up to two years of support; PhD students in good academic standing are eligible for up to four or five years of support. Doctoral teaching assistantships have a stipend of $15,000, a full tuition scholarship and health insurance. For information on graduate tuition and fees, check the Graduate School website. Summer support is also available for students involved in externally funded research. Applications for the Fall semester received by February 15 are automatically considered for financial support. Late applications are considered for admission and for financial support if funds are available. Applications for the Spring semester received by October 1 are considered for financial support if funds are available.

In addition to teaching and research assistantships, new graduate students in Geological Sciences may ask to be considered for the Clark Fellowships for Underrepresented Minorities - Funded by SUNY, these fellowships for new graduate students are selected through a Binghamton University-wide competition. Fellows must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents, and must be either Native American, African American, or Hispanic American. Stipends are comparable to departmental research or teaching assistantships ($12,600-$13,600 for Fall 2005). All fellowships carry full tuition waivers.

Students may also apply for external grants or fellowships to support their graduate educational costs. Among possible opportunities are:

• The American Association of Petroleum Geologists Foundation Grants in Aid Program - for geoscience graduate students whose research has application to the search for and development of petroleum and energy-mineral resources, and/or related environmental geology issues. Grants range from $500 to $2000, and are applied to expenses related to the student's thesis work such as fieldwork, lab analyses, etc. As part of AAPG's Eastern Section, geoscience graduate students at SUNY are qualified to apply for the Richard W. Beardsley Named Grant. The Beardsley Grant is restricted to a student studying petroleum geology in the AAPG Eastern Section or studying the petroleum geology of the Eastern Section region. All applicants who qualify will be applying for the unrestricted grants totaling over $130,200.
• National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowships - These are highly competitive grants which fund 3 years of graduate education at a stipend level of $30,000 per year, with additional funds for research support and international travel. Fellowships are intended for individuals in the early stages of their graduate study. In most cases, an individual has three opportunities to apply: during the senior year of college, prior to or during the first year of graduate school, and at the beginning of the second year of graduate school.

Some Bartle Field Trip participants, Fall 2000, examining deformed Pennsylvanian conglomerates at Newport, RI. The field trip was led by Jelle De Boer (far right in photo) from Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT.

Applying:

Students must take the general Graduate Record Examination (verbal, quantitative, analytical); subject tests are not required. International students who have not previously received a degree in the U.S. and for whom English is a second language must take the TOEFL examination. Applicants must submit official transcripts of all previous college-level work, two letters of recommendation, official test results from the GRE and TOEFL if required, a personal statement of your research interests, a completed application form, and a $50 application fee to the Graduate Admissions Office, State University of New York, PO Box 6000, Binghamton, NY 13902-6000. The phone number of the Graduate School is: (607)777-2151. Application procedures and forms may be obtained and submitted on-line.

Jim in the Hydrothermal Lab.

Graduate Student "Bluebook"

This is the manual describing official procedures and policies for graduate students in the Department of Geological Sciences. It is a supplement to the Graduate School Student Handbook. The Bluebook is included here primarily as a reference for current graduate students, however those considering applying to our graduate program might be interested as well.

Correspondence and Information: