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Geology Department

Graduate Program

NOTICE: THE CMU DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY CURRENTLY IS NOT ACCEPTING STUDENTS INTO ITS GRADUATE PROGRAM.

The Master of Science degree in Geology is designed to produce well-rounded geologists who can easily accept professional roles in the environmental, petroleum or mining industries, in government, or as independent consultants. In addition, the curriculum prepares students if they choose to pursue a doctoral degree at another institution. Students may tailor their degree to specialize in environmental geochemistry, environmental geobiology, hydrogeology, petrology/geochemistry, geophysics/tectonics, petrology/structural geology, and palynology/micropaleontology/paleobiology. Interdisciplinary study is encouraged.

Admission Requirements

Admission to the program requires a baccalaureate degree in geology with an undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 or greater in the major. Undergraduate course work must be at least equivalent to the minimum B.S. course requirements in geology at Central Michigan University. This includes summer field camp or its equivalent, one year of chemistry, one year of physics, and mathematics through calculus in addition to the upper division geology courses required on our curriculum. Undergraduate deficiencies must be removed without graduate credit. The Graduate Record Examinations (both aptitude and geology) are required.

Persons with a baccalaureate degree in another area of science may be approved for admission to the program by a special admissions committee, which will prescribe an individual plan of study designed to remove deficiencies.

Degree Requirements

General requirements include the completion of a minimum of 30 credit hours of graduate course work approved by the adviser. Within the 30 hours is a 22-credit-hour core of courses required of each student. The core of required courses shall include GEL 521 or 522, 545, 670, 690, 730, 798. Graduate elective courses may be chosen from geology or the allied sciences (chemistry, physics, biology, mathematics, computer science), but must have the approval of the adviser. A written thesis is required. Internships with local companies are required or strongly recommended for students planning to work in industry.

The Department of Geology offers courses which may be used as cognates or electives for various departmental graduate degrees. The Earth Science teacher may wish to earn a concentration in geology on the Master of Arts for Teaching in the Junior High School, Teaching in the Senior High School, or Teaching in the Community College. To be admissible to such a concentration, the student must have as background a minimum of 20 semester hours and a grade point average of 2.7 or higher in Earth Science which includes at least seven semester hours of geology or permission of the chairperson of the Department of Geology.

Credit Limitation. Courses in the department that are subject to graduate credit limitation under the policy covering unspecified content or variable credit are the following: GEL 575, 597, 650, 675, and 697.

314 Brooks Hall, Mt Pleasant, MI 48859 (989) 774-3179