Graduate Degree Programs

graduate

 

Overview | Requirement Details


Admission Requirements for the Master's of Science in Geophysics

The Department of Geosciences offers a wide range of courses leading to the Degree of Master of Science in both Geology and Geophysics.  Applicants to the Master's of Science Program must have earned a Bachelor's Degree or its equivalent.  Applicants to graduate school will be evaluated based upon their Grade Point Average (GPA), Graduate Record Exams (GRE) scores, and letters of recommendation.  A GPA of 3.0 or better in the last 60 hours and commensurate scores on the verbal, quantitative, and analytical writing sections of the GRE is generally considered acceptable for admission.  Individuals with a lower GPA but elevated GRE's may also be admitted.  Letters of recommendation are also given considerable weight in the evaluation process.  All non-native English-speaking students must take the TOEFL examination and obtain a score of 550 or greater for the paper version of the examination or 213 or greater for the computer-based examination.


All application forms, transcripts, test scores, and letters of recommendation should be sent to:

Sylvia Marshall, Advising Assistant
Geosciences Department
S & R Bldg #1, Rm 312
University of Houston
Houston, Texas   77204-5007


Students applying for financial support (Teaching Assistantships, Research Assistantships, Fellowships, etc.) should have all of the required forms, letters, scores into our departmental office by March 1st for the following Fall semester, and October 15th for the Spring semester. Additional funding may be available for late applicants.

Do NOT send any material to the office of admissions!


Background Requirements

To ensure a common background for students in the Geophysics MS program, students will take or have successfully completed course work equivalent to the following courses:


GEOL 1330 (Physical Geology) GEOL 4330 (Introduction to Geophysics)
GEOL 1130 (Physical Geology Laboratory) MATH 3331 (Differential Equations)
GEOL 3340 (Geologic Field Methods) MATH 3363 (Intro. to Partial Differential Equations)
GEOL 3345 (Structural Geology) MATH 3364 (Intro. to Complex Analysis)

Substitution of courses equivalent to those listed above as well as waivers of requirements will be considered on an individual basis.  Applicants with a few deficiencies can satisfy those requirements while also taking graduate courses at the University of Houston.  It is normally recommended that a student with 6 or more deficiency courses, e.g., those whose undergraduate degree is in another discipline, consider working toward a second undergraduate degree in Geophysics prior to graduate work. 


Program

A minimum of 30 credit hours is required for the M.S. degree in Geophysics, 6 of which are thesis hours. All students are responsible for familiarizing themselves with all rules, regulations, etc., of the University, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, and Department of Geosciences and for meeting all requirements.  Applicants are encouraged to review the detailed requirements for the M.S. degree posted here. Application forms for admission as well as financial support can be downloaded from the University’s web site.

To provide a fundamental background in the essential elements of geophysics, all students are required to take the following 3 courses: GEOL 7330 (Potential Field Methods of Geophysical Exploration), GEOL 7331 (Geophysical Data Analysis), and GEOL 7333 (Seismic Wave and Ray Theory. In addition to these 3 required courses, each student will take at least ONE course from each of the following three areas: (1) Data Processing, (2) Interpretation, and (3) Solid Earth and Tectonics. Students are encouraged to make their selections after consultation with their Thesis Advisor.