The master's degree in geology provides students who have completed an undergraduate degree in geology or closely related discipline, an opportunity for in-depth study of environmental geology with expertise in near surface geology.  The master’s degree requires at least 30 credit hours of graduate course work approved by the student’s advisory committee and either a thesis, or original report (non-thesis option)

The master's degree in geology prepares students to enter a Ph.D. program or for career opportunities with state geological surveys, government agencies, NGO’s, consulting firms, non-profits, educational institutions Graduates are employed by state geological surveys, government agencies, NGO’s. consulting firms, non-profits, or educational institutions.

Master of Science in Geology

Option A (Thesis): A minimum of 30 credit hours of approved graduate coursework is required for the master’s degree in geology. This includes 24 hours of formal courses (excluding EEES 6960 and EEES 6990) with a minimum of 19 hours in DES that must include:

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
EEES 5200	Advanced Quaternary Geology	3
EEES 5240	Soil Science	3
EEES 5410	Hydrogeology	3
EEES 6100	Glacial Stratigraphy And Geophysics	3
EEES 6250	Graduate Launch	1
EEES 6930	Seminar (EEES 6930-009, 1 hour each semester)	1

The remaining courses selected with approval of the student’s thesis committee taken at the 5000 level or above; all but EEES 6930 must be taken for a letter grade (A–F). Additional credit hours will include EEES 6960 Thesis Research and/or EEES 6990 Independent Study, a maximum of 6 hours of which may be taken for a letter grade, and may also include other DES or non-DES courses that need not be taken for a letter grade. The student must also prepare a thesis consisting of a written report on original independent research conducted by the student under the supervision of their thesis advisor (or co-advisors) and defend this thesis before their advisory committee. 

Option B (Non-thesis): The non-thesis option for a master’s degree in geology differs from the thesis option (above) by requiring 27 hours of formal courses and a maximum of 3 hours of EEES 6960 or EEES 6990; all but EEES 6930 (seminars) must be taken for a letter grade (A–F). The student also must write an original report based on library research and defend this report before their advisory committee.

Master of Science in Biology (Ecology Track)

Option A (Thesis): A minimum of 30 credit hours of approved graduate coursework is required for the master’s degree in biology. This includes 24 hours of formal courses (excluding EEES 6960 and EEES 6990) with a minimum of 19 hours in DES that must include:

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
EEES 5160	Advanced Environmental Data Management	3
EEES 6250	Graduate Launch	1
EEES 6400	Biostatistics	4
EEES 6600	Foundations of Ecology	4
EEES 6930	Seminar (EEES 6930-009, 1 hour per semester)	1

The remaining courses selected with approval of the student’s thesis committee taken at the 5000 level or above; all but EEES 6930 (seminars) must be taken for a letter grade (A–F). Additional credit hours will include EEES 6960 and/or EEES 6990, a maximum of 6 hours of which may be taken for a letter grade, and may also include other DES or non-DES courses that need not be taken for a letter grade. The student must also prepare a thesis consisting of a written report on original independent research conducted by the student under the supervision of their thesis advisor (or co-advisors) and defend this thesis before their advisory committee.

Option B (Non-thesis): The non-thesis option for a master’s degree in biology differs from the thesis option (above) by requiring 27 hours of formal courses and a maximum of 3 hours of EEES 6960 or EEES 6990; all but EEES 6930 (seminars) must be taken for a letter grade (A–F). The student also must write an original report based on library research and defend this report before his or her advisory committee.