M.S. Geological Sciences

Use your Graduate Academic Bulletin

Students pursuing a graduate degree in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences should use the University Graduate School Academic Bulletin. You must consult with the IU Graduate School Bulletin for official degree requirements and program details. The following is not the official record.

Official requirements for our M.S. degree can be found by clicking on the Bulletin below:

2022-23: Earth and Atmospheric Sciences University Graduate School Academic Bulletin
2021-22: Earth and Atmospheric Sciences University Graduate School Academic Bulletin 2019-20: Earth and Atmospheric Sciences University Graduate School Academic Bulletin 2018-19: Earth and Atmospheric Sciences University Graduate School Academic Bulletin 2017-18: Earth and Atmospheric Sciences University Graduate School Academic Bulletin
2017-18: Earth and Atmospheric Sciences University Graduate School Academic Bulletin

Requirements for the M.S. Geological Sciences degree

30 hours of graduate credit with a 3.0 GPA or higher, including:

  1. At least 22 of the 30 hours must be graduate-level courses. 400–level courses from the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences that can be taken for graduate credit are listed in Appendix 8. 500– 700-level Geology courses and lower-level courses from other departments that count toward graduate credit can be found in the University Graduate School Academic Bulletin (see the section entitled Graduate Credit-General in the Academic Regulations section of the University Graduate School Academic Bulletin).
  2. 12 of the 22 hours must be from the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences.
  3. A minimum of 3 credits of G810 (research credits) are required; a maximum of 8 credits of G810 can be applied toward the degree.
  4. At least three 3–credit hour courses of 500 level or above must be taken from the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences.
  5. Selection of courses must be approved by the primary advisor in consultation with the student’s research committee.
  6. M.S. degrees must be completed within five years of the last month of the first semester of matriculation.

Thesis option

You are strongly encouraged and urged to select this option. It requires a thesis prepared in a form that is essentially ready for publication, with 8 credit hours (or fewer) of research.

Report option

This option requires three or more credit hours of research (G810, G700). The report should include an abstract, introduction, field and/or laboratory methods, results, discussions and conclusions, accompanied by a citation list. It must be submitted for approval to CGS.