Earth Sciences, PhD
Contact
Gregory D. Hoke, Chair
earthevnsciences@syr.edu
204 Heroy Geology Laboratory
315-443-2672
Faculty
Tripti Bhattacharya, Daniel Curewitz, Gregory Hoke, Linda Ivany, Christopher Junium, Zunli Lu, Jessica Mejia, Aaron Mohammed, Robert Moucha, Cathryn Newton, Joshua Russell, Scott Samson, Christopher Scholz, Jay Thomas, John Tillotson, Sam Tuttle, Tao Wen
Program Description
Graduate study in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences offers students opportunities for field-based geological and geophysical research worldwide. Ongoing research in the department is focused primarily in the areas of solid earth sciences/tectonics/crustal evolution, climate science and water resources/hydrology. The department is housed in the William B. Heroy Geology Laboratory, which contains state-of-the-art analytical and computing facilities, modern well-equipped teaching spaces. All faculty are engaged in research and teaching.
The department typically has a combination of students pursuing either the M.S. or Ph.D. degree. Several of our faculty-led research projects are large collaborative, multi-institutional, multi-national programs that afford our graduate students’ opportunities to work in diverse parts of the world with teams of internationally recognized scholars. Department faculty and graduate students are currently pursuing field studies worldwide.
Admission
Applicants must hold a minimum of a B.S. or B.A. degree. Incoming students are expected to have two semesters of the following courses: calculus, chemistry, and physics or biology, as well and at least three Earth science courses, such as: Paleobiology, Sedimentology, Mineralogy, Structural Geology, Geochemistry, Geophysics, Climatology, Geomorphology and/or Hydrogeology. Any missing coursework must be completed during the first two years of graduate study. Students are strongly encouraged to have participated in an approved summer field course or comparable field experience. Substitutions may be granted upon petition of the department. The department only admits students that have identified faculty advisors, so it is recommended prospective students contact potential advisors in your field of interest prior to submitting your application. GRE scores are now optional for graduate admission and departmental support (teaching and research assistantships). We evaluate applications based on fit with your advisor, grades and GPA, coursework, personal statement, research experience, and letters of recommendation. International/non-native English speakers must present scores from one of the Syracuse University approved proficiency examinations. While we require a minimum composite TOEFL score of 85 and no sub-score below 20, competitive applicants typically have scores > 100.
Degree Programs
The Department offers programs of graduate study leading to the M.A., M.S., and Ph.D. Minimum requirements for each degree are an average GPA of 3.0 in major subjects and an overall average of 2.8.
Students who wish to continue graduate study toward a Ph.D. in Earth Sciences following a master’s degree must submit a Syracuse University Graduate School application form, including letters of reference, to the Department.
Graduate Awards
Graduate students are expected to pursue their studies energetically and to complete their advanced degree work without undue delay. Financial support typically will be given to a student for four semesters at the master’s level or eight semesters in the Ph.D. program.
Graduate Scholarships Awarded to students with superior qualifications, provide, in most cases, full tuition for academic year.
Graduate Teaching Assistantships
Offered to some Graduate Scholarship recipients; teaching assistantships are 9-month appointments that average no more than 20 hours of work per week; Students receive a stipend in addition to tuition scholarship for up to 24 credits per year as needed.
Graduate Research Assistantships
Offered to some Graduate Scholarship recipients; no more than 20 hours per week (9 to 12 months); a stipend in addition to 24 tuition scholarship credits per year as needed. Students must be in good standing with no missing or incomplete grades: have made progress in completing core requirements.
Syracuse University Graduate Fellowships
A stipend for 9 months of full-time study; 9 credit hours for each of the fall and spring semesters and 6 credits for summer, for a total of 30 credit hours per academic fellowship.
Department Research Support
The Department has various funds available to support graduate student travel and research.
Facilities
The Heroy Geology Laboratory has well-equipped laboratories and graduate student offices. The department houses state-of-the-art workstation-based seismic data processing, GIS, and image-processing facilities; first-class laboratory space for clean and ultra-clean geochemistry. The department hosts two regional user facilities - the Electron Microprobe Lab (with a Cameca SXFive instrument, plus a Renishaw Raman Spectrometer) and the Multi-Sensor Core Logging Lab. Also housed in Heroy are the stable isotope geochemistry lab, the paleoclimate dynamics lab, a low-temperature geochemistry lab, a water chemistry lab and a water dynamics lab. Amongst other instrumentation are a scanning electron microscope, a number of unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) with various cameras, geophysical equipment such as ground-penetrating radar and resistivity systems, and a 384-core computing cluster. The department also has a range of sample preparation facilities.