Complete the following admission requirements:

• Complete a master’s degree in geology, geophysics or an appropriate field of physical science or engineering.

Admission to Ph.D. Geophysics Program Directly from a Bachelor’s Program

Entering graduate students whose highest earned degree is the baccalaureate are normally admitted as Master of Science candidates. However, exceptionally able and accomplished students in this category are eligible for direct admission to the Ph.D. program. For direct admission from the baccalaureate to the Ph.D. program, a student must receive approval from the graduate admission committee and also meet one of three criteria:

1. At least one first-authored manuscript published, accepted or submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.
2. Receipt of an NSF, NIH or similar prestigious pre-doctoral fellowship.
3. Demonstrated research proficiency AND either
   • attained a GPA of at least 3.5 in mathematics and science courses at the undergraduate level, or
   • scored at or above the 80th percentile in two of three categories in the GRE.
     The requirement of demonstrated research proficiency can be waived for exceptionally promising students. In this case, the student is required to complete a research or review paper focusing on a thesis-related topic approved by the graduate advising committee. The paper should be roughly 4,000-5,000 words and must be submitted and approved by the advising committee within the first three semesters to maintain Ph.D. status. Failure will result in changing the student’s status to M.S. candidate.

After admission, M.S. candidates may, in exceptional cases, petition for conversion to the Ph.D. program if they satisfy one of the above criteria. Such petitions must be approved both by the student’s current (M.S.) and proposed (Ph.D.) advisory committee and the department director or designee.

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Minimum Requirements for Geophysics Ph.D.: 35 credits