The Master of Science (M.S.) degree program in Geology offers students the opportunity for advanced study and research leading to the M.S. degree in the following emphasis areas: water resources (hydrogeology), environmental geology, geochemistry and isotope geochemistry, and applied geology.
Qualified students are encouraged to apply for teaching and/or research assistantships and fellowships. Requests should be addressed to the Chair of the Department of Earth and Environmental Science when the application is submitted for admission to UTSA.
Program Admission Requirements. In addition to satisfying the University-wide graduate admission requirements, applicants are expected to have completed an undergraduate degree in geology (equivalent to UTSA’s) or a bachelor’s degree in chemistry, physics, mathematics, computer science, life sciences, or engineering from an accredited institution of higher education. Applicants with deficiencies in their academic background are required to consult with the Graduate Advisor of Record to establish an acceptable program of study with the approval of the graduate faculty. In such cases, students should anticipate that additional time will be required to complete the degree.
Applicants must submit three letters of recommendation from persons familiar with the applicant’s academic record, and scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). The letters of recommendation should be sent to the Department Chair. Incomplete applications will not be considered until all required items are in an applicant’s file. When GRE scores are used to determine an admission, applicants will be compared to applicants with similar socioeconomic backgrounds.
Thesis Option in Geology
Degree Requirements. The Master of Science degree in Geology requires the successful completion of a minimum of 33 semester credit hours.
candidates for the degree must complete:
EES 5981 Graduate Seminar in Environmental Science and Engineering (2 hours)
or
EES 5991 Graduate Seminar in Geology (2 hours)
EES 6983 Master’s Thesis (6 hours)
No more than 2 semester credit hours of EES 5981 Graduate Seminar in Environmental Science and Engineering or EES 5991 Graduate Seminar in Geology and a minimum of 6 semester credit hours of EES 6983 Master’s Thesis can be applied to the Master’s degree.
Candidates must choose one of the following four emphases: Water Resources (Hydrogeology), Environmental Geology, Geochemistry and Isotope Geochemistry, Applied Geology (25 semester credit hours):
Water Resources (Hydrogeology)
12 semester credit hours:
EES 5483 Environmental Hydrogeology
EES 5603 Physical Hydrogeology
EES 5713 Groundwater Modeling
EES 6523 GIS for Water Resources
13 semester credit hours minimum, selected from the graduate course offerings in geology, environmental science, civil engineering, and biology with approval of the Graduate Advisor of Record.
11 semester credit hours:
EES 5223 Advanced Environmental Geology
EES 5404 Dynamics of Geomorphic Landscapes
EES 5414 Fluvial Geomorphology
9 semester credit hours minimum, selected from the graduate course offerings in geology.
5 semester credit hours minimum, selected from the graduate course offerings in the College of Sciences or College of Engineering. Elective coursework may be taken with approval of the Graduate Advisor of Record.
Geochemistry and Isotope Geochemistry
11 semester credit hours:
EES 6001 Seminar in Geochemistry and Isotope Geochemistry
EES 6203 Aqueous Geochemistry
EES 6303 Application of Stable Isotopes in Geochemistry
EES 6304 Isotope Geology
14 semester credit hours minimum, selected from the graduate course offerings in College of Sciences or Engineering, with approval of the Graduate Advisor of Record.
25 semester credit hours minimum, selected from graduate course offerings with the approval of the Graduate Advisor of Record.
Under special circumstances, students may take up to 6 semester credit hours of upper-division undergraduate work in the College of Sciences or College of Engineering with approval of the Graduate Advisor of Record.
Students must pass a final oral comprehensive examination. This examination should be scheduled during the student’s last semester of work, for completion of the degree program.
Nonthesis Option in Geology
The nonthesis option applies only to the Water Resources (Hydrogeology) and Environmental Geology emphases.
Degree Requirements. The Master of Science degree in Geology requires the successful completion of a minimum of 39 semester credit hours.
Candidates for the degree must complete:
EES 5981 Graduate Seminar in Environmental Science and Engineering
(2 hours)
or
EES 5991 Graduate Seminar in Geology (2 hours)
EES 5971-3 Directed Research (3 hours)
No more than 2 semester credit hours of EES 5981 Graduate Seminar in Environmental Science and Engineering or EES 5991 Graduate Seminar in Geology and 3 semester credit hours of EES 5973 Directed Research can be applied to the Master’s degree.
Candidates must choose one of the following two emphases (34 semester credit hours):
Water Resources (Hydrogeology)
12 semester credit hours:
EES 5483 Environmental Hydrogeology
EES 5603 Physical Hydrogeology
EES 5713 Groundwater Modeling
EES 6523 GIS for Water Resources
22 semester credit hours minimum, selected from the graduate course offerings in geology, environmental science, civil engineering, and biology with approval of the Graduate Advisor of Record.
11 semester credit hours:
EES 5223 Advanced Environmental Geology
EES 5404 Dynamics of Geomorphic Landscapes
EES 5414 Fluvial Geomorphology
9 semester credit hours minimum, selected from the graduate course offerings in geology.
14 semester credit hours minimum, selected from the graduate course offerings in geology, environmental science, civil engineering, chemistry, and biology with approval of the Graduate Advisor of Record.
Under special circumstances, students may take up to 6 hours of upper-division undergraduate work within the College of Sciences or College of Engineering with approval of the Graduate Advisor of Record.
D. Candidates are required to pass a written comprehensive examination that covers several major areas of geology. This examination is usually taken after students have completed at least 30 semester credit hours of coursework. If EES 6961 Comprehensive Examination is taken, it does not contribute toward the 39-semester-credit-hour minimum.
Graduate Committee. As specified by University regulations, candidates for the Master of Science degree must have a Graduate Committee. The Committee will be chaired by the student’s graduate advisor and will consist of a minimum of two other members. The Committee should be appointed in the first semester of the student’s graduate program. Each student must decide if he or she is going to complete the thesis or nonthesis option because that will determine the type of committee appointed. Certain rules must be adhered to concerning the composition of the Master’s Thesis Committee. Only tenured or tenure-track faculty members can chair these committees, and no more than one member can be a nontenured or a nontenure-track faculty member or be from another university or be from another department.
Comprehensive Examination. Candidates for the Master of Science degree must pass a comprehensive examination administered by their Graduate Committee. The student should normally schedule this examination the semester before the degree requirements are to be completed. The student’s Graduate Committee will determine the content of the examination. Normally, the examination will consist of academic material that the student is expected to have mastered during his or her course of study. The examination may only be taken twice. If it is not passed the first time, it may be scheduled again in the following semester.
The purpose of the Professional Certificate in Geographic Information Science is to create individuals from a broad range of academic disciplines who are competent users of Geographic Information Science and the related tools of the Global Positioning System and Remote Sensing. Although the program is generally oriented towards earth and environmental science professionals, individuals with business, social science, medical, engineering, criminal science or education backgrounds will benefit from this professional certificate. Individuals completing this certificate will gain a practical and hands-on knowledge of Geographic Information Science. All courses taken in the Professional Certificate in Geographic Information Science program can be applied towards a Master’s degree in Environmental Science with an emphasis in environmental spatial analysis.
Description of Certificate Program. The Certificate of Geographic Information Science is a 15-hour program. Degree-seeking, special graduate or non-degree-seeking students from any discipline at UTSA are allowed to complete the Certificate of Geographic Information Science program. Candidates for the certificate should ideally complete the program within one year, but not more than two years. Students will be assigned a faculty advisor from the Department of Earth and Environmental Science for guidance in the program.
Certificate Curriculum. The following Environmental Science courses addressing Geographic Information Science are required to complete the certificate program:
EES 5033 Geographical Information Systems
EES 5053 Remote Sensing
EES 6503 GPS Mapping
EES 6513 Advanced GIS
EES 6543 Internet Served GIS
2007-2009 Graduate Catalog
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