Geology Ph.D. Requirements

Admission Requirements

The applicant must meet the School of Graduate Studies’ current minimum general admission requirements as published in the graduate catalog.

1. For admission to the geology Ph.D. program, applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree in geology from an accredited college or university or otherwise demonstrate sufficient coursework, training, or experience in geoscience.
2. For “approved” status, students must have completed a 5-6 credit hour geology field course, along with satisfactory achievement in supporting science and mathematics, as determined by the department graduate admissions committee.
3. For all graduate programs in the Department of Geology and Geological Engineering, a cumulative 3.0 or higher grade point average is required.
4. Submission of a Graduate Record Examination (GRE) general test score is strongly recommended if you do not have a degree in geology. Applicants are encouraged to submit their GRE score to support their application.
5. Satisfy the School of Graduate Studies’ English Language Proficiency requirements as published in the graduate catalog.

Students missing any of the above requirements may be admitted under provisional or qualified status, but all admission requirements must be completed, without graduate credit, within one year after beginning graduate work.

Initial decisions for admission and financial aid are made about March 1 for the fall semester and about September 1 for the spring semester.

Degree Requirements

Students seeking the Doctor of Philosophy degree at the University of North Dakota must satisfy all general requirements set forth by the School of Graduate Studies as well as particular requirements set forth by the Geology and Geological Engineering Department.

Students normally take the equivalent of three years of full-time work beyond the master’s degree for the doctorate.

1. Completion of 90 semester credits beyond the baccalaureate degree.
2. Maintenance of at least a 3.0 GPA for all classes completed as a graduate student.
3. With approval of a student’s Faculty Advisory Committee, up to one-half of the work beyond a master’s degree (maximum of 30 semester credit hours) may be transferred from another institution that offers post-master’s degrees in the discipline.
4. A qualifying examination may be required before the end of the student’s first year in a doctoral program.
5. Demonstration of:
   1. proficiency in two world languages, or
   2. proficiency in one world language and two scholarly tools courses, or
   3. proficiency in four scholarly tools courses (scholarly tools courses typically are advanced undergraduate courses in related fields in mathematics, science, or engineering).
6. Completion of a dissertation, which incorporates independent work that is an original contribution to knowledge.