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 should have earned either an undergraduate degree in Geology from an accredited college or university or another relevant discipline. If an applying student has a Bachelor's degree in a non-science discipline or is otherwise uncertain that their accomplishments meet these requirements, they can demonstrate their competency and preparedness for graduate school in Geology through other means, such as demonstration of equivalent and relevant knowledge gained through field experience and/or industry employment.
2. Applicants mush have a cumulative grade point average of 2.75 or higher.
3. Submission of a Graduate Record Examination (GRE) general test score is strongly recommended if you do not have an undergraduate degree in Geology. Applicants are encouraged to submit their GRE score to support their application.
4. Satisfy the School of Graduate Studies’ English Language Proficiency requirements as published in the graduate catalog.
5. For a Doctor of Philosophy degree, students must have completed at least one semester of calculus while an undergraduate. Applicants are also generally expected to have completed at least one year of preparation in chemistry and one course in physics during their undergraduate preparation.

Students missing any of the above requirements may be admitted under provisional or qualified status, but all admission requirements at the undergraduate level 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 Harold Hamm School of Geology and Geological Engineering.

Students normally take the equivalent of three years of full-time work beyond the Master’s degree to earn their Doctorate degree.

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. Credits earned as part of a Master's degree and through any subsequent graduate work (usually up to a total of 60 credits) may be included in the 90 credits, pending approval by the faculty member serving as the primary advisor.
4. Completion of a dissertation, which incorporates independent work that is an original contribution to knowledge.
5. Completion of a final oral presentation that is open to the public, called the "defense", in which the doctoral candidate discusses their cumulative graduate research accomplishments and the significance of those advancements to science.