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Graduate student in the Vertebrate Paleontology Lab.
Advisors
Philip A. Guerrero Dr. Stephen Grand  Requirements for the M.S. Degree with ThesisRevised June, 2004
This document describes formal requirements for the Master of Science Degree in Geological Sciences and the Master of Arts Degree. It articulates Departmental policies and restates some University requirements, but each student is personally responsible for acquiring familiarity with the University requirements contained in the Catalog of the Graduate School. The MS degree is obtained through coursework and the completion of a thesis. It is the preferred degree for most professional employment and for preparation for Ph.D. work. The MA degree is obtained through coursework and the completion of a report. The MA degree is designed for the professional geologist or student interested in applied geology who wishes to focus on excellence in training rather than excellence in research. Programs in hydrogeology and petroleum geology are the only MA progams available at present. Students who apply for the "Masters Program" are assumed to seek the MS degree. A person seeking the MA degree should inform the graduate advisor of this at the time of application. MA aspirants are not eligible for teaching assistantships. MS Degree in Geological Sciences General: The MS degree combines formal coursework with a research project carried out under the supervision of a member of the Graduate Faculty that culminates in the preparation of a Masters thesis. A student is considered an MS "aspirant" after he or she has been accepted for admission by the Department and has enrolled in the Graduate School. All incoming graduate students are required to take a "diagnostic examination" offered during the orientation period during fall and spring semesters. The results of the diagnostic examination will be reported to each Master's aspirant mentor who may use the information to guide future coursework. After completing the coursework described below, and after identifying a thesis topic, research supervisor and committee, an MS aspirant must contact the Departmental Graduate Advisor’s office to complete an application for candidacy; when this application is accepted by the Graduate School, the aspirant is granted the status of MS "candidate". After the thesis is approved by the supervisory committee, and the additional thesis requirements set forth below are met, the degree is awarded. Strict deadlines for completion of some requirements and the filing of essential forma are enforced by the Department and by the Graduate School; the student bears sole responsibility for learning of these deadlines and meeting them. Coursework Preparatory work: All students admitted to the MS program are expected to have completed a minimum of two college level courses in calculus, physics, and chemistry, with a grade of C or better, as well as courses in geological sciences, including field training appropriate for the subject of interest. Specific programs may require additional prerequisite coursework. Any deficiencies in these or other areas that are identified by the student’s supervisor and committee should be addressed early in a student’s program, and compensating coursework must be successfully completed before the MS degree will be awarded. Required courses: The MS degree requires 24 semester hours of formal coursework plus 6 semester hours of credit for thesis preparation in GEO 698A and 698B. The distribution of this coursework between courses in Geological Sciences and other subjects is determined jointly by the student and the supervisor, subject to these regulations:
Additional course requirements: (1) Technical Sessions. Each student is required to receive credit for GEO 193 (Technical Sessions) for two semesters. Each semester a student is allowed two unexcused absences. Two additional absences are permitted for academic reasons (e.g. field work, conferences, cruises) when the student presents suitable documentation to the course instructor. (2) Field Training. Students are expected to have received credit for a field course as an undergraduate or have comparable field experience. The supervising professor and the Graduate Advisor, together, will determine whether the field coursework or field experience is appropriate for the individual student. Further regulations: These University requirements govern grade averages and Cr/NC grading: (1) Students must maintain a B average in all upper-division and graduate courses in both the major (courses within Geological Sciences) and the minor (supporting work in other Departments). (2) No more than 20% of the credit hours for the MS degree may be taken on a Credit / No Credit basis. Thesis Supervisor and supervisory committee: Each student must identify a member of the Graduate Studies Committee in the Department of Geological Sciences who will assume responsibility for overseeing the student’s program of work, who will direct the student’s thesis research, and who will serve as chair of the student’s supervisory committee. A Research Scientist who is not a member of the Graduate Studies Committee may serve as "research supervisor" when a member of the faculty is appointed as co-chair of the supervisory committee. A supervisory committee must consist of at least two DGS faculty members. The third member may be any qualified scientist who is approved by the Graduate Advisor, but only in extraordinary circumstances can a person who does not hold the Ph.D. degree be appointed to a supervisory committee. The UT Handbook of Operating Procedures describes these arrangements as follows: Supervision of theses and dissertations is in the hands of a committee appointed by the Vice-President and Dean of Graduate Studies. The chairman or co-chairman of the thesis or dissertation committee serves as the supervisor of the research. In special circumstances, a Research Scientist, Research Engineer, or Adjunct Faculty member may be recommended by the Graduate Studies Committee to serve as the research supervisor for a specific thesis or dissertation. Any such recommendation is subject to annual review by the Committee on Graduate Studies and approval by the Graduate Dean. When a research supervisor is not a member of a Committee on Graduate Studies, a member of the Committee on Graduate Studies will be appointed as co-chairman of the thesis or dissertation committee. Thesis proposal: A thesis proposal is required of all students. This proposal must specify the objectives of the investigation, its methods, a schedule for completion, and a bibliography. The proposal must first be approved by the student’s supervisor, then circulated to the other members of the student’s supervisory committee. Members of the committee are expected to comment on the proposal and return it to the student’s supervisor. The supervisor and student will then meet and discuss these comments, and the student will generate a final version of the proposal which must be approved by the supervisory committee and placed on file in the Graduate Office. Progress reports: After the second semester in residence, all MS students are required to submit reports of progress annually in mid-spring (see "Deadlines…" below). These reports must be submitted on the one-page form for this purpose that is available in the Graduate Advisor’s office. Students should obtain their supervisor’s signature as approval, then submit the original to the Graduate Advisor and copies to all members of the supervisory committee. Presentation in Technical Sessions: Each student is required to present in Technical Sessions (GEO 193) a satisfactory oral report of results of the thesis research. Policies governing scheduling of presentations and eligibility for speaking slots are determined by the faculty member responsible for GEO 193 in consultation with the Technical Sessions Chair. Thesis: The thesis must be read and approved by all members of the supervisory committee, and all members of the supervisory committee should be consulted during the writing of the thesis. It is expected that preliminary editing of all theses will be done by a student editor, who should read the draft, make routine checks for accuracy, and provide stylistic and organizational suggestions. The supervisor and all members of the supervisory committee have the right to refuse to review a thesis until it has received a student editor’s approval. Customarily the thesis is submitted first to the supervisor, whose preliminary approval is obtained before the thesis is circulated to the other members of the committee. All members of the committee must be given at least 30 days to read and comment upon the final version of the thesis before being asked to approve it. Students should ascertain well in advance whether or not committee members are available and willing to evaluate theses during the summer months. The student must place a copy of the completed thesis, bound in red buckram, in the Geology Library. The library copy must have the author’s name and the thesis title printed in gold letters on the spine. Check-out Each student must comply with a check-out procedure that ensures that all Departmental requirements have been fulfilled, that all borrowed books, keys and equipment have been returned, and that thesis copies and materials have been appropriately archived. After submitting the final thesis, students should obtain a "Check-out Sheet" from the Graduate Advisor’s office, obtain all necessary signatures, and return the sheet to the Graduate Advisor’s office. Final approval for award of the degree cannot be granted until this check-out procedure is completed. To allow adequate time for processing, this procedure must be complete at least three working days before the final deadline set by the Office of Graduate Studies for completion of the Masters degree. Deadlines, Penalties, and Monitoring of Student Progress Identification of research topic, supervisor, and committee; During the second semester in residence, every MS student must file with the Graduate Advisor: (1) a form identifying a supervisor, supervisory committee, and thesis topic; and (2) an approved thesis proposal. These must be submitted at least one week prior to the beginning of registration for the following semester, which is typically in mid-April (for students beginning in the fall semester) or mid-October (for students beginning in the spring semester). Students who fail to meet this requirement are judged to be no longer in good standing (which affects award of Departmental support) and will be barred from further registration until the requirement is met. Annual progress reports: Approved annual progress reports are due at least one week prior to the beginning of registration during the spring semester, which is typically in mid-April. Students who fail to meet this requirement are judged to be no longer in good standing (which affects award of Departmental support) and will be barred from further registration until the requirement is met. Completion of degree: Completion of the MS degree typically requires five or occasionally six semesters of graduate work. After eight semesters have elapsed, the research supervisor may resign. This will cause the student’s committee to be dissolved, and the student must then requalify for admission to candidacy. All students who have not completed the MS degree after eight semesters are subject to an annual review of progress, undertaken by the Graduate Studies Committee each fall. In the course of this review, the Graduate Studies Committee can allow continuation of the student’s program for one year, can establish formal requirements for timely completion of the degree, or can recommend to the Graduate School immediate termination of the student’s program for lack of progress. University regulations state that all coursework presented to fulfill degree requirements must have been completed within the six years prior to award of the degree. Admission to the Ph.D. Program Following Completion of the MS A student wishing to enter the Ph.D. program after completing an MS degree in this Department must have his or her MS supervisor and committee members submit letters to the Graduate Advisor supporting the student’s admission to the Ph.D. program. In addition, a statement must be included in one of these letters or an additional letter must be submitted to document the intention of a member of the Graduate Faculty to supervise the student’s Ph.D. program. The student must write a brief letter to the Graduate Advisor requesting admission to the Ph.D. program. These applications will be considered by the Admissions and Awards Committee together with those of new applicants, so all materials should be submitted to meet the October 1 and January 15 deadlines for applications. Admission to the Ph.D. program (and any resultant change in a student’s support status) will not be effective until all MS degree requirements are fulfilled. Students completing a MS degree who are readmitted into the Ph.D. program with support less than one year after receiving the degree are eligible for eight (8) total semesters of support that must be used in the first twelve matriculated semesters. Semesters supported and spent working toward the master's degree are counted. If readmission is more than one year from receiving the MS degree, students admitted with support are eligible for six (6) semesters of Departmental support that must be used in the first ten (10) matriculated semesters after readmission. MA Degree in Geological Sciences General The requirements for the MA degree are similar to those above for the MS degree except that at least 30 credit hours of course work plus 3 hours of credit (Geo 398R) for preparing the report are required. A student who enters as an aspirant for a MS degree may not switch to a MA degree after enrollment in the program. MA programs in Hydrogeology and Petroleum Geology, the only options available at present, require students to complete certain core courses and certain elective courses. Completion of degree: Completion of the MA degree typically requires three semesters of graduate work. After six semesters have elapsed, the research supervisor may resign. This will cause the student’s committee to be dissolved, and the student must then requalify for admission to candidacy. All students who have not completed the MA degree are subject to an annual review of progress, undertaken by the Graduate Studies Committee each fall. In the course of this review, the Graduate Studies Committee can allow continuation of the student’s program for one year, can establish formal requirements for timely completion of the degree, or can recommend to the Graduate School immediate termination of the student’s program for lack of progress. University regulations state that all coursework presented to fulfill degree requirements must have been completed within the six years prior to award of the degree. Admission to the Ph.D. Program Following Completion of the MA Degree Follow the same procedure for people receiving an MS degree. Page Modified on 23 June, 2006 |
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