Graduate
The department offers graduate courses and research programs leading to an M.S. in Geology or Geophysics and a Ph.D. in Earth and Environmental Sciences. We provide graduates with the interdisciplinary vision they need to advance careers in academia, government, and the private sector.
Deadline for fall admission is
January 2
Graduate Degree Programs
Master's
The program offers an M.S. degree and, in partnership with 51²è¹Ý's Lynch School, an M.A.T. The curriculum is flexible and is developed by the student and his or her faculty advisory committee.
Ph.D.
The Ph.D. program provides our graduates with the disciplinary credibility and the interdisciplinary vision they need to advance careers in academia, government, and the private sector.
Dual Degree
In conjunction with 51²è¹Ý's Carroll School, the department offers a combined M.S./M.B.A. degree program for students interested in careers in industrial or financial geoscience management.
Department Research
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Research Across the Globe
Our students use state-of-the-art research techniques, including modern scientific equipment and instrumentation, performing field-based research across the globe in areas such as the Appalachians, western US, Europe, New Zealand, Australia, China, and Greenland, as well as at sea in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic Oceans. Topics researched include: coastal and estuarine processes, sedimentology, geomorphology, earthquake and exploration seismology, tectonics, structural geology, igneous and metamorphic petrology, isotope geochemistry, groundwater hydrology, oceanography, paleoclimatology, marine biogeochemistry, and environmental geology and geophysics.
Weston Observatory
The Weston Observatory is a research and science education center that operates a 16-station regional seismic network that records data on earthquakes in the northeast, as well as distant earthquakes. The facility offers students a unique opportunity to work on exciting projects with modern, sophisticated, scientific research equipment in a number of different areas of scientific and environmental interest.
Cooperative University Program
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Take classes at BU or Tufts
The department is part of a cooperative program with the Department of Earth Sciences at Boston University as well as the Civil Engineering Department at Tufts University. This program permits degree candidates at Boston College to enroll in courses that are unavailable at Boston College, but are available at Boston University or Tufts. A list of courses is available in the department.
Upon completion of an M.S., graduates should be able to:Â
- Conduct original, publishable research in the field.Â
- Demonstrate a broad knowledge of earth processes.Â
- Demonstrate in-depth knowledge of a sub-discipline in the earth sciences.Â
- Demonstrate acquired skill in field or laboratory methods and application of appropriate quantitative methods.Â
- Write and speak effectively to professional and lay audiences about issues in the field.Â
- Teach effectively at the K-12 and undergraduate levels.
Upon completion of a Ph.D., graduates should be able to:Â
- Formulate, conduct, and publish original research in the field.
- Demonstrate a broad knowledge of Earth processes.
- Demonstrate in-depth knowledge of one or more sub-disciplines in the Earth sciences.
- Demonstrate acquired skill in field or laboratory methods and application of appropriate quantitative methods.
- Write and speak effectively to professional and lay audiences about issues in the field.
- Teach effectively at the undergraduate and graduate levels.