Nov 23, 2024

2014-2015 SDSM&T Academic Catalog

2014-2015 SDSM&T Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Geology and Geological Engineering, Ph.D.

Contact Information

Dr. Laurie Anderson
Department of Geology and Geological Engineering
Mineral Industries 303
(605) 394-2461
E-mail: Laurie.Anderson@sdsmt.edu

Geology Faculty

Professors L. Anderson, Duke, Price and Uzunlar; Associate Professor Masterlark; Assistant Professors Belanger, Oner and Pagnac; Professors Emeritus Fox, Lisenbee, Martin, Paterson, and Redden; Adjunct Faculty Bapst, Benton and McCormick; and Haslem Post-doctoral Fellow Boyd.

Geological Engineering Faculty

Professors Davis and Stetler; Associate Professor Sawyer; Assistant Professors Katzenstein and Sawyer; Professor Emeritus Rahn; Adjunct Faculty M. Anderson, Iles, Long, Roggenthen, and Stamm.

PhD in Geology and Geological Engineering

Students must elect to pursue either a Geology Specialization or a Geological Engineering Specialization, each of which has different background requirements and program requirements. The available coursework and current faculty expertise support the following areas of concentration.

Energy and Resources
Geocomputing
Groundwater and Environment
Paleontology
Petrology and Mineral Resources
Structural Geology/Tectonics
Underground Science and Engineering (SURF)

* Students concentrating in Paleontology at the Master’s level may apply for the separate M.S. in Paleontology.

Background Requirements for Ph.D.

The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is required of all applicants. The TOEFL exam is required for students whose native language is not English. Many factors contribute to the success of an application, including the goals statement, coursework, grades, test scores, work experience, recommendations, and availability of a faculty member in the student’s anticipated research area. In general we prefer to see a GPA of 3.0 or above and GRE scores greater than the 50th percentile. Different specializations have different background coursework requirements, as described below.

Background Expected for Geology Specialization (including Paleontology)

Incoming students are expected to have substantial preparation in general science, math, and geological sciences; successful applicants will ideally have completed the subjects listed below. The student’s graduate committee may require that deficiencies important to the student’s area of interest be remedied by taking additional undergraduate courses that will not count towards the graduate degree requirements.

Calculus I and II
Statistics
General Chemistry I and II
General Physics I and II, or General Biology I and II
Stratigraphy/Sedimentation
Petrology
Structural Geology
Field Geology

Background Expected for Geological Engineering Specialization

Incoming students are expected to have substantial preparation in science, math, geological sciences, and engineering; successful applicants will ideally have completed most of the subjects listed below. The student’s graduate committee may require that deficiencies important to the student’s area of interest be remedied by taking additional traditional undergraduate courses that will not count towards the graduate degree credit requirements.

Calculus I, II, and III
Differential Equations
General Chemistry I and II
General Physics I and II
Stratigraphy/Sedimentation
Petrology
Structural Geology
Statics
Mechanics of Materials
Fluid Mechanics, or Rock Mechanics

PhD Degree Requirements

Admission to the Ph.D. program in Geology and Geological Engineering is normally limited to qualified students who have already earned an M.S. degree in geology, geological engineering, paleontology, or a related field. Students holding an M.S. but with extensive undergraduate deficiencies may be placed into the M.S. program in Geology and Geological Engineering until these deficiencies are remedied. Students with a B.S. degree who apply to the Ph.D. program will be admitted to the M.S. program in Geology and Geological Engineering until they have accumulated sufficient course credits for an M.S. degree. Students placed into the M.S. under one of these two circumstances will be admitted to the Ph.D. program after passing the qualifying exam.

Qualifying Exam

All Ph.D. students are expected to take a qualifying exam to demonstrate their potential for independent research. Students entering with a B.S. degree will take the examination in the semester immediately following the completion of 24 credits of graduate coursework. Students placed in the M.S. due to undergraduate deficiencies must take the qualifying exam in the semester immediately following completion of all deficiencies. Students entering with a completed M.S. degree will take the qualifying exam before the end of their second semester in residence.

To pass the qualifying exam, the student must 1) complete all undergraduate deficiency requirements, 2) submit a valid Ph.D. Program of Study to the department head; 3) complete a literature search and paper on a topic related to the student’s area of concentration; and 4) present and defend the paper in an oral examination by the department faculty. The paper should reflect a sustained effort and culminate in an analysis of potentially significant research problems. The identified problems need not match the eventual dissertation topic.

Curriculum

A minimum of seventy-two (72) credit hours are required beyond the B.S. degree. At least thirty-six (36) of these credits must be for coursework. No more than 36 credits may be from 500-level courses or lower. Up to twenty-four (24) course credits and six (6) research credits from the M.S. degree can be applied toward the total required credits if the student’s committee agrees.

The candidate’s committee is responsible for assisting the student in developing a program of study that prepares the student for his/her intended field as well as provides general knowledge for the discipline. It is recommended that six (6) to twelve (12) hours of coursework be taken outside the department.

Geology Specialization

GEOL 700 Research Methods

is required the first fall semester of enrollment.

GEOL 808 Fundamental Problems in Engineering and Science

also is required. In addition, the program of study must include at least one GEOL/GEOE/PALE course emphasizing field methods, one GEOL/GEOE/PALE course emphasizing analytical methods, and one GEOL/GEOE/PALE course emphasizing computational methods. The student’s advising committee determines the courses that meet these criteria.

Geological Engineering Specialization

All Ph.D. students in the Geological Engineering specialization are expected to focus in one of the three areas of groundwater/environmental, geomechanics, or energy/mineral resources.

The candidate’s committee is responsible for assisting the student in developing a program of study that prepares the student for his/her intended focus.

GEOL 700 Research Methods

Research Methods is required the first fall of enrollment.

GEOL 808 Fundamental Problems in Engineering and Science

also is required.

In addition, the program of study must include at least one GEOL/GEOE course emphasizing field methods, one GEOL/GEOE course emphasizing analytical methods and one GEOL/GEOE course emphasizing computational methods. The student’s advising committee determines the courses that meet these criteria.

Dissertation Proposal Defense

The dissertation proposal is part of the comprehensive examination. All Ph.D. students are required to prepare a research proposal for the work to be accomplished for the dissertation. The proposal is due one month prior to the comprehensive examination, so that the candidate‘s committee may review the proposal to evaluate whether it is defendable. If not, then the student will have an opportunity to resubmit, although this may alter the final date of the comprehensive examination.

Comprehensive Examination: Summary of Rules and Organization

When the student‘s program of coursework has been substantially completed and dissertation proposal prepared, he/she will undertake the comprehensive examination for admission to candidacy. This examination should normally occur after the student has spent four semesters in the Ph.D. program, but must take place at least four months prior to the final defense. The comprehensive examination will consist of written and oral examinations covering the student‘s field of study and related subjects. It will be prepared by the student‘s advisory committee, with potential suggestions from any faculty member from whom the student has taken a graduate course. The oral examination is open to any faculty member, but must include the candidate‘s full committee.

If the student has not completed all requirements for the Ph.D. degree by the fifth year following the comprehensive examination, his/her active candidacy status will be automatically terminated and the comprehensive examination must be repeated.

No later than two (2) months prior to the examination date the student must make a request to the student‘s committee to take the Comprehensive Examination. The dissertation research proposal must be submitted at least one month prior to the examination date. The examinations will consist of four parts, all of which must be completed within one working week. The examination may be scheduled for spring and fall semesters only, but not during the week of final examinations or the last week of classes. The written examinations will be graded prior to the oral examination. The oral examination will last approximately three hours. It will begin with an oral presentation of the dissertation proposal by the student, who will then undergo an oral examination by the committee that may include questions concerning the proposal, the written exam topics, and any relevant subject area related to the student‘s research. The written examination will consist of three parts: one general, and two specific topics. Each part of the written examination will be three (3) hours in length.
	General (written)	25%
	Specific Topic (written)	25%
	Specific Topic (written)	25%
	Oral Examination	25%

Geology Ph.D. Specialization

The General part of the comprehensive exam will include General Geology. Specific topics will be chosen from the following list:

Structural Geology
Sedimentation/Stratigraphy
Paleontology
Igneous/Metamorphic Petrology
Economic Geology/Mineral Exploration
Geophysics/Geodynamics
Geospatial/Geocomputation
Petroleum Geology
Groundwater/Hydrology

A student may propose hybrid fields with other disciplines if approved by his or her graduate committee.

Geological Engineering Ph.D. Specialization

The General part of the comprehensive exam will include:

Geological Engineering
Geology
Fundamentals of Engineering

Specific topics will be chosen from the following list:

Groundwater
Engineering Geology
Petroleum Engineering
Mineral Exploration/Production
Hydrology and Hydraulic Engineering
Geophysics
Geochemistry
Rock Mechanics
Geotechnical Engineering

A student may substitute successful completion of the Fundamentals of Engineering (F.E.) examination for one of these three (3) parts. A student may propose hybrid fields with other disciplines if approved by his or her graduate committee.