Geology and Geological Engineering, MS

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Contact Information

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

MS in Geology and Geological Engineering

The MS in Geology and Geological Engineering offers two specializations: a Geology specialization and a Geological Engineering specialization.

The thesis option is the only option to which students are admitted.

SD Mines students admitted to the Accelerated MS option may apply up to 9 credits of 500/600 level courses taken as an undergraduate to both the BS and the MS degrees.

For more information on this degree see the Department of Geology and Geological Engineering page under the Graduate Programs Listing in this catalog.

Degree requirements for thesis option

Distribution of Credits

Core requirements: 1 credit
Research requirements: 6 credits
Elective requirements: 23 credits
Total credits: 30

A minimum of 15 credits of the 30 required must be taken at the 600-level or above.

Core requirements

A research planning course must be taken during the first fall semester of enrollment. Students in the Geology specialization take GEOL 700 ; students in the Geological Engineering specialization take GEOE 700 .

GEOL 700 Developing and Planning Research Credits: (1-0) 1
OR
GEOE 700 Developing and Planning Research Credits: (1-0) 1

Research requirements

The completion of a master’s thesis, approved by the student’s graduate advisory committee and the Dean of Graduate Education, is required for this degree.

GEOL 798 Thesis Credits: Credit to be arranged. **
OR
GEOE 798 Thesis Credits: 1 to 9 **
** At least 6 credits of 798 are required. No more than 6 credits of 798 may be counted toward the degree.

Elective requirements

Geology Specialization

A minimum of 23 elective credits are required to complete the degree. 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 of study. The program of study must include:

One GEOL/GEOE course emphasizing field/analytical methods
One GEOL/GEOE course emphasizing computational methods

The student’s advising committee determines the courses that meet these criteria.

Geological Engineering specialization

A minimum of 23 elective credits are required to complete the degree. All MS 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 area. The program of study must include:

One GEOL/GEOE course emphasizing field methods
One GEOL/GEOE course emphasizing analytical methods
One GEOL/GEOE course emphasizing computational methods

The student’s advising committee determines the courses that meet these criteria.

Examinations

Candidates for the MS degree must fulfill all degree requirements of the graduate office and the program. Departmental requirements include a written thesis proposal with oral proposal defense and an oral coursework exam covering course material.

The thesis proposal and its defense will be scheduled through the student’s major advisor and will have the thesis committee’s approval. A final thesis proposal, which may require revisions following the thesis proposal defense, serves as a contract of expectations for the student’s thesis. The thesis proposal defense must take place at least six months prior to the thesis defense. Students must declare any non-disclosure agreements and associated materials or information as an addendum to the thesis proposal document.

The oral comprehensive exam should be scheduled through the student’s major advisor with committee approval when the student has substantially completed the required 24 credits of coursework for the MS; the exam must be held at least three months prior to the thesis defense.

Additional requirements

Any physical specimens (and associated documentation) collected, prepared, and cited in a thesis or dissertation are to be deposited in the Museum of Geology as part of the student’s work. Guidelines (only available via on-campus or VPN conncection) and forms are available.

In addition to these degree-specific requirements, the student must also meet the requirements and policies applied to all graduate degrees by the Council of Graduate Education.