Graduate Program

M.S. in Geoscience

The Department offers a 36-credit Master of Science degree in Geoscience designed for the professional development of geologists and precollege teachers.  Employment and advancement opportunities for M.S. Geoscience graduates are excellent due to the hundreds of environmental firms, government agencies, and school districts within the greater Philadelphia area.

Benefits of the Program

  • Evening, summer, and weekend courses
  • Designed for completion in two years
  • State-of-the-art equipment and facilities
  • Focus on enhancing knowledge and skills needed by geologists and science teachers
  • Meet and work with geologists and science teachers from throughout the greater Philadelphia area
  • Affordable tuition
  • Hundreds of alumni in the region employed as geologists and teachers

The Curriculum

All students complete a 19-credit core with the following courses:

  • ESS 523 - Field Geology (3 credits)
  • ESS 521 - Geometrics (3 credits)
  • ESS 596 - Earth Systems Science (3 credits)
  • ESS 547 - Geoscience Seminar (1 credit)
  • ESS 602 - Directed Research- Capstone Course (3 credits)

and 2 of the following 4 courses:

  • ESS 530 - Oceanography (3 credits)
  • ESS 570 - Meteorology (3 credits)
  • ESS 536 - Environmental Geology (3 credits)
  • ESS 549 - Advanced Hydrogeology (3 credits)

The remaining 17 credits are fulfilled by electives, of which at least 8 must be ESS or SCE courses.

The MS Geoscience degree requires completion of a non-thesis, final project with a faculty advisor involving original, independent scientific or education research. Additional information may be found in the Department Graduate Handbook and Graduate Catalog.

Admission Requirements

All applicants must meet the following requirements:

  1. Completed application (apply at www.wcupa.edu/grad)
  2. 4-year undergraduate degree
  3. Completion of the following prerequisites: ESS 101 (Introduction to Geology); CHE and CRL 103 (General Chemistry I and Lab); PHY 130 (General Physics); MAT 115 (College Algebra and Trigonometry); and MAT 121 (Statistics)
  4. Undergraduate GPA of 2.8 or greater
  5. Two letters or recommendation

To Apply

Interested students should complete the online graduate studies application and follow the instructions for the self-managed application process.

For more information contact Dr. Daria Nikitina, MS Geoscience Program Coordinator, at

dnikitina@wcupa.edu

or 610-436-3103.

Graduate Catalog MS Geoscience Handbook MS Geoscience Hanbook (click on handbook cover to download)

Where are graduates of the M.S. Geoscience program currently employed?