Geological Sciences, M.S.

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The Department of Geosciences and Environment offers two postgraduate degrees: Master of Arts in Geography and Master of Science in Geosciences and Environment (with options in Geology and Environmental Hydrology).

The objective of the Master of Science degree in Geology is to prepare students for professional level employment in industry and government, teaching positions in community colleges, or advanced study towards the Ph.D. degree. A student may achieve this objective by completing the program with either a thesis or a comprehensive examination. The program has two Options: Geology and Environmental Hydrogeology. The Geology option prepares students for careers in areas of traditional geology and engineering geology. The Environmental Hydrogeology option prepares students for careers in hydrogeology and environmental geochemistry.

Cooperative Program

The Department of Geological Sciences participates in a cooperative program with California State University campuses at Long Beach and Northridge. This cooperative program enables students to apply an unrestricted number of courses from the participating campuses toward the M.S. degree. Students take part on a voluntary basis and are not required to enroll at the Long Beach or Northridge campuses. The cooperative program offers students the advantage of utilizing the faculty and equipment of a larger part of the California State University system.

Admission to the Program

Admission requirements include official results of the Graduate Record Examination, possession of a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology, Earth or Environmental Sciences, related areas of Natural Science, or Engineering from an accredited college or university, with a minimum 2.75 grade point average in the last 90 quarter units and upper division course work substantially equivalent to that required of Cal State L.A. geology majors. Applicants who lack appropriate courses may be admitted to the program but will be expected to remove any deficiencies by completing courses selected through consultation with the graduate adviser.

Application Procedures

Applications for any quarter should be submitted early in the preceding quarter both to the University and the Department of Geosciences and Environment. In addition to the specific prerequisites stated above, students must meet university requirements for admission to graduate study.

Requirements for the Degree (45 units)

The graduate program requires 45-quarter units of work including 22.5 units of 500-level courses chosen with adviser approval. All students must complete Graduate Research (GEOL 597 ) and either a Thesis (GEOL 599 ) or the Comprehensive Examination (GEOL 596 ).

With approval of the department graduate adviser, students may substitute appropriate 400 or 500-level courses from related areas in science, mathematics, or engineering in the official program to a maximum of 13.5 quarter units.

Options

Option 1: Geology (45 units)

Elective Undergraduate Courses (maximum of 22.5 units)

All 400-level GEOL courses may be applied toward master’s degree requirements except the following, GEOL 400 , 401 , 402 , 410 , 430 , 460A , 460B , and 499 .

Subject to limits established by the department and approval of the graduate adviser.

Elective Graduate Courses (minimum of 13.5 -18 units)

Select from the following list:

GEOL 525 - Sedimentary Processes, Environments, and Structures (4.5)
GEOL 530 - Seminar: Structural Geology and Tectonics (4.5)
GEOL 531 - Tectonic Problems of Southern California (4.5)
GEOL 560 - Hydrogeology (4.5)
GEOL 561 - Vadose Zone Hydrogeology (4.5)
GEOL 562 - Contaminant Hydrogeology (4.5)
GEOL 563 - Water Quality Seminar (4.5)
GEOL 570 - Special Topics (1.0–4.5)
GEOL 581 - Seminar: Engineering Geology (4.5)
GEOL 584 - Paleoseismology (4.5)
GEOL 585 - Landslides, Avalanches, and Debris Flows (4.5)
GEOL 598 - Graduate Directed Study (1.5–4.5)

Required Graduate Courses (4.5 - 9 units)

GEOL 597 - Graduate Research (1.5–4.5) (4.5)
GEOL 596 - Comprehensive Examination (0)
or
GEOL 599 - Thesis (1.5–4.5) (4.5)

Option 2: Environmental Hydrogeology (45 units)

Required Courses (21-25.5 units)

GEOL 422 - Environmental & Forensic Geochemistry (4)
GEOL 484 - Hydrogeology (4)
GEOL 487 - Watershed Analysis (4)
GEOL 563 - Water Quality Seminar (4.5)
GEOL 597 - Graduate Research (1.5–4.5) (4.5)
GEOL 596 - Comprehensive Examination (0)
or
GEOL 599 - Thesis (1.5–4.5) (4.5)

Electives (19.5-24 units)

Select courses from the following list. At least two must be 500-level geology courses.

CE 479 - Groundwater Contamination and Remediation (4)
CE 579 - Environmental Mass Transfer (4)
GEOG 469 - Spatial Analysis and GIS Modeling (4)
GEOL 424 - Low Temperature Geochemistry (4)
GEOL 435 - Coastal Processes and Environments (4)
GEOL 485 - Groundwater Management and Models (4)
GEOL 560 - Hydrogeology (4.5)
GEOL 561 - Vadose Zone Hydrogeology (4.5)
GEOL 562 - Contaminant Hydrogeology (4.5)
GEOL 570 - Special Topics (1.0–4.5) (2-4.5)
GEOL 598 - Graduate Directed Study (1.5–4.5)

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