Professors: Forsman, Gerla (Graduate Program Director), Ghassemi, Gosnold (Chair), Groenewold, Hartman, Josephs, Korom, LeFever, Matheney
and Perkins
Program Description
The Department of Geology and Geological Engineering offers programs of study leading to the degrees Master of Arts, Master of Science, and Doctor of Philosophy. Research emphasis is currently in the following areas: 1) hydrogeology, environmental geology, and geological engineering; 2) economic geology of petroleum, coal, and mineral resources; 3) sedimentology, stratigraphy, and paleontology; 4) geomorphology and soils; 5) petrology and geochemistry; 6) geophysics and tectonics; and 7) interdisciplinary geological projects involving several research areas including integrated basin analysis, surface mining and reclamation, and underground coal gasification. For more detailed information, please visit our web site at: http://www.geology.und.edu.
Admission Requirements
Applicants must complete the following for admission under approved status:
- At least 25 semester credit hours (ten or more upper division) in geology with a GPA of 3.00 or greater. Students without a geology degree may substitute upper division credit hours in other science or engineering courses for up to ten of the required 25 geology credits, with advisory committee approval.
- Geology field camp (minimum of five semester credit hours).
- One year minimum of college chemistry and physics.
- One semester of calculus (equivalent to Math 146 or Math 165 at UND) for the M.A. degree; two semesters of calculus (equivalent to Math 165 and 166 at UND) and at least three credits in statistics, computer programming, or advanced mathematics (an additional calculus course, linear algebra, differential equations or advanced analysis/engineering math) for the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees.
- Applicants are expected to score at the 50th percentile or better on the Graduate Record Examination general test.
Students missing any of these may be admitted under provisional or qualified status, but all admission requirements must be completed, without graduate program credit, within one year after beginning graduate work.
Initial decisions for admission and financial aid are made about March 1 for the fall semester and about September 1 for the spring semester.
Undergraduate students in the Geology, Geological Engineering, or Environmental Geology and Technology majors are eligible for early admission to the M.S. program on Qualified status, providing that they have:
- Completed 95 semester credit hours
of coursework.
- Completed 30 semester hours of coursework
and 8 hours of upper division coursework
in the geological sciences, including the
equivalent of physical
and historical geology.
- Achieved a GPA of 3.0 or better in the
geological sciences.
Advancement to Approved status will occur when the student has completed the graduation requirements for the bachelor’s program they are enrolled in, and when all deficiencies have been removed.
Undergraduate students admitted on Qualified status are eligible to take 500 level courses in their last two semesters prior to completing the bachelor’s degree requirements. Students must complete the petition titled, “Graduate Credit as an Undergraduate Student” prior to registering for the courses. Such courses could be included in the 30 credit hours for the degree and could appear in the program of study.
Degree Requirements
Please see the Degree Requirements section of the Graduate catalog for the general requirements for the M.A., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees.
Master of Arts and Master of Science
The Department expects every graduate student to have breadth in geology. Before a student can be advanced to candidacy, he or she must demonstrate such breadth by completing at least 20 semester hours from subdisciplines listed below. A minimum of 6 semester credits must come from each subject area:
- mineralogy, petrology, geochemistry
- sedimentology, stratigraphy, paleontology,
geomorphology
- structural geology, geophysics,
hydrogeology
The time normally needed to complete the requirements for the masters degree in geology is about two years of full-time work. Students with graduate teaching or research assistantships may need more time.
Depending upon the total number of undergraduate hours in geology, the undergraduate training in related sciences, and the area of geology selected for graduate work, up to 12 hours of 300-400 level coursework in geology (and of courses listed in the Graduate section of the catalog) may be taken for graduate credit.
Doctor of Philosophy
Please see the Degree Requirements section for the general degree requirements. Students normally take the equivalent of three years of full-time work beyond the master’s degree for the doctorate.
- In certain cases, a qualifying examination may be required before the end of the student’s first year in a doctoral program.
- Demonstration of: 1) proficiency in two foreign languages, or 2) proficiency in one foreign language and two scholarly tools courses, or 3) proficiency in four scholarly tools courses. (Scholarly tools courses typically are advanced undergraduate courses in related fields in mathematics, science, or engineering.)
Courses
Most of the 500-level courses listed below are offered at least once every three semesters. Others are offered less frequently, on demand.
500. Sedimentary Geology. 1 to 4 credits. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor. A sequence of courses emphasizing: A. sedimentary processes and deposits; B. carbonate petrology; C. clastic petrology; and D. analysis of depositional systems.
505. Isotope Geochemistry. 3 credits. Prerequisites: Geology 321, or permission of instructor. Geochemistry and cosmochemistry of radioactive and stable isotopes; isotope equilibria; applications in paleoclimatology, environmental isotope geochemistry, igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary petrology.
506. Glacial Geology. 4 credits. 3 hours lecture, 2 hours laboratory. Prerequisite: Geology 311. Origin, growth, and movement of glaciers; landforms and deposits incident to glaciation.
509. Advanced Mineralogy. 1 to 4 credits. Prerequisite: Geology 320. Geology 321 is also recommended. Advanced study of specific mineral groups or selected topics in mineralogy.
511. Advanced Structural Geology. 4 credits. Reading and research in special topics in structural geology and geotectonics.
512. Advanced Petrology. 1 to 4 credits. Prerequisite: Geology 320. Selected topics in petrology taught using conventional lecture and laboratory/field approach.
515. Advanced Paleontology. 3 to 4 credits. Prerequisites: Geology 415, Biology 101, or consent of instructor. A sequence of courses emphasizing A. Invertebrate paleontology; B. Evolution and the fossil record; C. Paleoecology; D. Paleontological procedures; E. Micropaleontology.
518. Topics in Advanced Stratigraphy. 2 to 4 credits. Prerequisites: Geology 411, 415. Selected topics in lithostratigraphy and biostratigraphy.
520. Statistical Applications in Geology. 3 credits. Prerequisites: An introductory statistics course, such as CTL 515 or Psych 241, and consent of instructor. The application of statistical techniques to geologic data and problems, with emphasis on analysis of geologic sequences, map analysis, and multivariate analysis of geologic data.
522. History and Philosophy of Geology. 3 credits. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. Historical and philosophical development of the science of geology.
523. Topics in Advanced Geomorphology. 1 to 4 credits. Prerequisite: Geology 311. Selected topics in geomorphic processes and landforms.
525. Weathering and Soils. 3 credits. Prerequisites: Geology 311 and 411 or consent of instructor. Properties and classification of soils; the factors and processes of weathering and soil formation.
530. Advanced Physical Hydrogeology. 3 credits. Prerequisite: Geol/GeoE 417, Geol 427, Math 265, or consent of instructor. Selected topics in ground and soil water movement, fracture flow, analytical/numerical modeling, and groundwater supply.
531. Hydrogeochemistry. 3 credits. Prerequisite: Geology 321, Math 166, or permission of instructor. The origin, characteristics and modeling of surface and ground water geochemistry.
532. Contaminant Hydrogeology. 3 credits. Prerequisites: GeoE 417, GeoE 427, Math 265, or consent of instructor. Chemical and physical processes affecting contaminant behavior in groundwater with analytical/numerical modeling and case studies.
540. Water Sampling & Analysis. 3 credits. Prerequisite: Chemistry 121. Techniques of water and sediment sampling and analysis using equipment in the UND Water Quality Laboratory. Results are interpreted in the context of the natural systems from which the samples are taken. Enrollment is limited to eight students per section. A laboratory fee is required.
590. Research. 1 to 4 credits. Laboratory, field, or library research on problems of interest (may be repeated).
591. Directed Studies. 1 to 4 credits. Directed advanced research in a specialized field of geologic study (may be repeated).
998. Thesis. 4 to 9 credits. S/U grading.
999. Dissertation. 2 to 12 credits. S/U grading.
311. Geomorphology. 4 credits.
320. Petrology. 3 credits.
321. Geochemistry. 3 credits.
323. Engineering Geology. 3 credits.
340. Digital Mapping Methods. 3 credits.
401. Geological Interpretation of Aerial Photographs. 3 credits.
405. Industrial Minerals. 3 credits.
406. Ore Deposits. 3 credits.
407. Petroleum Geology. 3 credits.
411. Sedimentology and Stratigraphy. 5 credits.
414. Geophysics. 3 credits.
415. Introduction to Paleontology. 4 credits.
417. Hydrogeology. 3 credits.
418. Hydrogeological Methods. 2 credits.
419. Groundwater Monitoring and Remediation. 3 credits.
422. Seminar. 1 credit.
425. Design Hydrology for Wetlands. 3 credits.
427. Groundwater Modeling. 3 credits.
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