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MESSAGe Program Guide

This document is a formal description of the program requirements for the Masters in Earth and Space Sciences, Applied Geoscience (MESSAGe).

Prerequisite Courses / Admission

MESSAGe Course Requirements

Satisfactory Progress

Masters Internship

Masters Supervisory Committee

Final Graduation Requirements

Time to Degree

I: Prerequisite Courses

Admission into the program requires a Bachelors degree in Geoscience or a closely related discipline, including Field Camp (ESS 400) and at least four upper division courses spread among the following categories:

  • Structural Geology, Geomechanics
  • Sedimentology, Stratigraphy
  • Mineralogy, Petrology, Earth Materials
  • Geomorphology
  • Geochemistry
  • Geophysics

All students must also have completed the equivalent of two quarters each of physics with calculus, general chemistry, and calculus, with an additional quarter of advanced math (third quarter calculus, linear algebra, differential equations or advanced statistics). Deficiencies in any of these areas must be made up before completion of MESSAGe. Students who wish to request substitutions or exceptions to these requirements must do so in writing by October 1 of the first year of enrollment. Submit requests to the Program Director.

II: Summary of MESSAGe Requirements (45 Credits Total)1

Core Courses - All of the following:

Students who have coursework or experience in any of the core areas may substitute advanced elective courses, with permission from the Program Director.

GIS / Remote Sensing - One of the following:

Students who have advanced GIS coursework or experience may substitute an elective course, with permission from the Program Director.

Field Courses - Both of the following:

Seminars - Both of the following:

Internship, Exam, and Final Presentation - At least 4 credits of ESS 601 distributed over at least 2 credits

Elective Courses

Additional credits at the 400 or 500 level to bring total credits to 45. Electives are selected from courses in ESS, Civil and Environmental Engineering, or other departments in the College of the Environment. Electives from other departments may also apply, with permission from the Program Director. Elective course offerings change annually. Please see the MESSAGe Overview website for suggested electives.

III: Satisfactory Progress

All students will submit a degree plan to the Program Director at the start of Autumn Quarter, and again annually until completion of the degree. Degree plan forms are available on the MESSAGe website.

Students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0, evaluated each quarter. For more information academic probation and satisfactory progress, please refer to Graduate School Memo 16.

IV: Masters Internship

The internship is arranged with the guidance of the MESSAGe Program Coordinator, and mentored by a geoscientist from government or the private sector. (In exceptional cases, the MESSAGe internship may be conducted under the guidance of faculty.) The internship requires a minimum 120 hours of research, data collection and analysis, with additional time for writing and preparation of a technical report.

The internship must be arranged in advance, with a written agreement among the student, mentor, and Program Coordinator. The internship agreement must be finalized and submitted to the Program Coordinator before students register for internship credits.

V: Masters Supervisory Committee

The Masters supervisory committee for MESSAGe students typically consists of two faculty members. The chair of the supervisory committee must be a member of the graduate faculty. In the case that the committee has more than two members, at least half must be members of the graduate faculty (see Graduate School Memo 13). The Program Director will appoint the supervisory committee, in consultation with the Graduate Program Coordinator and the student. The external internship mentor will advise the supervisory committee, but is not normally a committee member. The supervisory committee is typically formed at the time that the internship agreement is finalized.

VI: Final Graduation Requirements

Final graduation requirements consist of an oral comprehensive exam, a written technical report, and a final presentation. All three components must be completed before the degree is conferred. The oral comprehensive exam is designed to evaluate the student's independent problem-solving ability and mastery of the content of required MESSAGe courses. The written technical report demonstrates completion of a significant independent project; it is a summary of the MESSAGe internship project. The final presentation is a 20 minute talk that reviews the objectives, methods, and findings of the internship. The report and presentation are evaluated by the student's supervisory committee; the comprehensive exam is administered by an examination committee which may or may not contain members of the supervisory committee. For more information about each component of the MESSAGe final graduation requirements, please see the policy document and graduation checklist on the Final Graduation Requirements website.

VII: Time to Degree

A full time student is expected to complete the program within two academic years, and may complete the program in as few as five academic quarters. A part-time student is expected to complete the program in three years. The Graduate School requires that all requirements for a Masters Degree are to be completed within six years, including time spent on leave.

Updated 6/11/2013.

1. Many courses were renumbered during 2013. Students enrolled prior to Autumn 2013 will satisfy requirements with courses that have these titles, but different numbers, including ESS 426, 427, and 590. Back