Geoscience Department Mission Statement

The Department of Geosciences is committed to premier undergraduate education and focused, high-quality graduate research. Exceptional students will find a stimulating environment for research and interaction with faculty. Our undergraduate program provides students with broad
experience in the sciences and the ability to think critically and communicate effectively. Our graduate program offers interdisciplinary opportunities for professional careers.

The Geosciences Department is one of the 9 departments that make up the College of Engineering and Natural Sciences. The others are Biology, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Electrical Engineering, Mathematics/Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Petroleum Engineering, and Physics. The College is housed in the Keplinger Hall Additional research facilities for large-scale projects are available at the University's "North Campus",about 3 miles away.

The Geosciences Department offers BA, and BS undergraduate degrees, as well as MS, and Ph.D.graduate degrees. The program was started in 1928. Ph.D. degrees have been offered since 1966. A non-thesis option Masters Degree is available inaddition to the classical, thesis-based MS Currently there are 20 graduatestudents in the department. Because much of the research in geophysicsand geochemistry is interdisciplinary we will accept students with undergraduatedegrees in Physics, Math, Chemistry, and Petroleum Engineering. (Studentsfrom other disciplines, may be required to complete undergraduate coursedeficiencies).

The Department has traditionally been strong in the areas of petroleum geology (geochemistry, sedimentary geology and exploration geophysics). In particular, we stress those aspects of geology pertinent to petroleum exploration and production, and environmental science, including clastic sedimentology, structural geology, and organic geochemistry. There are also active research programs in marine geology, including the petrogenesis of igneous and carbonate rocks. The emphasis in geophysics is on processing and interpretation of seismic data.

The student-run Geosciences Club was organized in 1938 and is active in both technical and social events. There are always Spring and Fall picnics, and the "Friday Forum". This is usually of more general interest than the Geoscience seminars and includes site visits, field trips, and travelog-type talks, as well as some real science.

A college-wide computer network provides access to a variety of workstations and peripherals for basic and advanced studies. There are more than 300 terminals, workstations, and personal computers for general student use throughout the College.

Introduction

Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees are offered in geology, geophysics, and geochemistry. The major areas of emphasis in the graduate program include sedimentary geology and reservoir characterization, marine geology, low temperature and petroleum geochemistry, and geophysical prospecting and tectonics.

Masters Program

Admission. Applicants must satisfy the general admission requirementsof the Graduate School. They must also be approved by the Graduate Committee and satisfy the following requirements:

Bachelor's degree in natural science, physical science, mathematics, or engineering.

An undergraduate grade-point average of at least 3.0. Students who donot satisfy this requirement but have at least a 3.0 GPA in their major field may be admitted on probation at the discretion of the Graduate Committee. Probationary status is removed by completing nine hours of approved graduate study with a GPA of 3.0 or higher in one semester for a full-time student and within three terms for a part-time student.

Letters of recommendation from at least three professors or former supervisors who are familiar with your work performance and academic potential.

If the undergraduate major is not in one of the geological sciences, admission to the Graduate School may be deferred and the student required to takeappropriate undergraduate geosciences courses, as decided by the GraduateCommittee, before re-evaluation of the applicant. These deficiencies may,under certain circumstances and with the approval of the Graduate Committee,be made up after admission to the Graduate School.

All applicants are required to take the General Graduate Record Examination. In addition, geology applicants are strongly encouraged to take the Advanced Graduate Record Examination in geology. Students with B.S. degrees in disciplines other than geology may wish to take the Advanced Graduate Record Examination in their maior.

Applicants whose native language is not English must also take the TOEFL examination and score at least 550. Exceptional applicants with TOEFL scores below 550 may be admitted conditionally and required to take deficiencycourses in English or retake the TOEFL examination.

General Requirements. A 3.0 grade-point average is the minimum needed for all master's degree programs.

No graduate credit is allowed for a course in which a grade lower than C has been received, and no more than three hours of C grades will be accepted for graduate credit. Thesis and report grades are recorded on a pass-fail basis and are not computed in grade-point averages, although a passing grade in all thesis or report hours is required.

Initial advisement of all master's program students is by a department graduate adviser appointed by the Graduate Committee.

All courses taken for graduate credit in these programs shall be selected from those listed in this bulletin, and the choices are subject to the approval of the student's adviser, the thesis committee, and the Graduate Committee.

Thesis Program Requirements

Minimum semester hours outside major discipline ..   6 hours
Required semester hours of thesis.................   6 hours
Minimum semester hours of at least 7000 level,
        excluding thesis .........................    12 hours
Minimum semester hours in major discipline,
        excluding thesis .........................    9 hours
Maximum semester hours of independent study .....   6 hours

Minimum total hours................................ 30 hours

Students may be required to complete prerequisite undergraduate courses and remove deficiencies without graduate credit, resulting in a programof more than 30 semester hours.

By the end of the first semester in the thesis program, the student should select a general research area and a research adviser for the thesis. The research adviser approves the remainder of the study program and supervises the research.

Under the guidance of the research adviser, the student will prepare a thesis research proposal acceptable to prospective committee members. This must occur by the end of the third semester in the Masters Program. Thestudent will also be expected to present his or her research proposal orallyto the thesis committee.

The thesis committee consists of the adviser and a minimum of two other graduate faculty members. At least one member of the committee must be from outside the specific area of research; one member may be a recognized expert in the research area from outside the University. The thesis committee is recommended by the adviser, after consultation with the student, to theGraduate Dean for approval.

On completion of the research, the student will write a thesis that conforms to the Graduate School's guidelines. With the adviser's approval, a draft of the thesis will be forwarded to the other members of the thesis committee for examination and review. After the thesis has been reviewed and judged ready for defense by the adviser and all members of the thesis committee, the student must pass an oral, defense-of- thesis examination.

The oral defense will cover the research work and content of the thesis. A reading copy of the thesis that has been judged ready for oral defenseby the adviser must be delivered to all members of the committee at least14 calendar days before the date of the oral examination. The final version, however, should not be prepared without committee approval. The oral defense must be scheduled for a date at least one week prior to the start of final examinations in any given semester, but a student planning to graduate at the end of the spring semester needs to complete the oral defense and deposit the final, typed version of the thesis in the library by April 15.

Published Manuscript Option. A student enrolled in the thesis option Masters Program may, with the approval of the thesis committee, submit a manuscript that has been accepted by a peer reviewedjournal as a substitute for a formal thesis. The manuscript must be approvedby the committee, and the student is required to document acceptance of themanuscript for publication. Although not required, it is expected that thethesis committee will be involved in the review and revision of the manuscriptprior to publication. The committee may require that the student includeappendices in the final document in order to preserve data and techniquesthat are not described in the manuscript. The final document must includethe manuscript, in journal format, or a copy of the published paper, plusany required appendices. After the manuscript has been reviewed, and judgedready for defense by the adviser and all members of the thesis committee,the student must pass an oral defense.

The oral defense will cover the research work and content of the manuscript. A copy of the manuscript, and the appropriate appendices, must be delivered to all members of the committee at least 14 calendar days before the date of the oral examination. The oral defense must be scheduled for a date at least one week prior to the start of final examinations in any given semester, but a student planning to graduate at the end of the spring semester needs to complete the oral defense and deposit the approved manuscript and appendices in the library by April 15.

Non-Thesis Program Requirements

Minimum semester hours outside major discipline ........     6 hours
Required semester hours of non-thesis option report.....     3 hours
Minimum semester hours of at least 7000 level,
        excluding report................................      15 hours
Minimum semester hours in discipline,
        excluding report ...............................      9 hours
Maximum semester hours in independent study,
        excluding report ... ............................     6 hours
Minimum total hours .....................................    36 hours

Students may be required to complete prerequisite undergraduate courses and remove deficiencies without graduate credit, resulting in a programof more than 36 semester hours.

The non-thesis option may be considered after the student has completed eight hours of work toward the degree. This option requires the approvalof the Graduate Committee and will be decided after receipt of a formal written request from the student.

At the time of enrollment in a non-thesis option, the student must select both a general area in which to write a report and a member of the graduate faculty willing to supervise the report and approve the remainder of the study program. The report is the culmination of independent study and may be the result of an extensive literature search, field work, laboratory work, or similar effort. The report must follow the general guidelines for writing a thesis and is subject to the adviser's and Graduate Committee's approval. Students in the non-thesis option must enroll in Geology or Geophysics Report 7913 for the report portion of their program.

Ph.D. Program

The principal objectives of the Ph.D. program are to provide studentsan opportunity to reach a critical understanding of basic scientific principles underlying their fields of interest and to cultivate their ability to apply these principles creatively through training in advanced methods of analysis, research, and synthesis.

Admission. An applicant must have a baccalaureate or master's degree in physical sciences, natural sciences, engineering,or mathematics from an accredited college or university.

Students with baccalaureate degrees must meet the requirements for admission to the master's program. Admission to Ph.D. work then requires at leasta 3.3 grade-point average in the first 30 hours of graduate work and approval of the Graduate Committee and the Graduate Dean.

Students with master's degrees must have a 3.3 minimum grade-point average in their master's work and be approved by the Graduate Committee and theGraduate Dean. Exceptional students whose grade-point average does not meetthese standards may be admitted to the Ph.D. program on a probationary basis,subject to approval by the Graduate Dean.

In addition the following requirements must be met:

Curriculum Requirements. The Ph.D. program requires at least 90 approved semester hours of graduate credit above the baccalaureate level, distributed in the following manner:

Minimum semester hours of research and dissertation,
        which may include master's degree thesis credits .......... 20 hours
Minimum semester hours of graduate credit in course
        work and independent study................................. 54 hours
Minimum semester hours of course work outside the
        major area of study........................................ 12 hours
Maximum semester hours of independent study ....................... 12 hours
Maximum semester hours of undergraduate courses listed in
        this bulletin for graduate credit ......................... 24 hours

Students may be required to complete prerequisite undergraduate courses and remove deficiencies without graduate credit, resulting in a programof more than 90 semester hours. If acceptable to the advisory committee,as much as 30 credit hours of course work completed in a master's programat any accredited institution may be counted toward the 90 hours of graduatecredit. Upon agreement of the advisory committee the master's program credithours may be distributed among the 54 hours of graduate credit, the 20 hoursof research and dissertation, and/or the 12 hours outside the major areaof study, according to the course descriptions listed on the master's prograrn transcript. Not more than 12 semester hours of approved doctoral-level courses beyond the M.S. may be transferred from another institution. A GPA of atleast a 3.3 must be maintained.

These requirement are not variable except under special circumstancesand with permission of the advisory committee and Graduate Dean.

Residence Requirements. At least two consecutive semesters in residence at The University of Tulsa as a full-time student are required.

Advisory Committee. A student in the Ph.D. program will be advised initially by a graduate faculty member recommended by the Graduate Committee and approved by the Graduate Dean. The student should select a general research area and a research adviser for the dissertation by the end of two semesters after enrollment in the program. The adviser, after consultation with the student, recommends the other members of the advisory committee to the Graduate Dean

The advisory committee must have at least five graduate faculty members but no more than seven. At least three of the members, including the Chair, must be from the Geosciences Department with the additional member(s) providing breadth to the committee by adding experience from other disciplines. One committee member may be a recognized expert in the research from outsidethe university.

The advisory committee approves the student's program of course work,reviews progress, approves program changes and the dissertation topic, administers comprehensive examinations, recommends the student for candidacy upon completion of requirements, and administers the final dissertation oral examination.

Admission to Candidacy. A student in the Ph.D. program cannot apply for candidacy until 45 semester hours of required course work beyond the baccalaureate degree have been completed. Admission to candidacy is recommended by the advisory committee upon successful completion of the comprehensive examination and acceptance of the research proposal. The comprehensive examination and research proposal are discussed in detail in the following sections.

Comprehensive Examination. The comprehensive examination will cover all aspects of geosciences pertinent to the areaof research chosen by the Ph.D. student. The examination should be takenat the end of the first year in the Ph.D. program by students who have completed a Masters degree, and at the end of the second year in the Ph.D. programby students who have completed a baccalaureate degree. The examination willconsist of two segments. First, a comprehensive written examination submittedby each committee member. The written portion of the examination shall notexceed one day per committee member, nor one week altogether. Second, anoral examination that follows two weeks after the examination to allow timefor evaluation of the written responses.

The examination will result in one of the following evaluations: (1) unconditional pass, at which time the student should prepare a formal research proposal, (2) conditional pass, at which time the student may be required to complete more course work, and may be required to retake some part of the comprehensive examination, (3) conditional fail, at which time the student will be required to complete more course work, and repeat the comprehensive examination in no more than one semester's time, or (4) unconditional fail, at which time the student will be removed from the doctoral program.

After successful completion of the comprehensive examination, the student will prepare a dissertation research proposal.

Research Proposal. A research proposal,detailing the planned course of research for the dissertation, should becompleted within one semester after successful completion of the comprehensive examination. The research proposal should be developed under the supervisionof the research adviser, and with the oversight of the advisory committee.The proposal should include a literature review, research justification,description of the significance of the research, detailed methodology, andtime budget. The proposal must be of professional quality appropriate forsubmission to competitive funding agencies. The research proposal must besubmitted at least 14 calendar days prior to the proposal defense. All membersof the advisory committee will review the research proposal before the defense.A favorable vote of a majority of the advisory committee is required forapproval of the research proposal.

After successful defense of the research proposal, the student will be admitted into candidacy, and will proceed with his or her planned research and write a dissertation. Major changes in research direction must be approved by the advisory committee, and the student should maintain contact with thecommittee during all stages of the research. The student is expected to presentperiodic progress reviews in a colloquium setting.

Dissertation. Each Ph.D. candidate must write a dissertation based upon the results of original research. The dissertation must demonstrate thecandidate's abilities in independent scientific investigation in his areaof interest and must be a contribution to the understanding of geology,geophysics, or geochemistry.

The dissertation must conform to the Graduate School's guidelines. Subject to the adviser's approval, a draft of the dissertation will be submittedto the members of the advisory committee for review. The members of the advisory committee must return all comments and recommendations to the student within 14 calendar days, barring unusual circumstances; failure to do so will result in their loss of right to make further modifications to the dissertation. The advisory committee members are not required to act as editors, and may require that the student seek professional editorial help. After the dissertation has been reviewed and judged of suitable quality by the advisory committee members, the student may schedule a dissertation defense. The student has the responsibility to see that all rules and requirements have been metbefore scheduling the defense. Students should note that several dissertationdrafts may be necessary before the defense can be scheduled. The readingcopy of the dissertation that has been judged ready for defense must bedelivered to the committee members at least 14 calendar days before thescheduled dated of defense. At least one week prior to the defense a readingcopy should be deposited in the departmental office for faculty and studentreview.

Defense of Dissertation. A Ph.D. candidate must orally defend his or her dissertation in a public setting before the advisory committee. The oral defense of dissertation will consist of a presentation of results and conclusions followed by a public question session where the student will be expected to answer questions about the dissertation. Questions may cover all aspects of geosciences pertinent to the dissertation research. Following the public session, members of the advisory committee will meet privately with the candidate for further questioning. Minor changes to the dissertation may be required at this time. The dissertation will at thistime be awarded the evaluation of unconditional pass, conditional pass, orfailure. In the case of a conditional pass, the student is responsible forrevisions recommended by the committee. The defense of dissertation mustbe scheduled for a date at least one week prior to the start of final examinationsin any given semester, but a student planning to graduate at the end of thespring semester needs to complete the oral defense and deposit the final,typed version of the dissertation in the library by April 15.

The advisory committee recommends the candidate for the Ph.D. degree upon successful completion of the dissertation defense and approval of the final written version of the dissertation. After acceptance by the Graduate School, the dissertation must be microfilmed and published in Dissertation Abstracts. A letter grade is not given for the dissertation, which is graded on a pass-fail basis.