Geology, Ph.D.

Core Requirements (6 Credit Hours)

• GEO 7021 Doctoral Dissertation Preparation Credit Hours: 3
• GLY 6739 Selected Topics in Geology Credit Hours: 1-4 taken as History of Geology 1960-2015 Credit Hours: 3 (proposed as GLY 6105)

Electives (9 Credit Hours Minimum)

Structured coursework, of which at least fifteen hours must be at 6000 level, selected with the advisor from the following list, or other graduate course as approved by the Graduate Director:

• GLY 5932 Selected Topics in Geology Credit Hours: 1-4 Physical Principles of Groundwater Flow (3 Credit hours for this program)
• GLY 6246 General Geochemistry Credit Hours: 3
• GLY 6255 Tracer Geochemistry Credit Hours: 3
• GLY 6285C Analytical Techniques in Geology Credit Hours: 3
• GLY 6475C Principles of Applied Geophysics Credit Hours: 4
• GLY 6575C Coastal Sedimentation Credit Hours: 3
• GLY 6739 Selected Topics in Geology Credit Hours: 1-4
• GLY 6824 Ecohydrology Credit Hours: 3
• GLY 6828 Ground-Water Geochemistry Credit Hours: 3
• GLY 6836C Numerical Modeling of Hydrogeologic Systems Credit Hours: 3
• GLY 6905 Independent Study Credit Hours: 1-19

Research Course Requirements (15 Credit Hours)

Determined at the discretion of the student’s committee

May include:

• GLY 7912 Directed Research Credit Hours: 1-30

Qualifying Exam and Admission to Candidacy

Admission to candidacy will be based on the results of a general examination administered by the student’s committee. The format of the exam will be determined by the Committee at least one week prior to the onset of the examination. Normally, it will consist of a written section or sections, followed by an oral examination chaired by the student’s research advisor. After admission to candidacy, all doctoral students will make at least one formal presentation of their research prior to graduation. Any appropriate venue is acceptable, e.g., Dept. colloquium, oral or poster sessions at a scientific meeting of at least regional scope.

General examinations and presentations of dissertation proposals should be completed no later than the end of the second year in the doctoral major or at the time determined by the student’s committee. The examining and dissertation committees are the same and will be comprised of no less than four members, at least three of which must be USF faculty, and at least one member from outside the department, preferably outside USF.

Dissertation (12 Credit Hours)

• GLY 7980 Dissertation: Doctoral Credit Hours: 2-19 (Minimum of 12 Credit Hours Required)

Other Information

For students entering with a Bachelor’s Degree, 30 additional credit hours are required.  Students are recommended to satisfy the requirements similar to that of a MS degree during the first two years of the Ph.D. study.

All doctoral students must maintain good standing in the Office of Graduate Studies (overall GPA =3.00) and maintain satisfactory academic progress toward the degree. Any student who receives a C in a structured course will be placed on academic probation. This probation can be terminated by achieving grades of B or higher in the subsequent semester of full-time enrollment. If a second grade of C is received, the student is terminated from the doctoral major. Only courses in which the student receives at least a B may be counted toward the structured-course requirement. There is also a requirement that Ph.D. students have at least two semesters of full-time residence. While meeting the residency requirements, candidates must be full-time students in good academic standing. A schedule for meeting these requirements is contained in the Department’s Graduate Student Handbook.