ERTHSY:PHD - Doctor of Philosophy in Earth Systems Science
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Simple Requirements
Application Procedures
Admission decisions to the Doctoral Program in Earth Systems Science will be made by the Department’s Graduate Committee. To be considered for admission, applicants must submit the following documents prior to the admission deadlines.
(1) FIU Online Graduate Application Form (available at https://admissions.fiu.edu/how-to-apply/graduate-applicant/index.html).
(2) Official transcripts of all college level work. When applicable, a certified English translation must accompany the original.
(3) English proficiency (TOEFL and TSE) exam scores taken within the previous five years, sent from the Education Testing Service.
(4) A resume with pertinent information regarding applicant’s previous experience and achievements.
(5) A statement of intent, including a brief discussion (not to exceed 2000 words) of educational goals and career projections, and the name of the prospective advisor. Applicants are urged to contact prospective advisors prior to application. The applicant may also include a copy of previous written scientific work.
(6) Three letters of recommendation from former professors or academic advisors.
(7) Official transcripts and test scores should be submitted following the directions on Graduate Admission portal.
Admission Requirements
To be admitted to the Doctoral Program in Earth Systems Science, a student must meet the following minimum requirements:
(1) Hold a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree from an accredited college or university in a relevant discipline.
(2) Have a grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher (or equivalent) during the last two years of the undergraduate program, and 3.0 or higher during the Master’s degree program.
(3) International graduate student applicants whose native language is not English are required to submit a score for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or for the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). A total score of 80 on the iBT (internet-based) TOEFL, 550 on the paper-based TOEFL, or 6.5 overall on the IELTS is required. A score of at least 50 on the Test of Spoken English (TSE) or 26 in the speaking section of the iBT TOEFL is required in order to be eligible for a teaching assistantship.
(4) Meet the University’s general requirements for admission to graduate programs. All application materials should be submitted by February 1 in order to be considered for Fall term admission and by August 1 for Spring term admission.
Financial Aid
The Earth and Environment Department offers a number of graduate teaching and research assistantships which are awarded on a competitive basis. Teaching assistantships begin only in the fall semester. The assistantships provide a stipend and waiver of tuition. Applicants interested in an assistantship should indicate this in the FIU Graduate Application form and their cover letter. Applicants seeking assistantships should contact individual faculty members in their area of research interest.
The Doctor of Philosophy in Earth Systems Science is conferred based on satisfactory completion of required course work, a demonstrated mastery of a broad scope of knowledge, and the ability to conduct original and independent research. A minimum of 75 graduate-level credit hours is required. These must include a minimum of 30 credit hours in formal coursework and a minimum of 15 credit hours of Ph.D. Dissertation. A maximum of 36 graduate credit hours of formal lecture courses earned as part of a graduate degree from another accredited program may be transferred with the approval of the major advisor and Graduate Program Director.
Students who choose either EVR 6970 or GLY 6910 must earn at least 5 credits to fulfill this requirement.
Students who choose either EVR 7980 or GLY 7980 must earn at least 15 credits to fulfill this requirement.
The remaining credits must include at least 18 credits of non-research, formal coursework. All coursework is selected in consultation with the major advisor. Natural Resource Science and Management majors should complete at least 18 credit hours in formal environmental coursework, so that upon graduation they can be certified as faculty members qualified to teach in that field.
The PhD degree program offers concentration in either the geosciences with the Geosciences Major, or in environmental sciences, agroecology, conservation, policy and management with the Natural Resource Science and Management Major. One of the two majors is chosen at the time of application in consultation with the student’s prospective advisor, according to the emphasis of the student’s research area. The Geosciences Major includes research on the solid Earth (structural geology, tectonics, igneous petrology, geochemistry, economic geology, and geophysics); Earth history, sedimentary rocks, and paleontology (stratigraphy, sedimentology, paleobiology, and paleoecology); Earth surface processes (hydrogeology, coastal geology, environmental biogeoscience, remote sensing and GIS applications, environmental geology, and geologic hazards); and atmospheric science (meteorology and climatology). The Natural Resource Science and Management Major includes research on the environmental sciences as related to environmental policy, agriculture, land use and land cover change, conservation, and natural resource management. Overall, the doctoral program emphasizes a multidisciplinary approach to solving geoscientific and environmental problems and stresses the importance of field observations complemented by laboratory analysis and numerical modeling.
There are no track, specialization, concentration, area of emphasis, or other curricular offerings associated with this program.