M.A. in geology
HEGIS code 1914
NYS SED program code 02091

The M.A. program in geology offers advanced instruction and research experience in a wide array of subjects in earth and environmental sciences. Depending on the interests of the student, the degree program can include lectures, laboratory work, field work, seminars, and teaching. Thesis research may be conducted in such areas as classical geology, including petrology, sedimentology, geochemistry, and paleontology; geotechnology, including GIS and remote sensing; and environmental science, including groundwater hydrology, environmental chemistry, and aquatic pollution.
The M.A. degree prepares students for employment in university-based laboratories, in environmental and geological consulting companies, in such governmental regulatory agencies as the EPA, NYDOE, and NPS, in state and federal survey departments, and in urban planning agencies. It also provides masters-level research training for earth science teachers. Our M.A. degree prepares students to pursue a doctoral degree at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York or at another university of their choice, and to teach and research at the college and university level.

Program/Department Advisors

Advisor Name Title Phone Location Email Office Hours Chamberlain, John A Graduate Deputy 718-951-5416 4415 Ingersoll Hall johnc brooklyn.cuny.edu call/email for appointment

Building codes:    A-Whitehead;   B-Boylan;   J-James;   N-Ingersoll;   NE-Ingersoll Extension;   R-Roosevelt;   RE-Roosevelt Extension;   WEB - West End Building

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Matriculation requirements
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Applicants must offer an undergraduate major in geology, or a related field, completed with a grade point average of 3.00 (B) or higher.

General matriculation and admission requirements of the Division of Graduate Studies are in the section "Admission."

Within twelve months of matriculation, the student must pass a qualifying examination given by the department. Details regarding the examination may be obtained from the department.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Degree requirements
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thirty credits in courses in geology are required for the degree. With permission of the geology graduate committee, pertinent courses in other science departments may be included in the 30 credits.

Students must choose one of the following options:

1. Students must submit a thesis acceptable to the department and orally present and defend it. A maximum of 3 credits in the series Geology 795.1G-795.3G may be counted toward the degree.

2. Students must pass a comprehensive examination and submit a research paper acceptable to the department. Information on the research paper is available in the department office.

In exceptional cases, the graduate geology committee may waive required courses or prerequisites.

Information about requirements for the comprehensive examination and thesis is in the section "Academic Regulations and Procedures."

Courses in the Geology Department offered toward the degree must be 700-level courses.

The program of study must be approved by the department graduate committee.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Assistantships
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Some assistantships in teaching and research are available to qualified students. Inquiry should be made of the chairperson.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CUNY Ph.D.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The City University of New York offers a doctoral program in earth and environmental sciences, in which the Geology Department participates. General information about CUNY Ph.D. programs is in the chapter "About Brooklyn College." For information about the courses, students should consult the deputy chairperson of the Geology Department and the executive officer of the doctoral program.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Honor Society
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society, encourages original investigation in the natural sciences, pure and applied. The fields of activity of the society include the physical sciences, the life sciences, the earth sciences, and mathematics. The Brooklyn College Chapter elects students to associate membership in the society on the basis of academic excellence and marked aptitude for research in one of the fields listed above.