FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY

INTRODUCTION

Overall, the graduate program emphasizes a multidisciplinary approach to solving geologic problems, and stresses the importance of field observation complemented by laboratory analysis.

RESEARCH FACILITIES

Additional facilities and research opportunities at FIU are also available through the Department's formal connections with research institutes and centers on campus including:

• Center for Study of Matter at Extreme Conditions (CeSMEC)
• Florida Center for Analytical Electron Microscopy
• Geographic Information System and Remote Sensing Analysis Laboratory (GISRSAL).
• International Hurricane Research Center
• Southeast Environmental Research Program (SERP)

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

1) Hold an undergraduate degree in one or more relevant disciplines of natural science, engineering, or mathematics.
2) Have a grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0 on a 4-point scale (or equivalent) during the last two years of undergraduate study
3) Get the a minimum combined score on the verbal and quantitative sections of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) of
• 1000 for the M.S. program
• 1120 for the PhD program

Individuals who do not meet the admission criteria but still desire admission may ask to be considered under the following conditions or criteria:

1)      Applicants to the MS program with GRE scores below 1000 (40th%) may be admitted conditionally to the program with the condition that they retake the GRE within the first 2 semesters and attain a combined score of at least 1000.  Applicants to the MS program with an undergraduate GPA of less than 3.0 may be conditionally admitted to the program with the condition that they maintain a GPA of at least 3.2 in their first 12 credits of formal coursework.

2)      Applicants to the PhD program with GRE scores below 1120 (60th%) may be

a)      admitted conditionally to the program with the condition that they retake the GRE within the first 2 semesters and attain a combined score of at least 1120

or

b)    recommended for Full Graduate Standing under a Waiver of Admission Standards if they meet the standards for admission to the MS program, have already completed a MS degree in a related field at an accredited US institution and have attached to the application letters of recommendation from their faculty advisors at their MS institution and from their FIU mentor which state their ability to perform PhD level research.

Applicants to the PhD program with an undergraduate GPA of less than 3.0 may be recommended for Full Graduate Standing under a Waiver of Admission Standards if they have already completed a MS degree in a related field at an accredited US institution with a GPA above 3.0 or they may be conditionally admitted to the program with the condition that they maintain a GPA of at least 3.2 in their first 12 credits of formal coursework.

Students whose native language is other than English must demonstrate an adequate level of proficiency in English as a foreign language. A score of 550 (213 computerized) or higher is required on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) of the Educational Testing Service.  Students whose native language is other than English must also pass (i.e., score at least 50 on) the Test of Spoken English (TSE) in order to receive a Teaching Assistantship.  Information on these tests may be obtained from the Educational Testing Service at http://www.ets.org.

FINANCIAL AID OPPORTUNITIES

Applicants seeking assistantships should indicate this in their application cover letter.  In general, assistantships are only offered to applicants if a faculty member in the department agrees to sponsor them.  We therefore strongly recommend that all applicants seeking assistantships contact faculty members in their area of interest.  To be considered for an assistantship, you must submit a complete application by February 15 for Fall Semester admission and by September 1 for Spring Semester admission.  International students encouraged to submit all their materials well in advance of these deadlines.

In addition to regular assistantships, there are several other opportunities for graduate student financial aid at FIU.  Some of these programs are listed below. Students who obtain these awards enhance their chances of admission by increasing our ability to support them. Information on these and other graduate student financial aid opportunities in general may be found on the FIU Graduate Studies webpage at http://gradschool.fiu.edu/financial.html .

Presidential Fellowships
These highly competitive awards are intended to recruit exceptional graduate students to enroll full time in a doctoral degree program at Florida International University. The fellowships provide $25,000 per twelve months and are for three years with the opportunity to compete for a four year. The first year, and either the second or third year, are fellowships with funds provided by the University Graduate School and no obligations on the part of the recipient other than to make excellent progress in his or her degree program. In the second or third year, the student will be required to serve as a Graduate Teaching Assistant.  Tuition for Presidential Fellows is paid by the University Graduate School. Students awarded Presidential Fellowships are expected to be strong competitors for Dissertation Fellowships in their fourth year. Thus strong applicants should be confident of receiving four years of support with only one of those years requiring any specific service in exchange for the support.  Fellowship recipients are expected to have submitted at least one first-authored manuscript to a national peer-reviewed journal prior to graduation.  To qualify, applicants must have a combined GRE score (Verbal + Quantitative) of at least 1300.  Faculty will apply on your behalf if your qualifications appear to qualify you for an award. To be considered for this fellowship, you must submit a completed application by January 15.

Presidential Enhanced Assistantship
These highly competitive awards are intended to recruit exceptional graduate students to enroll full time in a doctoral degree program at Florida International University.  The Presidential Enhanced Assistantship increases the salary a  teaching assistantship (Normally $22,000/year) by $5,000 - $15,000 per year and will be continued for four years provided students make excellent progress in their degree program. Fellowship recipients are expected to have submitted at least one first-authored manuscript to a national peer-reviewed journal prior to graduation.  To qualify, applicants must have a combined GRE score (Verbal + Quantitative) of at least 1300.  Faculty will apply on your behalf if your qualifications appear to qualify you for an award. To be considered for this fellowship, you must submit a completed application by January 15.

Doctoral Evidence Acquiaition Fellowship
Doctoral Evidence Acquisition fellowship pays $8,300/term for up to 3 terms--this is meant to free students from teaching responsibilities so they can participated in field and laboratory work off-campus

Latin American and Caribbean Assistantships
These awards are available to applicants from all countries in the Western Hemisphere except the U.S. and Canada. The award grants the student Florida in-state tuition status while you are enrolled in the FIU graduate program. This reduces your tuition by nearly 2/3 and greatly enhances our ability to admit and support you with tuition waivers.  If you are from an eligible country, you should encourage your prospective advisor to nominate you for this award with the International Student Services office immediately.

Linkage Institutes
Graduates of certain foreign universities are eligible for Florida in-state tuition status. To be considered a Florida resident for tuition purposes under the linkage institutes program, prospective students must apply on their own behalf depending on their country of origin. Information on whom to contact in order to apply for this award may be found on the FIU Graduate Studies webpage at http://www.fiu.edu/~isss/linkages.htm.

Opportunities for Graduate and Professional Minority Students
Minority applicants to graduate programs in Earth Sciences at FIU are eligible for one-time awards of $1,300 under this program. Information and the application form are available on the Graduate Studies webpage at http://gradschool.fiu.edu/scholarships_minority_main.htm 

McKnight Doctoral Fellowship
African-American applicants to graduate programs in Earth Sciences at FIU are eligible for this fellowship, which provides full support for doctoral studies (fee waivers plus stipend). Further information and application forms are available on the Florida Education Fund webpage at www.fl-educ-fd.org.

HOW TO APPLY

Application Instructions

1.  Submit an official application and supporting documents to the FIU Graduate Admission Office.  These materials include:

• An official  FIU Graduate Admissions application available through the on-line form interface available at: http://gradschool.fiu.edu/admissions.html .  Effective 2005, we will no longer accept paper based applications.  Please contact the Graduate Program Director if you have questions regarding this policy.

  Your application will not be processed without the required fee.  Florida International University's online application accepts checks/money order or Credit Card payments (Master Card, Visa, Discover & American Express).  The non-refundable application fee is $30.00. Your application cannot be processed if payment is not received.  Write your application reference number on the payment.

• Official transcripts and proof of degree documents.  Arrange for official transcripts to be sent to Graduate Admissions from all colleges or universities from which you have taken college courses, whether or not you obtained a degree from the institution. Request that your current name and social security number appear on the transcript.  Transcripts must be in sealed envelopes and have the official university stamp or seal.  Photocopies of these official documents are not acceptable. 
  • Send transcripts to the following address:
    • Florida International University
      Graduate Admissions Office, PC231
      11200 SW 8th Street
      Miami, FL 33199
      Tel: (305) 348-7442
       
• Official reports of scores on the GRE, TOEFL, and TSE examinations, as appropriate, to be sent to Graduate Admissions from the Educational Testing Service (use institution code R5206 for FIU).  If you have taken the GRE within the last 3 years, you may request test scores from the ETS web site .
• A Declaration and Certification of Finances form and bank letters for international applicants.

2. The following materials must be sent directly to the Department of Earth Sciences:

1. A cover letter listing all contents of the application package.  The cover letter should indicate your preferred program (M.S. thesis, M.S. non-thesis, or PhD.) and whether you are requesting an assistantship.  Any other relevant information such as receipt of fellowships or scholarships supporting your studies should be included in the cover letter.  If you have already applied on-line, indicate your application reference number or Panthersoft ID number. 
2. A curriculum vitae or resume summarizing applicant's previous experience and achievements.
3. A statement of intent, including a brief discussion (not to exceed 2000 words) of educational goals and career projections. Applicant may also include a copy of previous written scientific work.
4. At least three letters of recommendation from former professors, academic advisors, or professional colleagues.  Letters should be signed originals on official letterhead.  Letters may be sent separately.
5. Photocopies of your transcripts and your test score reports.

Send these materials directly to:

Graduate Program Director
FIU Department of Earth Sciences
11200 SW 8th Street
Miami, FL  33199

Failure to send materials to either the Office of Admissions or the Graduate Program Director will slow the processing of your application and will reduce your chances of being admitted to the program.

1. Students own personal finances
2. A scholarship from the students own country
3. A scholarship from an international agency
4. A FIU assistantship or scholarship

International students are required to fill out a Declaration and Certification of Finances form.  If you wish to be considered for a graduate assistantship, you must request this on the cover letter of your application.

DEGREE PROGRAMS and REQUIREMENTS

Master of Science in Geosciences

Thesis Track:

Requirements: 30 credits including

Graduate seminars (GLY 5931, GLY 6931) 2 credits

Formal (non-research) graduate courses 18 credits

M.S. Thesis (GLY 6971) 6 credits

These courses are selected to fit the student’s particular professional goals and to ensure sufficient depth and breadth of geological knowledge. A minimum GPA of 3.0 is required for all coursework counted toward the 36 credits required for the Master’s degree.
The Masters degree is conferred upon satisfactory completion and defense of a thesis proposal and an original research thesis.

Non-Thesis Track:

Requirements: 30 credits including

• Courses in field of specialization 18 credits
• Electives 12 credits

A minimum GPA of 3.0 is required for all coursework counted toward the 30 credits required for the Master’s degree. Electives may include at most 3 credits of Supervised Research (GLY 6910) leading to a research paper or 3 credits of Professional Internship in Earth Science (GLY 6949) and an internship report.

 

For more information on the M.S. Program, see the Graduate Program Handbook

Doctor of Philosophy in Geosciences 

The Doctor of Philosophy in Geosciences is conferred based on satisfactory completion of required course work, a demonstrated mastery of a broad field of knowledge, and the ability to conduct original and independent research. A minimum of 75 credit hours beyond the Bachelor’s degree is required for the Ph.D. A minimum of 24 credit hours are devoted to research toward the Ph.D. Dissertation. A maximum of 36 credit hours may be transferred from other graduate programs with the approval of the Departmental Graduate Committee.
 

Course Requirements:  75 credits including

• Graduate seminars (GLY 5931, GLY 6931) 2 credits
• Formal (non-research) graduate courses 30 credits
• Dissertation Research 24 (GLY 7980 ) 24 credits minimum

Graduation Requirements

• A minimum GPA of 3.0 in all course work required for the Ph.D. degree.
• Satisfactory performance on qualifying examinations on general scientific knowledge and the field of sub-specialization. Failure to pass this examination will terminate the student’s enrollment in the program.
• Completion and successful defense of a dissertation. Members of the dissertation committee will be jointly determined by the student’s advisor and the Graduate Admission Committee.

For more information on the Ph.D. Program, see the Graduate Program Handbook

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FIELDS OF CONCENTRATION

Atmospheric sciences:

Researches focus on hurricane dynamics, hurricane impacts, hurricane boundary layer turbulence structures, atmospheric convection, atmospheric boundary layer and clouds, and cloud-climate feedbacks.

Geophysics/Paleomagnetism/Remote Sensing:

Geophysical investigative techniques using gravity, magnetism, seismic reflection and refraction, earthquake seismology, thermal properties, and satellite imagery. Land-based geophysical studies of the Caribbean and South American seismicity and crustal structure. Environmental geophysical studies in the South Florida and Caribbean Regions.

Hydrogeology/Environmental Geology:

Field and modeling approaches to groundwater flow and solute fluxes in subsurface and near subsurface environments. Interaction of surface water and groundwater, solute transport, chemical and isotopic tracing techniques, watershed hydrology in Florida, other US locations, and Central America.

Igneous Petrology/Geochemistry/Economic Geology:

Research problems in petrology/geochemistry of igneous and metamorphic rocks with reference to their origin, and relationships in time and space. Origin of hydrothermal and other economic deposits Field occurrence, geochemistry and petrogenesis of crystalline rocks, especially those of the Caribbean region and South America. Generation of associated (often, economically significant) hydrothermal deposits. Application of trace element and isotope geochemistry to the study of these petrogenetic associations.

Paleobiology:

Research applied to taxonomy, phylogeny, evolutionary processes, paleoecology, taphonomy. and biostratigraphy as applied to select fossil groups. Zonal distribution, facies analysis, and paleoecology of different groups of fossils. Specialization may be in macrofossils, microfossils, applied to several aspects of the paleobiology of particular fossil groups, including biodiversity, paleoecology, response to global climatic changes and time relationships of selected organisms.

Regional Geology:

Multidisciplinary geologic research applied to a specific geographic area.

Stratigraphy/Sedimentology:

Sedimentary petrology, sedimentary environments, paleoceanography, sequence stratigraphy, cyclic stratigraphy, microfacies analysis, and basin analysis. Field and laboratory techniques applied to solution of problems in these topics, especially as applied to sedimentary rock sequences of South Florida, the Caribbean and Meso-America. Evolution of the sedimentary basins of these regions and their relationships to global and regional tectonics.

Structural Geology/Tectonics:

Field oriented research on methods of structural analysis. Analysis of geologic deformations based upon the principles of mechanics and utilizing research data from laboratory and field investigations of folding, fabrics, fracture, and faulting. Structural geology of the Caribbean and South America.

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LIST OF GRADUATE COURSES

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To get more information on our programs: Write to us at:

Department of Earth Sciences
Florida International University
Miami, FL 33199

or

e-mail: geology@fiu.edu

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Useful Links for Graduate Students

• Department Graduate Program Handbook (pdf format)
• FIU Graduate Admissions Information
• Information for International Students
• Office of International Student & Scholar Services
• The FIU catalogs
• The FIU graduate school
• Graduate Student Financial Aid Information
• Student Housing Information
• FIU Graduate Students Association
• Earth Science Department Graduate Students

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Back to FIU Earth Science Department Homepage

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last revised 8/11/05

whitmand@fiu.edu