The Doctor of Philosophy program in geoscience requires a minimum of 72 s.h. of graduate credit. The Ph.D. requires a dissertation, which has the approximate research content of three published papers.

Throughout their graduate study, Ph.D. students must maintain a g.p.a. of at least 3.00 in all course work required for their degree and in all graduate-level geoscience course work. Students whose grade-point average drops below 3.00 are placed on academic probation.

Students usually enter the program with established fields of interest and a research advisor already selected. Under exceptional circumstances, a student may be admitted to the Ph.D. program without an established field of interest.

Entering students must consult with a research advisor or the department's director of graduate study before they enroll in courses. By the first month of their second semester of doctoral study, all students must select an advisor. Each student also must select a thesis topic and forward it to the department chair for approval by the end of the first month of the second semester of doctoral study.

Within broad limits, students should select courses that reflect their individual needs, interests, and talents; their advisor and advisory committee must approve their course selections.