The University
The University of Missouri was founded in 1839 as the first public university west of the Mississippi River. With an enrollment today of over 22,000 students and a designation as a Research 1 University by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, MU ranks among the nation's leading public research universities. MU is the oldest and largest of the four campuses of the University of Missouri System. MU's Graduate School enrolls more than 4,600 students in over 90 degree programs that reflect MU's primary mission in research and graduate education.

The Graduate Program
The department offers two graduate programs: the master of science degree and the doctor of philosophy degree.

The master's degree requires 30 hours beyond the bachelor's degree, which usually is accomplished by taking seven graduate courses and preparing a written thesis. Students have until the middle of their second semester in residence at the university to choose a supervisor and a thesis topic.

The doctoral degree requires 72 hours beyond a bachelor's degree, including 24 hours credit for a master's degree. Doctoral candidates must pass a qualifying exam during their first year in residence to assess their general background so that a meaningful program can be constructed. The usual doctoral program involves courses within and outside the department, and researching the dissertation topic prior to taking the comprehensive examination by the end of the second year. The results of the dissertation research are presented to the faculty and graduate students when the student has completed the project.

The Application
A packet that includes a university application, a departmental application and three letters-of-reference forms will be mailed to prospective students upon request. Transcripts from previously attended universities and GRE scores also will be required. Upon receiving these materials, the graduate committee will make a decision on admission and on the level of financial support for successful applicants. The applicant will be notified promptly by letter regarding application status.

Address requests for applications and questions about the graduate program to:

Director of Graduate Studies
101 Geological Sciences Building
Department of Geological Sciences
University of Missouri
Columbia, MO 65211-1380

phone: 573-882-3759
fax: 573-882-5458
email: BauerR@missouri.edu
 

Financial Aid
The department currently sponsors 13.5 teaching assistantships, which are the principal form of financial support for graduate students. A nine-month teaching assistantship will typically pay $15,000 to an incoming Masters student and $17,000 to an incoming PhD student for the 2007-2008 academic year. These totals include funds from departmental scholarships. A waiver of out-of-state and in-state educational fees is also granted. The present workload for teaching assistants is three introductory geology laboratories per week plus attendance at the relevant lectures. All TAs are given office space within the building.

Superior applicants will be encouraged to apply for multiyear University Fellowships. Graduate students may be employed as research assistants if their thesis is part of their adviser's grant-funded research. Summer scholarships also are available.

The Department offers graduate RA and TA positions in all sub-fields covered within the department. For further information, please contact Kristin Bennett (BennettKA@missouri.edu) or the individual faculty member (faculty list) with whom you would like to work.

Scholarships >>

Last Modified: winter 2008