University requirements

1. A minimum of 30 hours beyond the bachelor's degree.
2. At least 15 hours of 8000- or 9000-level work.
3. Thesis:  No more than 12 hours (of the 30) can be Geology 7085, 7990, 8085, & 8090 (problems, readings, thesis research, etc.).

Non-Thesis Option:  No more than 3 hours (of the 30) can be Geology 7085, 7990, 8085, & 8090 (problems, readings, thesis research, etc.).

1. Read the pertinent parts of the Graduate Catalog for additional information on MU requirements for the Master's degree.

Departmental requirements

1. Admission is based upon examination of transcripts  letters of recommendation. Serious consideration for admission requires a 3.00 GPA on the last 60 hours of undergraduate work and strong letters of recommendation.
2. Students must maintain a GPA of 3.00 for all competitive classroom work at MU. If GPA falls below 3.00, student must raise GPA to 3.00 or higher by end of next semester or be dropped from Master's program.
3. Equivalent of MU Bachelor of Science degree in geology or another science field is normally required prior to receiving an advanced degree. Science-course deficiencies must be made up before beginning thesis work.
4. A thesis is required. (There is also a non-thesis option; see below). The student must choose a supervisor by the middle of their second semester in residence, and make a brief written report to the faculty outlining the proposed thesis research.
5. The Master's Final Exam is a defense of the thesis. The student should invite all faculty members to attend their defense. An oral presentation of the thesis results must be given at a departmental seminar (either fall or winter semester) as a part of the defense. After an open question-answer session, the student and the exam committee may conclude the defense in a closed question-answer session.
6. Faculty members are not required to read theses or conduct final examinations during the summer field season.