Graduate Student Program

Degree types and options

• MS in Geology 
• PhD in Geology 
• Currently working on establishing the Professional Geosciences Masters degree with Petroleum Geosciences, Geophysics, and Hydrogeology focus areas

----> To start your graduate application click HERE 

Brief Overview 

• The MS and PhD programs in the Boone Pickens School of Geology (BPSoG) at Oklahoma State University provides students with opportunities of research in the areas of Petroleum Geosciences, Water, Environment and Climate, Earth Structure and Dynamics, and Computational Geosciences. Forty five MS and 25 PhD are currently enrolled in the BPSoG Graduate Program advised by 17 graduate faculty members. The mission of the MS program is to prepare students for careers in the industry, government, or entry into PhD programs. The Mission of the PhD program is to prepare students for career in academia, the industry or government. 

Boone Pickens School of Geology Scholarships 

• Gary F. Stewart Endowed Scholarship Fund 
• Skinner Geology Fellowship 
• Patricia & Lawrence Walker Geology Scholars Endowed Fund 
• Devon Energy Graduate Fellowship in Geology 
• R. E. and K.R. McPhail Geology Fellowship 
• Erik Mason Graduate Fellowship in Geology Fund 
• Rick and Sharrie Ely Endowed Fellowship Fund 
• John W. Shelton Graduate Fellowship in Geology 
• BP America Endowed Scholarship for Geology & Petroleum Engineering 
• Geology Advisory Board Graduate Fellowship 
• Decker Dawson Graduate Fellowship in Geophysics Endowed Fd 
• Herbert G. and Shirley A. Davis Endowed Graduate Fellowship 
• Dr. Wayne Pettyjohn Hydrogeology Endowed Fund 
• Presidential Petroleum Scholarship Fund 
• Martin Family Graduate Fellowship Fund in Geology 
• Michael and Susan Gaskins Geology Graduate Fellowship 
• Arthur W. Cleaves Graduate Fellowship in Petroleum Geology 
• John W. Shelton Grad Research Fellowship in Petroleum Exploration 
• Alumni Geology Graduate Fellowship 
• Devon Geoscience Scholarship Fund 
• BP Endowed Graduate Scholarship in Geology 

Why OSU? 

• The BPSoG is equipped with the state-of-the-art facilities that enable graduate students to conduct cutting-edge research in the Geosciences. The graduate faculty in the School are nationally and internationally recognized scholars in their field of research and have strong track record of successfully mentoring graduate students to complete their degree. Through generous support of alumni, advisory board, and industry, the BPSoG has 20 different fellowships and scholarships offered annually to graduate students. The BPSoG Graduate Program enjoys strong support from the alumni and surrounding industries reflected in offering various activities for providing professional mentoring and opportunities to graduate students to enhance their employment opportunities and be successful in their future career. Further, the BPSoG has “Student Enrichment Fund”, which is allocated to help students attend national and international professional meetings.

Examples of Curriculum 

• Requirement for completion of MS degree in Geology

  * Completion of 30 Semester Credit Hours (SCH). Eight out of the required 30 SCH of the degree can be GEOL 5990 “Advanced Studies in Geology”.

  * Mainlining a minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.0.

  * Completion of 3 SCH of GEOL 5243 “Research Methods and Techniques in Geosciences” out of the required 30 SCH of the degree.

  * Completion of 6 SCH of GEL 5000 “Thesis” out of the required 30 SCH of the degree.

  * Completion of Plan of Study no later than the beginning of the third long semester (fall and spring) of enrollment in the program. This includes constituting Research Committee including Committee Chair and Advisor (in most cases the Committee Chair and Advisor are the same graduate faculty member), and 2 other committee members selected from the BPSoG graduate faculty members and/or associate graduate faculty members.

  * Successfully defend MS Thesis proposal no later than the end of the third long semester of enrollment in the program.

  Complete and successfully defend MS Thesis.

• Requirement for completion of PhD degree in Geology after earning a MS in Geology or related field

  * Completion of 60 SCH. Eleven out of the required 60 SCH of the degree can be GEOL 5990 “Advanced Studies in Geology”.

  * Maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0.

  * Completion of 3 SCH of GEOL 5243 “Research Methods and Techniques in Geosciences out of the required 60 SCH of the degree.

  * Completion of 2 SCH of GEOL 5300 “Geology Colloquium” out of the required 60 SCH of the degree in two different semesters (1 SCH per semester).

  * Completion of 29 SCH of GEOL 6000 “Dissertation” out of the required 60 SCH of the degree if 11 SCH of GEOL 5990 are taken or 40 SCH of GEOL 6000 if no GEOL 5990 SCH are taken.

  * Passing Preliminary Examination no later than the third long semester of enrollment in the program.

  * Completion of Plan of Study no later than the beginning of the fifth long semester of enrollment in the program. This includes constituting Research Committee including Committee Chair and Advisor (in most cases the Committee Chair and Advisor are the same graduate faculty member), 2 other committee members selected from the BPSoG graduate faculty members and/or the associate graduate faculty members, and an external Research Committee member (This committee member must be a graduate faculty member of Oklahoma State University, but from an academic unit different from the BPSoG).

  * Have at least one manuscript accepted in a ranked peer-reviewed journal and two more manuscript ready to be submitted for publication in ranked peer-reviewed journals.

  Complete and successfully defend PhD Dissertation.

Admission Requirements 

* A minimum of 3.0 GPA in undergraduate degree in Geology or related field for admission to the MS Program and a minimum of 3.0 GPA in undergraduate and MS degrees in Geology or related field for admission to the PhD program.

* Completion of the Geology undergraduate core courses with a final grade of “C” or better. On individual basis, the BPSoG Graduate Committee can choose to except applicants form meeting some of these requirements. These courses are:

1. Physical Geology (4 Semester Credit Hours (SCH)).
2. Historical Geology (4 SCH)
3. Mineralogy and Petrology (4 SCH)
4. Structural Geology (4 SCH)
5. Sedimentary and Stratigraphy (4 SCH)
6. Summer Field Camp (4 SCH)

* Completion of Math and Science required undergraduate courses with a final grade of “C” or better. On individual basis, the BPSoG Graduate Committee can choose to exempt applicants from meeting some of these requirements. These courses are:

1. Calculus I (3 SCH)
2. Calculus II (3 SCH)
3. Physics I (3 SCH)
4. Physics II (3 SCH)
5. Chemistry I (3SCH)
6. Chemistry II (3 SCH)

* Three positive letters of recommendation from current or former professors and/or job supervisors. Personal endorsement letters such as those from friends, family members or peers are not acceptable.

* No more than 1 page statement of purpose.

* For students who earned their undergraduate and MS degrees from academic institutions in countries that are not recognized by the US as English speaking countries, meeting the minimum requirement of Oklahoma State University English skills in “listening”, “reading”, “writing”, and “speaking” are needed. The following scores are required:

1. For Test of English as Foreign Language – Internet Based Test (TOEFL-iBT), minimum scores of 21/30 in each of the 4 English skills or a cumulative score of 84/120 are needed.
2. For the International English Language Test System (IELTS), minimum scores of 6.5/9.0 in each of the 4 English skills or an average score of 6.5/9.0 are needed.
   
   The preferred General Test Examination (GRE) scores are minimum of 150 in “Verbal”, 150 in “Quantitative”, and 3.5 “Writing”.

Cost and Assistance 

• Oklahoma State University estimation of graduate student’s annual costs is $18,820 for Oklahoma residents, $29,150 for out-of-state students, and $34,588 for international students.  The BPSoG annually support ~40 graduate students with ~$20,000 annual salary (9 months, summer semester is not covered) for PhD students and ~$18,000 for MS students. In addition, graduate students supported by the School receive out-of-state and in-state tuition waivers or out-of-state tuition waiver.

Highlights 

• *The BPSoG graduates ~15 MS students per year with 90% of the graduates transitioning into successful career in the industry, and environmental and hydrogeology firms, or joining PhD programs.

  * Since its establishment only 12 years ago, the PhD program in the BPSoG graduated 23 students. Two are currently associate professors in universities in the US and abroad, 7 are senior geologists or research scientists in various organizations, 3 are assistant professors o lecturers in universities in the US, and 5 are post-doctoral fellows in universities in the US.

Grad Program Contact Information 

Mohamed Abdelsalam
Graduate Coordinator
Phone: 405-744-6358
E-mail: mohamed.abdel_salam@okstate.edu