Program Structure and Requirements

Overall Program Structure

The PhD in Earth Sciences consists of a minimum 60 credit hours, distributed as follows: 24 credit hours of coursework, 36 credit hours of PhD Dissertation, two zero credit PhD Seminar courses, as well as PhD Written Qualifying and PhD Research Proposal Examinations. The components of the program are summarized in the table below.

Program Component	Credit Hours
Program Core (1 course)	3
Research Seminar I	0
Research Seminar II	0
PhD Written Qualifying Examination	0
PhD Research Proposal Examination	0
Program Electives	21
PhD Research Dissertation	36
Total	60

Program Requirements

Students seeking the degree of PhD in Earth Sciences must successfully complete a minimum 60 credit hours as specified in the program requirements detailed below, with a minimum CGPA of 3.0. Course selection should be made in consultation with the student’s Main Advisor. Students who may have previously taken PhD level courses during their MSc at KU are not allowed to repeat those courses during their PhD. All courses listed below have a credit rating of three credits each, except for PhD Research Seminar, Written Qualifying Exam, Research Proposal Exam, and the PhD Research Dissertation.

Program Core (3 credit hours)

Students must complete the core courses listed below.

Core Courses

Program Electives (21 credit hours)

Students must complete a total of seven elective courses. Program electives are listed below.

Program Elective Courses

Subject to approval of the Main Advisor and the Program Coordinator, up to two electives (6 credits) may be taken from outside the student’s department and chosen from the list below, if these courses support the student’s dissertation topic.

Elective Courses from Other Departments

Chemistry

Mathematics

Physics

Chemical Engineering

Civil Engineering

Mechanical Engineering

Petroleum Engineering

PhD Research Dissertation (36 credit hours)

Students must complete a Dissertation that involves creative, research-oriented work within the field of Earth Sciences, under direct supervision of a full-time faculty advisor from the Earth Sciences Department, and at least one other full-time faculty who acts as a co-advisor. The outcome of research should demonstrate the synthesis of information into knowledge in a form that may be used by others. The research findings must be documented in a formal dissertation and defended successfully in a viva voce examination.