Achieving PhD candidacy is contingent upon successfully passing a two-stage qualifying examination which is composed of a Written Qualifying Exam (WQE), followed by a Research Proposal Examination (RPE). For further details, please refer to the “PhD Research Milestones” section of this catalog.
The primary objective of the PhD Written Qualifying Exam (WQE) is to ensure that students pursuing a Doctoral degree in a particular program have graduate level understanding of the fundamentals of that program and evaluates the student’s ability to apply them to solve problems in three topical exam areas. The syllabi for the topical exam areas are taken from undergraduate courses at Khalifa University.
Students must register for the PhD WQE in Banner before the end of the Add/Drop period of the semester in which they plan to take the exams. The student must choose three exam topical areas from an approved list, in consultation with his/her Main Advisor. Students enrolled in the PhD must select at least two of the three topical areas from the list specific to their program.
The exams are coordinated by the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and the Chair of the relevant Department (or designee) and held twice per year over a one-week period. The duration of each exam is three hours. A minimum score of 73 percent is required to pass the exam for each topical area. Failing any topical area of the WQE will result in the student failing the entire WQE and placing him/her on Academic Probation Level 1. A failed WQE can be retaken only once and passed upon the next offering. If the student repeats the WQE, then he/she will be required only to retake the exams in the topical areas that he/she failed during the WQE at the first attempt. The student may opt to retake the exams in topical areas other than those he/she failed in at the first attempt. PhD students who fail the WQE at the second attempt will be placed on Academic Probation Level 2 and will be subject to dismissal from the PhD program.
The list of topical exam areas the PhD in Earth Sciences and their corresponding undergraduate course syllabi are given below. This list is subject to change.
WQE Topics
Topical-Exam-Area-Earth-and-Planetary-Science: Planetary and Space Science
Relevant Undergraduate Course(s) at Khalifa University:
● EPSS 310 Remote Sensing and Geomatics
● EPSS400 Planetary Science
● EPSS413 Geology of Mars and Other Planetary Bodies
Topics:
● Electromagnetic radiation and spectrum
● Remote Sensing of planetary bodies
● Space and orbital dynamics
● Activity in planetary bodies
● Planetary interiors
● Planetary atmospheres
● Planetary moons
● Geology of the Moon
● Geology of Mars
● Plasma and magnetospheres
● Asteroids
● Comets
Topical-Exam-Area-Earth-and-Planetary-Science: Applied Geophysics
Relevant Undergraduate Course(s) at Khalifa University:
- EPSS 221 Introduction to Geology and Geophysics
- EPSS 323 Solid Earth Geophysics
- EPSS 300 Matlab for Earth Scientists
Topics
- The principles and limitations of geophysical technique
- Potential field theory
- Fundamentals, instrumentation, data acquisition and processing of gravity methods Fundamentals, instrumentation, data acquisition and processing of magnetic method
- Fundamentals, instrumentation, data acquisition and processing of electrical method
- Fundamentals, instrumentation, data acquisition and processing electromagnetic method
- Gravity and magnetic transformation
- Gravity and magnetic forward modelling
- Depth estimation of gravity and magnetic sources
- Magnetic and gravity inverse modelling
- Introduction to elasticity theory and the wave equation
- P-wave and S-wave propagation
- Seismic methods and equipment and survey design
- Fundamentals of signal processing
- Description and identification of wave types and seismic events in various seismic domains
- Energy partitioning and conservation at an interface between two media
- AVO/AVA concept
- Seismic velocities and absorption
- Seismic data processing stream - from field data to final stack
- Wave field sampling and transformations.
- Geometry, trace editing, and near-surface problems and static corrections
- Signal-to-noise enhancement, temporal and spatial filters
- Convolution and deconvolution principles; theory and practice
- The convolutional model and the inverse problem
- Velocity analysis techniques
- Principles of migration and modelling methods
- Post-stack and pre-stack migration
- Seismic time and depth migrations
Topical-Exam-Area-Earth-and-Planetary-Science: Environmental Geology
Relevant Undergraduate Course(s) at Khalifa University:
· EPSS 324 Earth Systems Science
· EPSS 415 Environmental Geology
Topics:
· Global change and Earth system science: atmosphere
· Global change and Earth system science: hydrosphere
· Biogeochemical cycles: carbon
· Biogeochemical cycles: nitrogen
· Biogeochemical cycles: phosphorus
· Biogeochemical cycles: Sulphur
· Climate Change
· Natural hazards, disaster prediction and warning
· Salinization and saline environments
· Coastal hazards and erosion
· Water: supply and use
· Water: supply and use in arid climates
· Water: chemistry, pollution and treatment
· Air pollution
· Waste and contaminated soil management
· Energy and the environment
Topical-Exam-Area-Earth-and-Planetary-Science: Historical and Regional Geology of the Middle East
Relevant Undergraduate Course(s) at Khalifa University:
Topics:
- Catastrophic geologic events with slow geologic change
- Dating and stratigraphic correlation
- Carbonates sedimentary environments
- Geological time and biological evolution
- Concept of sedimentary facies and basin evolution
- List the major global geological events of the Phanerozoic that affected the Middle East and related formation and evolution of sedimentary basins of the Arabian plate
- Major changes in carbonate sedimentation through Phanerozoic time
- Development and evolution of the Tethys Ocean
- Palaeoenvironmental and paleooceanographic conditions of formation, preservation and the distribution of major source rocks
- Major reservoir intervals of the UAE
- Timing and evolution of tectonic phases that affected the UAE associated with the closing of the Tethys Ocean and ophiolite obduction
Topical-Exam-Area-Earth-and-Planetary-Science: Sedimentary Petrology
Relevant Undergraduate Course(s) at Khalifa University:
Topics:
- Clastic sediment textures
- Components of siliciclastic sediments
- Sedimentary structures
- Coarse-grained siliciclastics
- Depositional environments of coarse-grained siliciclastics
- Diagenesis of coarse-grained siliciclastics
- Fine-grained siliciclastics (composition, depositional environments, diagenesis)
- Carbonate sediments (mineralogy, components, producers)
- Depositional environments of carbonate sediments
- Diagenesis of carbonate sediments
- Dolomite and Dolomitization
- Evaporites
- Siliceous sediments (origin, depositional environments, diagenesis)
- Iron-bearing sediments
- Phosphatic sediments
- Organic-rich sediments (depositional environments, preservation and diagenesis of organic matter)
Topical-Exam-Area-Earth-and-Planetary-Science: Structural Geology
Relevant Undergraduate Course(s) at Khalifa University:
Topics:
- Scope and techniques of structural geology
- Deformation: strain in rocks
- Stress; stress in the lithosphere; rheology
- Fracture and brittle deformation
- Faults
- Folds
- Foliation and lineation
- Shear zones
- Field structural geology
- Contractional, extensional, strike slip regimes
- Structural geology of the UAE and adjacent areas
- Balancing and restoration
- Modern techniques of structural analysis
- Salt tectonics
Topical-Exam-Area-Earth-and-Planetary-Science: Remote Sensing
Relevant Undergraduate Course(s) at Khalifa University:
● EPSS 310 Remote Sensing and Geomatics
● EPSS422 Introduction to Geographic Information Systems
● EPSS424 Remote Sensing for Earth Sciences
Topics:
● Electromagnetic radiation (EMR) and spectrum
● Principles of Cartography
● Atmospheric structure
● Surface interaction with EMR
● Atmospheric interaction with EMR
● Radiation laws
● Image processing techniques
● Digital Elevation and Digital Terrain Models
● Near-infrared Spectroscopy
● Thermal infrared
● Radar (SAR and GPR)
● Orbital mechanics
● Common orbits for Earth Satellites
● GIS software and applications
Topical-Exam-Area-Earth-and-Planetary-Science: Petroleum Geology
Relevant Undergraduate Course(s) at Khalifa University:
Topics:
- Mechanisms of basin formation
- Sedimentary basin classification
- Basin analysis techniques
- Production of sedimentary organic matter
- Preservation of organic matter
- Organic matter types and kerogen
- Source rock characteristics
- Vitrinite reflectance
- Thermal Maturity
- Calibration, Kinetics; TOC, Rock-Eval Pyrolysis,
- Mechanism of generation and expulsion of hydrocarbons
- Kerogen pyrolysis; source rock quality
- Primary migration
- Chemical properties of hydrocarbons
- Biomarker and carbon-isotope analyses
- Secondary migration
- Carrier bed characteristics
- Reservoir attributes
- Storage capacity and porosity
- Flow capacity and permeability
- Siliciclastic reservoirs: Aeolian reservoirs; fluvial reservoirs; deltaic reservoirs; shallow-marine sandstone reservoirs; basin-floor sandstone reservoirs
- Carbonate reservoirs: Calcarenite reservoirs; organic-buildup reservoirs; chalky limestone reservoirs; chalk reservoirs; dolostone reservoirs; karst reservoirs; fractured-carbonate reservoirs; lacustrine carbonate reservoirs; mixed sandstone-carbonate reservoirs
- Traps: Structural traps; fault-dependent closures; stratigraphic traps; diagenetic traps; incisions and unconformities
- Seals: Seal properties; capillary pressure; hydrocarbon columns
- Reservoir properties: Fluid properties; hydrocarbon phase behaviour; critical ratios; reservoir drive mechanisms; recovery factors; enhanced recovery techniques
- Unconventional plays: Unconventional oil plays; oil sands; oil shale; unconventional gas plays; shale gas; coal bed methane; methane hydrate
Topical-Exam-Area-Earth-and-Planetary-Science: Reservoir Characterization
Relevant Undergraduate Course(s) at Khalifa University:
Topics:
- Petrophysics and Logging: • Rock properties (porosity, permeability, density).
- Rock properties (microstructure, fluid saturation, stiffness).
- Lithology logs (GR, SP, neutron density, density logs).
- Porosity logs (sonic, density logs, neutron).
- Porosity logs (NMR).
- Fluid saturation and permeability estimation from well logs (tools: resistivity, electrical, NMR).
- Fluid saturation and permeability estimation from well logs (calculations).
- Log interpretation (well log planning, introduction to well log interpretation, and caliper logs).
- Log interpretation (quality control, reservoir and fluid type identification, porosity and permeability calculation, saturation of hydrocarbon calculation, error analysis).
- Petrophysical techniques (crossplotting, core-log correlation and calibration).
- Petrophysical techniques (rock typing).
- Mechanical rock properties from well logs and core data (rock stiffness, fractures).
- Well log geological applications.
- Basics of log-core-seismic integration
- Seismic Reflection Interpretation:
- Characteristics of waves, rock properties; wave amplitude loss & interference, tuning effects.
- Resolution, convolution & synthetic seismogram
- Horizontal and Vertical Resolution, convolutional model of seismogram, well tie
- Seismic data Display
- Seismic trace attributes
- Structural interpretation
- Stratigraphic interpretation
- Seismic Stratigraphy, Seismic sequence analysis, seismic boundaries & reflection discordance.
- Seismic facies analysis; Reflection attributes and configuration patterns; seismic facies classification
- Velocity estimation & time-to-depth conversion
- Methods for velocity estimation, Vertical Seismic Profiling, Depth conversion techniques.
- Direct Hydrocarbon Indicators (DHI); Amplitude Versus Offset (AVO) principles; Basin modelling
- Reservoir Characterization:
- Introduction to reservoir models
- Thin-section & core description; carbonate sediments & textures;
- Carbonate pores & rock fabrics; Facies & geometries;
- Cycles & sequences; Early diagenesis;
- Dolomitization; Burial diagenesis;
- Porosity creation by burial dissolution; Reservoir quality; Reservoir rock typing;
- Wireline logs
- Procedures for calibration cores-to-logs and how log data are used;
- Global permeability transform; Variogram
- Examples of limestone reservoirs
- Principle of predictive models for petroleum reservoirs
- Characteristics of dolostone reservoirs
- Examples of dolostone reservoirs
- Examples of dolostone & touching-vug reservoirs
- Poro-perm modeling
- Volume calculation