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Students must take a specific amount of coursework in their minor area. Beyond this, the only specific requirement that must be completed prior to graduation is a dissertation and certain amount of credit hours above the M.S. or B.S. respectively. Specific coursework necessary to prepare the candidate for the dissertation work will be selected on a case-by-case basis in consultation with the faculty advisor and the members of the examination committee. Keep in mind that in addition to the formal courses offered in the department you have the following options available to help you develop the skills you need:

1. You can take courses at the University of Akron, Cleveland State University, and Youngstown State University through the Memorandum of Understanding, without transfer. This widens your choice of coursework substantially. The approval form must be completed well before you register for your desired course. Discuss this with the Graduate Coordinator and/or your Advisor.
2. You can take coursework in allied fields; such as GIS or Remote Sensing courses in Geography; the Wetlands, Limnology, and Ecology courses in Biological Sciences; the Environmental Chemistry courses in Chemistry; computer programming courses in Math & Computer Science; or relevant courses in Physics. See the Schedule of Classes for available courses by semester. Note: Please consult primary advisor before enrolling in cross-discipline coursework. 

The candidacy examination committee consists of three members of the earth sciences graduate faculty: the advisor, the minor advisor, and one general earth sciences examiner. All members of the committee must have the appropriate graduate faculty rank as described in the departmental handbook. The dissertation committee, which evaluates the student's dissertation proposal, consists of the candidacy examination committee, plus an outside member who may be from another department on campus or another institution if approved by the Graduate College. All members of the committee must have the appropriate graduate faculty rank as described in the College of Arts and Sciences Rules Regarding the Final Examination.

Upon completion of the dissertation proposal defense, the dissertation final examination committee is formed which consists of the dissertation committee and a graduate representative appointed by the Office of Graduate Affairs of the College of Arts and Sciences. The graduate representative may also serve as the moderator for the defense, or another individual may be appointed. The guidelines regarding the graduate representative and/or moderator are found in the College of Arts and Sciences Rules regarding the Graduate Faculty Representative and Dissertation Defense Moderator.

Requests for an outside committee member from another institution should be made in writing by the advisor to the graduate coordinator and accompanied by a current version of the CV for the prospective outside member. Such requests must be approved by the Associate Dean of the Graduate College.

Yes, you can transfer an amount of credit hours from an accredited institution, as long as the work was done within 10 years of the completion date of your Ph.D. in Geology.

The KSU College of Arts & Sciences Style Guide and Instructions for Formatting Theses and Dissertations is available in the main Earth Sciences office. You can also access these materials from this website, or at the appropriate page in the Arts and Sciences website. Libraries and Media Services also provides to help you complete the process

See the University policy for degree completion.

Application for extension of time limits

Please see our information on Ph.D. Minors.

The Department of Earth Sciences requires all Department and University funded students to be enrolled full-time (at least 8 credits) during the academic year. Students who are not funded by the department are recommended to be enrolled full-time to ensure that they make continued progress toward their degree and to save on tuition and fees by shortening their time to degree.

For additional enrollment requirements consult the .