The Department of Geosciences offers integrated B.S./M.S. programs that is designed to allow academically superior and research-focused undergraduate students in geosciences to obtain an M.S. degree in geosicenceswithin five years of study.
Students interested in the five-year Integrated Undergraduate-Graduate (IUG) program must apply for admission to The Graduate School and be admitted into the IUG program by the end of their junior year. The IUG program is available for current undergraduate students of the Department of Geosciences with 6th semester standing to obtain a M.S. in Geosciences with their B.S.
In the first three years IUG students will follow the course scheduling of the undergraduate major in the department (see the Undergraduate Bulletin). Students interested in the IUG program will, however, be encouraged to take upper-level classes, whenever appropriate. An admitted student will begin the senior year working towards the B.S./M.S. with an M.S. Advising Committee. The student will follow the course scheduling of the B.S. major while also taking 500-level courses, whenever appropriate, to satisfy the M.S. requirements. The student will also start work on a thesis designed to meet the requirements of the M.S. thesis. In the fifth year the student will continue to work towards satisfying all degree requirements for the B.S. and M.S. degrees including the M.S. thesis.
Requirements listed here are in addition to requirements listed in GCAS-210 Integrated Undergraduate-Graduate (IUG) Degree Programs.
Admission Requirements
Undergraduate students from the Department of Geosciences with sixth semester standing and minimum grade-point average of 3.5 who wish to complete the Integrated B.S./M.S. program may apply to the Graduate School and the geosciences IUG program before the end of their junior year. Three faculty letters of recommendation are required. A statement of purpose and a plan of study covering the five year period, prepared in consultation with an adviser, and approved by the program officers of the B.S. major and the geosciences graduate program must accompany the application. The plan should be presented in person to the undergraduate and graduate program officers prior to being admitted into the program. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores may be submitted by IUG applicants but are not required. The application will be reviewed by the Admissions Committee of the geosciences graduate program and acted upon by the geosciences graduate program officer.
Degree Requirements
The degree requirements will be in accordance with the approved requirements of your B.S. degree program and the geosciences graduate program. However, 12 of the 500-level credits required for the master’s degree may be applied to both undergraduate and graduate degree programs. The undergraduate degree program officer will determine the specific undergraduate required courses for which the 500-level courses may be used to substitute to meet institutional and accreditation requirements.
Once admitted into the IUG program, students are bound by the same guidelines, credit requirements, and program procedures as all other students in the geosciences graduate program.
As many as 12 of the credits required for the master's degree may be applied to both the B.S. and the M.S. degrees. A minimum of 6 credits counted for both the B.S. and M.S. degrees must be at the 500 level. To meet the number of 500 or above credit requirements, students will be advised to take the graduate courses and use them to substitute for the undergraduate courses.
Alternate Access to Web Information
If the format of any material on our website interferes with your ability to access the information, please contact the department by email at contact@geosc.psu.edu. To allow us to respond in a manner most helpful to you, please let us know:
- Nature of your accessibility issue.
- Preferred format in which to receive the material.
- Web address (URL) of the material with which you are having difficulty.
- Your contact information.