Geophysics

Degrees Offered  

• Graduate Certificate (Energy Geophysics)

• Master of Science (Geophysics)
• Master of Science (Geophysical Engineering)
• Doctor of Philosophy (Geophysics)
• Doctor of Philosophy (Geophysical Engineering)

Program Description

Professors Emeriti

Thomas L. Davis

Dave Hale

Kenneth L. Larner

Gary R. Olhoeft

Phillip R. Romig, Jr.

Terence K. Young

Emeritus Associate Professor

Thomas M. Boyd

Professors

John H. Bradford, Vice President for Global Initiatives

Brandon Dugan, Associate Department Head, Baker Hughes Chair of Petrophysics and Borehole Geophysics

Yaoguo Li

Manika Prasad

Paul C. Sava, Department Head, C.H. Green Chair of Exploration Geophysics

Jeffrey C. Shragge

Roelof K. Snieder, W.M. Keck Distinguished Professor of Professional Development Education

Ilya D. Tsvankin

Ali Tura

University Distinguished Professors

Kamini Singha

Ilya D. Tsvankin

Associate professors

Ge Jin

Eileen Martin

Matthew Siegfried

Assistant Professors

Bia Villas Bôas

Joint appointments with loci within Geophysics

Eileen Martin, Associate Professor in Applied Mathematics and Statistics

Joint appointments with loci outside of Geophysics

Eric Anderson, Associate Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering

Ebru Bozdag, Associate Professor, Applied Mathematics and Statistics

Elizabeth Reddy, Assistant Professor, Engineering, Design and Society

Danica Roth, Assistant Professor, Geology and Geological Engineering

Kamini Singha, Professor, Geology and Geological Engineering

Research Professor

Jeffrey Lee

Research Associate Professors

Richard Krahenbuhl

James L. Simmons

Research Assistant Professor

Mengli Zhang

Affiliate Faculty

Jyoti Behura, Founder & CEO, Seismic Science LLC

Timothy Collett, Senior Scientist, US Geological Survey

Morgan Moschetti, Research Geophysicist, US Geological Survey

Ryan North, Principal Geophysicist, ISC Geoscience

Nathaniel Putzig, Senior Scientist, Planetary Science Institute

Andrei Swidinsky, Associate Professor, University of Toronto

Whitney Trainor-Guitton, Geoscience Researcher, National Renewable Energy Laboratory

David Wald, Research Geophysicist, US Geological Survey

Joint Appointments

Fred Day-Lewis, Chief Geophysicist, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Program Requirements

The department offers both traditional, research-oriented graduate programs and a non-thesis professional education program designed to meet specific career objectives. The program of study is selected by the student, in consultation with an advisor, and with thesis committee approval, according to the student’s career needs and interests. Specific degrees have specific requirements as detailed below.

Geophysics and Geophysical Engineering Program Objectives

The principal objective for students pursuing the PhD degree in Geophysics or Geophysical Engineering is for Geophysics PhD graduates to be regarded by their employers as effective educators and/or innovative researchers in their early-career peer group. In support of this objective, the PhD programs in the Department of Geophysics are aimed at achieving these student outcomes:

• Graduates will command superior knowledge of Geophysics and fundamental related disciplines.
• Graduates will independently be able to conduct research leading to significant new knowledge and geophysical techniques.
• Graduates will be able to report their findings orally and in writing.

The chief objective for students pursuing the MS degree in Geophysics or Geophysical Engineering is for Geophysics MS graduates to be regarded by their employers as effective practitioners addressing earth, energy, and environmental problems with geophysical techniques. In support of this objective, the MS programs in the Department of Geophysics aim to achieve these student outcomes:

• Graduates will command superior knowledge of geophysics and fundamental related disciplines.
• Graduates will be able to conduct original research that results in new knowledge and geophysical techniques.
• Graduates will be able to report their findings orally and in writing.

Master of Science Degrees (Non-Thesis): Geophysics and Geophysical Engineering

Students may obtain a Master of Science (MS) Degree (non-thesis) in either Geophysics or Geophysical Engineering, pursuant to the general and individual program requirements outlined below. Students typically complete this program in one to two years.

For either Master of Science (non-thesis) degree, the minimum credits required include:

⁽¹⁾ The lists of pre-approved elective courses satisfying the Theory, Application, Computational and Earth & Space coursework requirements may be found below.

The student and advisor determine individual courses constituting the degree to address specific interests and career goals. The courses applied to all MS degrees must satisfy the following specific criteria:

• The 30-credit hour minimum total must include 15 credit hours of GPGN-listed courses.
• A maximum of 6 credit hours of independent study may be counted toward the degree program.
• All course, transfer, residence, and thesis requirements are as described in Registration and Tuition Classification and Graduate Degrees and Requirements sections of the catalog.
• Up to 6 credits of graduate level work may be double counted in the undergraduate and graduate degree for students enrolled in the Combined Degree.
• Additional courses may also be required by the student's advisor and committee to fulfill background requirements.

The coursework for the degree Master of Science, Geophysical Engineering, must meet the following specific requirements. Note that these requirements are in addition to those associated with the Master of Science in Geophysics.

• Students must complete, either prior to their arrival at Mines or while at Mines, no fewer than 16 credits of engineering coursework. What constitutes coursework considered as engineering is determined by the Geophysics faculty.

Computational Geophysics Track

The Computational Geophysics Track has the same requirements as the Geophysics Master's of Science (non-thesis) degree program described above except that students are expected to choose coursework that satisfies a minimum of 15 credit hours, of which a minimum of 6 credits hours must be GPGN listed from the list of pre-approved computational coursework electives may be found below.

Master of Science Degrees: Geophysics and Geophysical Engineering

Students may obtain a Master of Science (MS) Degree in either Geophysics or Geophysical Engineering, pursuant to the general and individual program requirements outlined below. Students typically complete this program in two years.

For either Master of Science degree, the minimum credits required include:

⁽¹⁾The lists of pre-approved elective courses satisfying the Theory, Application, Computational and Earth & Space coursework requirements may be found below.

⁽²⁾With the approval of the student's thesis committee, up to 4 additional GPGN707 research credits beyond the 6 GPGN707 credits required for the degree program can counted toward satisfying the additional coursework requirement.

The student and advisor, with approval from the thesis committee, determines individual courses constituting the degree to address specific interests and career goals. The courses applied to all MS degrees must satisfy the following specific criteria:

• The 30-credit hour minimum total must include 15 credit hours of GPGN-listed courses.
• A maximum of 6 credit hours of independent study may be counted toward the degree program.
• All course, research, transfer, residence, and thesis requirements are as described in Registration and Tuition Classification and Graduate Degrees and Requirements sections of the catalog.
• Up to 6 credits of graduate level work may be double counted in the undergraduate and graduate degree for students enrolled in the Combined Degree.
• Additional courses may also be required by the student's advisor and committee to fulfill background requirements.

The coursework and thesis topic for the degree Master of Science, Geophysical Engineering, must meet the following specific requirements. Note that these requirements are in addition to those associated with the Master of Science in Geophysics.

• Students must complete, either prior to their arrival at Mines or while at Mines, no fewer than 16 credits of engineering coursework. What constitutes coursework considered as engineering is determined by the Geophysics faculty.
• The student’s dissertation topic must be appropriate for inclusion as part of an Engineering degree, as determined by the Geophysics faculty.

As described in the Master of Science, Thesis and Thesis Defense section of this catalog, all MS candidates must successfully defend their MS thesis in a public oral thesis defense. The guidelines for the thesis defense enforced by the Department of Geophysics generally follow those outlined in in the Graduate Departments and Programs section of the catalog, with one exception. The Department of Geophysics requires students submit the final draft of their written thesis to their thesis committee a minimum of three weeks prior to the thesis defense date.

Mines' Combined Undergraduate/Graduate Degree Program

Students enrolled in Mines' combined undergraduate/graduate program may double count up to 6 credits of graduate level coursework to fulfill requirements of both their undergraduate and graduate degree programs. These courses must have been passed with B- or better, not be substitutes for required coursework, and meet all other university, department, and program requirements for graduate credit.

Students are advised to consult with their undergraduate and graduate advisors for appropriate courses to double count upon admission to the combined program.

Doctor of Philosophy Degrees: Geophysics and Geophysical Engineering

We invite applications to our Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) program not only from those individuals with a background in geophysics, but also from those whose background is in allied disciplines such as geology, physics, mathematics, computer science, or electrical engineering. Our program is suitable for students who desire careers in research-intensive environments, including government agencies and academia. Students typically complete the PhD program in four to five years.

Students may obtain a PhD degree in either Geophysics or Geophysical Engineering, pursuant to the general and individual program requirements outlined below.  

For either PhD degree, at least 72 credits beyond the bachelor's degree are required.  Of that total, at least 24 research credits are required.  At least 12 course credits must be completed in a minor program of study, approved by the candidate's PhD thesis committee. Up to 36 course credits may be awarded by the candidate's committee for completion of a thesis-based master's degree. Graduate-level coursework completed as part of a thesis-based master’s degree with a focus on the Theory, Application, Computational or Earth & Space coursework may be used to satisfy the related theme with approval of the candidate’s committee.

While individual courses constituting the degree are determined by the student and approved by the student's advisor and committee, courses applied to all PhD degrees must satisfy the following criteria:

• The 72-credit hour minimum total must include 36 credit hours of GPGN-listed courses.
• A maximum of 6 credit hours of independent study may be counted toward the degree program.
• All course, research, minor degree programs, transfer, residence, and thesis requirements are as described in Registration and Tuition Classification and Graduate Degrees and Requirements sections of the catalog.
• Students must include the following courses in their PhD program:

⁽¹⁾ The lists of pre-approved elective courses satisfying the Theory, Application, Computational and Earth & Space coursework requirements may be found below.

⁽²⁾With approval of the student's thesis committee, additional GPGN707 research credits beyond the 24 GPGN707 required for the degree program can counted toward satisfying the additional coursework requirement.

⁽³⁾The complementary coursework requirement may be satisfied by minor, graduate certificate, or set of courses that provide the spirit of minor or graduate certificate, as approved by the PhD committee, the geophysics graduate advisory committee, and the Geophysics Department.

Additional courses may also be required by the student's advisor and committee to fulfill background requirements described below. The coursework and thesis topic for the degree Doctor of Philosophy, Geophysical Engineering, must meet the following additional requirements:

• Students must complete, either prior to their arrival at Mines or while at Mines, no fewer than 16 credits of engineering coursework. What constitutes coursework considered as engineering is determined by the Geophysics faculty.
• The student’s dissertation topic must be appropriate for inclusion as part of an Engineering degree, as determined by the Geophysics faculty.

Students in both PhD programs are also required to participate in a practical teaching experience. This requirement must be fulfilled, within a single semester and course, under observation and evaluation by the course instructor of record, and include:

• Planning and delivery of a minimum of 6 lecture hours, or 4 lecture hours and 2 labs.
• Creating and evaluating students' homework and laboratory reports, if appropriate.
• Holding office hours if necessary.

In both PhD programs, students must demonstrate the potential for successful completion of independent research and enhance the breadth of their expertise by completing a Doctoral Research qualifying exam not later than two years from the date of enrollment in the program. An extension of one additional year may be petitioned by students through their thesis committees.  In the Department of Geophysics, the Doctoral Research qualifying exam consists of the preparation, presentation, and defense of one research project and a thesis proposal. The research project and thesis proposal used in this process must conform to the standards posted on the Department of Geophysics webpage. As described in the Doctor of Philosophy Thesis Defense section of this catalog, all PhD candidates must successfully defend their PhD thesis in an open oral thesis defense. The guidelines for the thesis defense enforced by the Department of Geophysics follow those outlined in the Graduate Departments and Programs section of the catalog, with one exception. The Department of Geophysics requires students submit the final draft of their written thesis to their thesis committee a minimum of three weeks prior to the thesis defense date.

Acceptable Thesis Formats

In addition to traditional dissertations, the Department of Geophysics also accepts dissertations that are compendia of papers published or submitted to peer-reviewed journals. Dissertations submitted in the latter format must adhere to the following guidelines.

• All papers included in the dissertation must have a common theme, as approved by a student’s thesis committee.
• Papers should be submitted for inclusion in a dissertation in a uniform format and typeset.
• In addition to the individual papers, students must prepare abstract, introduction, discussion, and conclusions sections of the thesis that tie together the individual papers into a unified dissertation.
• A student’s thesis committee might also require the preparation and inclusion of various appendices with the dissertation in support of the papers prepared explicitly for publication.

Graduate Program Background Requirements

All graduate programs in Geophysics require that applicants have a background that includes the equivalent of adequate undergraduate preparation in the following areas:

• Mathematics – Linear Algebra or Linear Systems, Differential Equations, and Computer Programming
• Physics – Classical Mechanics, and Electromagnetism
• Geology – Structural Geology and Stratigraphy
• Geophysics – Courses that include theory and application in three of the following areas: gravity/magnetics, seismology, electrical/electromagnetics, borehole geophysics, remote sensing, geodynamics, oceanography and fluid dynamics.
• Field and computational experience in the hands-on application or implementation of several geophysical methods.

NOTES:

Theory, Application, Computational and Earth & Space Coursework Definitions

• Application Coursework (pre-approved 500/600 level course electives)

1. Provides graduate-level foundation in applied geophysics while allowing flexibility based on interest and/or need.
2. Key Learning Outcome: Ability to design and execute experiments to collect, process, and interpret data in order to gain knowledge about the Earth and other planetary bodies.

• Earth & Space Coursework (pre-approved 500/600 level course electives)
  1. Provides graduate-level foundation in conceptual modeling of the earth while allowing flexibility based on interest and/or need.
  2. Key Learning Outcome: Development of conceptual models to explain the observed natural complexity of earth materials and processes.

Program Requirements

Graduate Certificate in Energy Geophysics

The Graduate Certificate in Energy Geophysics will be a fully online certificate.  The applicant is required to have an undergraduate degree to be admitted into the program. Students working toward their graduate certificate are required to take 12 credits from the following list of approved courses:

Students must achieve a minimum average grade of B (3.0) for the four required courses.  

Courses