M.S. Degree in Geological Engineering

Course Sequence. There is no specific course sequence required for the Master's degree in Geological Engineering. Rather, specific courses that are especially pertinent to a student's area of interest will be recommended or required by the student's Mentor and Evaluation Committee. In any event, the selection of courses taken by the student for the degree will be balanced between courses intended to give an overall exposure to advanced concepts in geological engineering and courses that concentrate in the student's selected area of expertise.

Requirements for the Master of Science Degree in Geological Engineering are:

1. All of the general regulations of the Graduate School, including the residency requirement.

2. The candidate must maintain a grade-point average of 3.00 (on 4.00 scale) or higher in all graduate work. Credits for a course in which the student receives a grade of less than B cannot be applied towards the degree requirements unless specifically approved by the faculty of the Geological Engineering Graduate Program.

Students generate their own seismic event to gather information about the properties of the rocks beneath them. (large image)

3. At least 24 graduate credits must be completed following the course guidelines established by the student's Mentor and Evaluation Committee. If a thesis is required by the Mentor and Evaluation Committee, then up to 6 credits of the 24 can be used for Thesis Research. If the Mentor and Evaluation Committee requires independent study, then up to 3 credits of the 24 can be used for Independent Study. At least 3 credits must be in advanced graduate level formal course work. While the specific courses are to be determined by the student's Mentor and Evaluation Committee, such courses are normally numbered 700 or higher.

4. Students must enroll in GLE Graduate Seminar (GLE 900) twice per year (i.e., both Fall and Spring semesters). At least once per year, GLE 900 must be taken for 1 credit. In the event of unusual extenuating circumstances, students may petition the Program for a revision or waiver of this requirement. The credits accumulated in GLE 900 are in addition to the 24 required for the M.S. degree.

5. A student transferring graduate credits from another institution may count those credits towards the degree requirements with the approval of the Mentor and Evaluation Committee and provided that they complete at least half of their credits for the degree at U.W.-Madison in consecutive residence.

Because the program appeals to students with a wide variety of backgrounds and with different areas of intended emphasis, there are no "core courses" or other specific courses that are uniformly taken by all students. Furthermore, depending on a student's area of emphasis, career goals, and whether they intend to subsequently pursue the Ph.D., the student's Mentor and Evaluation Committee may or may not recommend or require a master's thesis and/or independent study.

Some sample programs of study leading to the M.S. degree follow:

Student 1

Student Background: Applied mechanics or mechanical engineering
Intended Area of Emphasis: Analytical/numerical methods for rock mechanics and hydrogeology

Student 2

Student Background: Geology
Intended Area of Emphasis: Rock and soil mechanics

Student 3

Student Background: Geological engineering (U.W. undergraduate program)
Intended Area of Emphasis: Rock mechanics

Student 4

Student Background: Geology
Intended Area of Emphasis: Environmental Geotechnics / Geo-Environmental Engr

Student 5

Student Background: Geology
Intended Area of Emphasis: Foundations

Student 6

Student Background: Civil Engineering
Intended Area of Emphasis: Engineering Geology

Ph.D. Degree in Geological Engineering

Each student's Mentor and Evaluation Committee will be appointed by the Geological Engineering Program chair such that the student's technical areas of interest are best represented. It is intended that the Mentor and Evaluation Committee include the student's dissertation research advisor; if this person is not a member of the original Mentor and Evaluation Committee appointed by the Program chair, then the committee will be expanded in membership to include the advisor, with perhaps dismissal of one of the remaining members of the committee. The Mentor and Evaluation Committee will include at least one member from the College of Engineering, and at least one member from the Dept. of Geology and Geophysics. The purpose of this committee is to determine if any deficiencies in the student's undergraduate background must be rectified, to establish any course requirements for the degree, and to administer a qualifying exam in the student's area of interest. Members of the Mentor and Evaluation Committee will also normally participate in the student's preliminary exam and final dissertation defense.

Course Sequence. There is no specific course sequence required for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Geological Engineering. Rather, specific courses that are especially pertinent to a student's area of interest may be recommended or required by the student's Mentor and Evaluation Committee.

Requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Geological Engineering are:

1. All of the general regulations of the Graduate School, including the residency requirement and minor subject requirement.

2. The candidate must maintain a grade-point average of 3.00 (on 4.00 scale) or higher in all graduate work. Credits for a course in which the student receives a grade of less than B cannot be applied towards the degree requirements unless specifically approved by the faculty of the Geological Engineering Graduate Program.

3. At least 72 graduate credits beyond the Bachelor's Degree must be completed (for students who have earned a Masters Degree, credits accumulated for the M.S. can be applied towards this requirement). These credits will consist of formal course work (following the guidelines established by the student's Mentor and Evaluation Committee), independent study, minor subject study and normally 18-24 credits that are for thesis work.

4. GLE 900) twice per year (i.e., both Fall and Spring semesters). At least once per year, GLE 900 must be taken for 1 credit. In the event of unusual extenuating circumstances, students may petition the Program for a revision or waiver of this requirement. The credits accumulated in GLE 900 are in addition to the 72 required for the Ph.D. degree.

5. At the appropriate time, students must pass a:

   • qualifying exam that tests basic knowledge in the student's area of specialty,
   • preliminary exam that evaluates the student's intended research subject and technical approach for originality and likelihood of successful completion,
   • final thesis defense.

   The student's Mentor and Evaluation Committee will conduct the qualifying exam and will normally participate in the preliminary exam and thesis defense.

6. There is no foreign language requirement or liberal studies requirement.

7. A student transferring graduate credits from another institution may count those credits towards the degree requirements with the approval of the Mentor and Evaluation Committee and provided that the student completes at least half of their credits for the degree at U.W.-Madison in consecutive residence.

Copyright 2008 The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System Date last modified: 06-May-1999 Date created: 25-Aug-1999 Content by: gle@engr.wisc.edu Accessibility Web services Thank you for visiting http://www.engr.wisc.edu/interd/gep/prospective/grad/degrees.html