Geology

Thesis Abstracts Thesis Titles

The Master's Degree Program

The master's degree program must contain a minimum of 45 quarter units (30 semester units) of 400- and 500-level courses, of which at least 22.5 quarter units (15 semester units) must be 500-level courses. A research project (GEOL 597) and either a thesis (GEOL 599) or a comprehensive exam (GEOL 596) are required parts of the program.

A typical graduate program includes 4.5 quarter units of University-required research (GEOL 597), 4.5 units of thesis (GEOL 599), 13.5 units of 500-level courses, and at least 22.5 units of additional 400- and 500-level courses.

The following regulations apply to the content of a master's degree program:

Qualifying courses may be included on a master's degree program with the approval of the graduate adviser, Department chair, and School dean.

A completed course may not be added to or deleted from a master's degree program.

Any change in the master's degree program must be approved in advance by the graduate adviser, Department chair, and School dean. Changes are made by submitting a course substitution request (GS5) to the School dean.

No more than 13 quarter units of acceptable transfer work and/or extension courses may be included on a master's degree program. Credits earned at CSULB or CSUN are not included in the 13-unit total unless they were taken through the extension program.

Of the 13 units of transfer work, no more than 9 quarter units of 500-level acceptable transfer work and/or extension courses may be included on a master's degree program.

Research (GEOL 597) and thesis (GEOL 599) or comprehensive exam (GEOL 596) must be completed at Cal State L.A. Transfer credit for equivalent courses is not allowed.

No credit toward a master's degree is allowed for course work required as part of a make-up program in order to qualify for a master's degree program.

The Seven Year Rule - No credit is allowed for courses completed more than seven years before the date the master's degree is to be granted. Courses more than seven years old must be repeated, replaced, or validated. Validation by special exam is permitted rarely and only when extraordinary circumstances provide justification for approval by the Department chair, School graduate studies subcommittee, and School dean. An expired course taken at another institution may not be validated by exam.

No more than nine quarter units beyond the total number of units originally approved may be added to a student's master's degree program.

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Course Selection

Entering students develop their career specializations by meeting with the graduate adviser and making an appropriate selection of courses that will become their graduate program. The courses that may be on your program will depend on the OPTION that you have chosen for your MS degree. You may choose one of the following OPTIONS for your MS degree: (1) Geology, (2) Environmental Hydrogeology, and (3) Engineering Geology

The courses listed on the table below are examples of courses that may be on your program. The exact requirements for each option for the MS degree are described in the University Catalog.

Geology Courses	GEOL 581 Engineering Geology
GEOL 411 Geotectonic Development of California	GEOL 584 Paleoseismology
GEOL 422 Environmental & Forensic Geochemistry	GEOL 585 Landslides, Avalanches, and Debris Flows
GEOL 424 Low Temperature Geochemistry	Biology & Microbiology Courses
GEOL 425 Isotope Geology	BIOL 465 Issues in Environmental Biology
GEOL 426 Astrogeology	MICR 430 Bacterial Physiology
GEOL 433 Quaternary Geology	MICR 433 Bacterial Physiology Lab
GEOL 434 Volcanology
GEOL 435 Coastal Processes and Environments	Geography Courses
GEOL 473 Clay Mineralogy	GEOG 466 Remote Sensing of the Environment
GEOL 480 Principles of Geophysics	GEOG 468 Computer Cartography
GEOL 481 Engineering Geology	GEOG 469 Geographic Information Systems Applications
GEOL 482 Engineering Geology Lab
GEOL 483 Photogeology	Civil Engineering Courses
GEOL 484 Hydrogeology	CE 467 Foundations
GEOL 485 Groundwater Management and Models	CE 483 Hydrology
GEOL 486 Environmental and Engineering Geophysics	CE 566 Soil Mechanics
GEOL 487 Watershed Analysis	CE 567 Foundations II
GEOL 525 Sedimentary Processes and Environments	CE 569 Earth Structures
GEOL 530 Structural Geology and Tectonics	CE 570 Soil Dynamics
GEOL 531 Tectonic Problems of Southern California	CE 578 Environmental Fate of Organic Compounds
GEOL 560 Hydrogeology	CE 579 Environmental Mass Transport
GEOL 561 Vadose Zone Hydrogeology
GEOL 562 Contaminant Hydrogeology
GEOL563 Water Quality Seminar

Continue with Graduate Program Section 5

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