Guide to the Graduate Program in Earth and Planetary Sciences
Version of 2 July 2020 approved by Graduate Faculty
Graduate Program Director (GPD): Kenneth Miller
Graduate Advisory Committee (GAC)
Ken Miller (GPD)
Ben Black
Lujendra Ojha
Shaunna Morrison
Ying Fan Reinfelder
James Wright (ex officio)
The recent name change of our Graduate Program from Geological Sciences to Earth and Planetary Sciences (EPS) reflects a renewed and expanded planetary component, in addition to our traditional strengths in fundamental Earth and planetary sciences. Our graduate program is designed to provide a challenging yet fostering educational atmosphere that encourages independent and critical thinking, the development of communicative and teaching skills, and the performance of creative and original research. Our goal is to teach students to formulate testable hypotheses, collect data to test them, and publish their results. It is the intent of the Program to educate and train competent and technically adept geoscientists for careers in research, teaching, and service in higher education, government, industry, and non-governmental organizations. We strongly encourage interdisciplinary research with other physical, biological, chemical, anthropological, mathematical, and engineering sciences to provide the student with the broadest possible means to explore the limits of knowledge about the Earth and planetary sciences.
Program Description
Students admitted to the EPS Graduate Program join an active department that offers challenging instruction in an unusually diverse research environment. The Program grants both Ph.D. and M.S. degrees to full- and part-time students. Nearly all full-time Ph.D. students are supported by fellowships, teaching assistantships (TAs), and/or research grants (GAs). Extramural grants provide students with additional support for study and research during the school year and summer; grants, department funds, and Rutgers School of Graduate Studies (SGS) resources help support participation at regional, national, and international conferences.
The Graduate Program provides a wide array of potential areas of study. We offer a broad range of research projects with a diverse and world-renowned faculty. Graduate student research projects can take full advantage of the region's diverse geology as well as be part of numerous ongoing research projects worldwide. Shared faculty, research, and facilities with Rutgers' Departments of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Anthropology, and Environmental Sciences, the Rutgers Energy Institute, and the Rutgers Institute of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences offer additional means of study and research possibilities, along with ties to the Departments of Geography, Chemistry, Physics, Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources. Facilities at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO), Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Princeton University, and the American Museum of Natural History are a few of the many nearby northeast US research resources. In addition to course work at Rutgers, students can take advantage of listings at nearby Princeton and LDEO/Columbia universities.
The Graduate Program is overseen by the Graduate Advisory Committee (GAC) chaired by the Graduate Program Director (GPD) under the bylaws of the Graduate Program in EPS, reporting to the School of Graduate Studies (SGS). Graduate students are encouraged to discuss questions with the GPD, other members of the GAC, and staff support (currently Katanya Meyers is staff person assisting with the graduate program). We are here to help.
Answers to Frequently asked questions Rutgers EPS admissions
What is the deadline for admission with support?
January 15, though if student does not require support, we can consider admissions into the summer (as late as late August).
Is it necessary to secure a supervisor?
To be successful in admissions, a PhD student must identify and communicate with a potential advisor.
How do I secure an application fee waiver based on merit and financial Hardship?
The prospective student must contact a potential advisor and have the advisor write to the GPD and recommend a waiver. The GPD will secure from the Rutgers School of Graduate Studies.
Is there funding for master’s or is it reserved for only PhD?
We do not support master’s students except in unusual circumstance.
Is It required that I do a WES evaluation, or a Transcript from an English-speaking country is enough?
A transcript in English, 3 letters of evaluation, and Personal Statement are our primary means of initially evaluating your applications.
What is a Personal Statement?
This is really a Professional Statement ideally 1 or perhaps 2 pages. After reading it, we should know what you want to work on and with whom you want to work. Some background on you and development of your research interests can be helpful, but the statement should focus on your research interests.
Do you accept unofficial transcripts for application?
Initially an unofficial is acceptable, but for admission an official transcript will be required
When is the application starting?
Anytime with deadline of 15 Jan. for support. Ideally contact potential advisor(s) in the fall.
Do you waive the GRE and English Proficiency test for students?
We do not require the GRE. The TOEFL or IELTS or Duolingo is required of all international students who have earned degrees overseas. For TOEFL a minimum score of 80 being expected. You may be exempt from submitting the TOEFL if you have attended a school in the United States.
Funding. Funding is limited, but we offer 5-year supports for PhD students through a combination of Teaching Assistantship (TA), Fellowships (Fellows), and external grant-funded Graduate Assistantship (GA) to top applicants, pending fund availability. Therefore we strongly encourage you to contact potential faculty advisors to explore funding possibilities. Your potential advisor can also work with you to secure external funding such as through the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowships (GRFP) (https://www.nsfgrfp.org/).
Please visit Our graduate program's catalog
EPS Graduate Student Organization Constitution
Learning goals and assessment criteria for the Ph.D. program are posted here.
Learning goals and assessment criteria for the Masters program are posted here.
Bylaws of the Graduate Program in Earth and Planetary Sciences are posted here.
