The interdisciplinary doctoral program in geophysics encourages students with a variety of undergraduate backgrounds to pursue graduate study in the physics of the Earth, with special emphasis on the interior of the planet. Students specialize in one of the subfields of geophysics while gaining a broad, general background in the discipline and in-depth education in the relevant aspects of the parent fields of geology, physics, and engineering.
Students enter the program by applying for admission to one of the following departments:
Upon satisfactory performance on the doctoral preliminary examination given by the home department, the student may formally apply for admission to the geophysics doctoral program.
The program is administered by the geophysics graduate program committee, which includes representatives from each of the participating departments. The comprehensive examination and the dissertation defense are directed by this committee, with a faculty member of the home department normally chairing these procedures.
For more information, please consult the Geophysics Studies Program website at colorado.edu/geophysics.
The geophysics graduate certificate offers a coherent curriculum in geophysics that can complement and supplement a student's regular degree program and encourages multi-disciplinary education in the area of geophysics. The geophysics certificate program allows students to obtain recognition for their accomplishments in geophysics, without having to switch into the geophysics degree program. This program was approved by the CU-Boulder Graduate School, spring 2002.
All students must take at least three geophysics core courses, and the Geophysics Seminar course, listed below. At least one of the three geophysics core courses must be from the earth and planetary physics (EPP) series, and at least one of the remaining core classes taken must be from outside the student's home department. Most geophysics core courses are offered once every two years.
A Certificate in Geophysics will be awarded upon the student's completion of degree requirements in their home department. Upon request from a student, the program director and the student's advisor will determine whether a student has met the requirements for the certificate and will generate a letter to the appropriate department head and dean. The certificate is not intended as a substitute for a degree and will be awarded only upon completion of a graduate degree.
A student wishing to be considered for a Certificate in Geophysics must first be admitted as a graduate student into one of the participating graduate departments (ASEN, APS,CEAE, ECEN, GEOG, GEOL, MCEN, PHYS). Students from outside the participating departments can apply for entry to the geophysics certificate program by letter addressed to the Geophysics Graduate Program Committee. A student must have a course background that includes mathematics through three semesters of calculus and four undergraduate science or engineering courses.