Graduate

Prospective Students

Welcome

students walking through sand

The School of Geosciences houses three graduate programs that focus on human-environment interactions: Geology, Geography & GIS, and Environmental Science & Policy.  Collectively, our graduate programs focus on the grand environmental and social challenges that humanity faces, such as resource depletion, natural hazards, environmental change, and social justice.  As a school, we uniquely integrate the natural sciences, human perspectives, and geospatial technologies into all our graduate programs in efforts to prepare students to address the world’s socioenvironmental problems; at the same time, each program allows students to specialize in one or more of these three disciplines.  We offer both Doctoral and Master’s degrees, as well as graduate certificates.  We also award multiple graduate assistantships, scholarships, and fellowships to provide financial support to graduate students.    

Identify your program(s) of interest. Which program is right for you?

Geology

Our Geology program facilitates student success through the delivery of high quality, skills-based geology courses. As a discipline, geology incorporates the fundamentals of biology, chemistry, mathematics, and physics to investigate the earth and the processes that affect our planet. Geology students specialize in hydrology, natural hazards, coastal geology, geophysics, geocomputation, geochemistry, paleontology, paleoclimatology, volcanology, seismology, glaciology, geoscience education, and more.

Geography and GIS

Our Geography and GIS program provides the theoretical foundation and methodological expertise necessary to conduct publishable-quality geographic research, as well as hands-on experience for real-world professional opportunities. The Geography and GIS program delivers a combination of coursework in human geography, physical and environmental geography, and geographical information science. Geography and GIS students specialize in nature-society interactions, urban and economic geography, natural hazards, meteorology and climate, karst environments, wetlands and water resources, geocomputation, spatial analysis and modelling, remote sensing, geovisualization, and GIS applications for health, transportation, and disasters.

Environmental Science and Policy (ESP)

Our Environmental Science and Policy (ESP) program is designed to provide students the discipline-specific knowledge and transferable skills to understand the socio-cultural and political context in which environmental problems are created and ameliorated, as well as the scientific expertise to explore and analyze the consequences of ongoing environmental change. Students can specialize in wetlands and water, natural environments, climate and atmosphere, natural hazards, human-environment interaction, environmental policy and management, conservation and sustainability, environmental applications of GIS and remote sensing, and spatial ecology.

Select a degree or certificate and apply

We offer graduate certificates, Master’s degrees, and Doctoral degrees in our geosciences programs.

Applicants from countries where English is not the official language, and who have not earned at least a bachelor’s degree in the U.S., must also demonstrate proficiency in the English language. View the list of English-speaking countries to determine if you must meet this requirement.

English Proficiency Test Admittance Teaching Assistantship English Proficiency Established
TOEFL iBT  79 20-25 (Spoken) 26 (Spoken)
TOEFL PBT 550    
TOEIC   110-150 (Spoken) 160 (Spoken)
IELTS 7.0 7.0 or higher  
Duolingo 100 130 or higher  
GRE Verbal 153    
PTE-A 53    

To be eligible to teach as a Graduate Instructional Assistant (9550 job code) in their first semester of teaching, students must meet the required TOEFL or TOEIC scores (English proficiency established scores) or be registered for the International Teaching Assistant (ITA) Language Assessment.

Graduate Certificates

Graduate certificates offer short, structured sequences of post-baccalaureate coursework, providing graduate level credentials in a specialized field.  Graduate certificates also serve as steppingstones to a graduate degree, as the coursework can be transferred directly into a Master’s or Ph.D. program at USF.  Graduate certificates are popular with both working professionals and full-time students.  We offer graduate certificates in both Geographic Information Systems and Environmental Policy and Management. 

To apply for a graduate certificate, follow the steps outlined by the Office of Graduate Studies.

Master's Degrees

Our Master’s degrees offer advanced geoscience education and training suitable for joining professional workforce, as well as provide the foundation for pursuing a Ph.D.  We offer Master’s degrees in Geology, Geography, and Environmental Science & Policy.   Each program offers a choice of thesis and professional tracks.  The thesis option is ideal for students interested in working semi-independently on a supervised research project that culminates in a publishable body of work.  The professional track is ideal for those interested in obtaining a Master’s as a terminal degree, with the intent to immediately join the workforce.

photo of a mountain landscape

To apply for a Master's of Science in Geology.

  • Determine your preferred track: thesis or professional. If you are planning to complete a thesis, it is highly recommended that you reach out to potential advisors in advance of applying to confirm if they are taking on new students. As a general rule, only faculty members with ‘professor’ in their title can serve as advisors. If you are not planning to pursue the thesis track, then an advisor will be provided for you upon acceptance.
  • Complete the program information form:
  • Arrange three letters of recommendation.
  • Compile a C.V. or Resume.
  • Provide a 1-2 page personal statement that addresses your motivation for completing the degree. The essay should clearly:
    1. indicate why you are interested in the program,
    2. describe your educational background and any relevant experience,
    3. list your goals for graduate study and future career, and
    4. describe your specific research or academic interests, including plans to pursue either the thesis or professional track, topics of interested, and potential advisor(s) if you are planning to pursue a thesis.
  • Provide a writing sample. The sample should be academic and written solely by the applicant.
  • Complete a if applying for a position.
  • Complete the and upload the above materials. You will be provided the opportunity to input the contact information for your three references within the admissions portal.
field of agave plants

To apply for a Master's of Art in Geography

  • Determine your preferred track: thesis or professional. If you are planning to complete a thesis, it is highly recommended that you reach out to potential advisors in advance of applying to confirm if they are taking on new students. As a general rule, only faculty members with ‘professor’ in their title can serve as advisors. If you are not planning to pursue the thesis track, then an advisor will be provided for you upon acceptance.
  • Complete the program information form:
  • Arrange two letters of recommendation
  • Provide a 1-2 page personal statement that addresses your motivation for completing the degree. The essay should clearly:indicate why you are interested in the program, describe your educational background and any relevant experience, list your goals for graduate study and future career, and describe your specific research or academic interests, including plans to pursue either the thesis or professional track, topics of interested, and potential advisor(s) if you are planning to pursue a thesis.
  • Complete a if applying for a position.
  • Complete the and upload the above materials. You will be provided the opportunity to input the contact information for your three references within the admissions portal.
a moutain range with a lake sitting below it

To apply for a Master's of Science in Environmental Science and Policy

  • Determine your preferred track: thesis or professional. If you are planning to complete a thesis, it is highly recommended that you reach out to potential advisors in advance of applying to confirm if they are taking on new students. As a general rule, only faculty members with ‘professor’ in their title can serve as advisors. If you are not planning to pursue the thesis track, then an advisor will be provided for you upon acceptance.
  • Complete the program information form:
  • Arrange three letters of recommendation.
  • Provide a 1-2 page personal statement that addresses your motivation for completing the degree. The essay should clearly: indicate why you are interested in the program, describe your educational background and any relevant experience,
    list your goals for graduate study and future career, and describe your specific research or academic interests, including plans to pursue either the thesis or professional track, topics of interested, and potential advisor(s) if you are planning to pursue a thesis.
  • Provide a writing sample. The sample should be academic and written solely by the applicant.
  • Complete a if applying for a position.
  • Complete the and upload the above materials. You will be provided the opportunity to input the contact information for your three references within the admissions portal.

 

Doctoral Degrees

Our Doctoral degrees provide both theoretical rigor and methodological skills enabling students to make significant and original research and policy contributions in an interdisciplinary environment. We foster students’ intellectual development as they undertake high-impact scholarship focusing on local, state, national, and global problems.  Our programs also aim to develop community, industrial, and professional partnerships to advance career and service opportunities for our diverse student body.  We offer two doctoral degrees, a Ph.D. in Geology and an interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Geography and Environmental Science & Policy.  Most students entering the Ph.D. programs have already completed a Master’s degree, but highly motivated students with prior research experience can apply directly to the Ph.D. programs with a Bachelor's degree. 

two students looking over mountain

To apply for the Ph.D. degree in Geology

  • Identify a potential major professor. Ph.D. students are only admitted with a confirmed advisor. Applicants should reach out to potential major professors in advance of applying to confirm interest and availability. When reaching out, students should:
    1. Indicate semester of application,
    2. Indicate degree program, and
    3. Provide a brief summary of their background and research interests.
    4. As a general rule, only faculty members with ‘professor’ in their title can serve as dissertation advisors.
  • Complete the program information form:
  • Arrange three letters of recommendation.
  • Compile a C.V. or Resume.
  • Transcript
  • Provide a 1-2 page personal statement that addresses your motivation for completing the degree. The essay should clearly:
    1. indicate why you are interested in the program,
    2. describe your educational background and any relevant experience,
    3. list your goals for graduate study and future career, and
    4. describe your proposed research topic and potential major professor(s).
  • Provide a writing sample. The sample should be academic and written solely by the applicant.
  • Complete a if applying for a position.
  • Complete the and upload the above materials. You will be provided the opportunity to input the contact information for your three references within the admissions portal.
 
two students taking measurements on the beach

To apply for the Ph.D. degree in Geography and Environmental Science and Policy

  • Identify a potential major professsor. Ph.D. students are only admitted with a confirmed advisor. Applicants should reach out to potential major professors in advance of applying to confirm interest and availability. When reaching out, students should:
    1. Indicate semester of application,
    2. Indicate degree program, and
    3. Provide a brief summary of their background and research interests.
    4. As a general rule, only faculty members with ‘professor’ in their title can serve as dissertation advisors.
  • Complete the program information form:
  • GPA at least 3.20 in upper division undergraduate amd graduate credits.
  • Arrange three letters of recommendation.
  • Provide a 1-2 page personal statement that addresses your motivation for completing the degree. The essay should clearly:indicate why you are interested in the program, describe your educational background and any relevant experience,
    list your goals for graduate study and future career, and describe your proposed research topic and potential major professor(s).
  • Complete a if applying for a position.
  • Complete the and upload the above materials. You will be provided the opportunity to input the contact information for your three references within the admissions portal.