The School of Earth and Climate Sciences offers MS and PhD degrees in Earth and Climate Sciences. Faculty and graduate student research focus on four major areas: Climate change, glacial geology, glaciology, and Quaternary studies, Environmental geosciences, hydrogeology and low-temperature geochemistry, Geodynamics, crustal studies, and rheology of Earth materials and Marine geology, coastal processes, sedimentology, and sea-level studies. The master degree requires 30 credits, at least 18 of which are coursework and 6 are thesis work. The UMaine School of Earth and Climate Sciences has a well-established reputation for educating highly successful masters and doctoral students. Through advanced coursework and focused research you will develop expertise on a well defined subject while improving your general knowledge across a broad range of science and engineering topics. Earning a graduate degree will not only enrich you personally but will also widen your career opportunities and significantly increase your expected lifetime earnings.<br><br>Our graduate students work with their faculty advisors in Maine as well as in many parts of the world. Projects are commonly interdisciplinary involving several different science and engineering Departments at UMaine. Our students list this as a big strength of our program. Students commonly attend professional meetings in the US and abroad to share their research, and to meet prospective employers and graduate or postdoctoral advisors. Master of Science (M.S.) Know: Students will demonstrate advanced knowledge of a sub-discipline of the Earth and climate sciences. Propose: Students will develop and write a thesis proposal related to a sub-discipline of the Earth and climate sciences. Implement: Students will demonstrate the ability to implement scientific approaches to address scientific questions and/or hypotheses, and carry out a research plan from start to finish. Analyze and Quantify: Students will demonstrate competence in the collection, synthesis, interpretation, and contextualization of data (quantitative and/or qualitative). Critique: Students will be able to apply critical thinking skills to assess work done by others in their sub-discipline. Communicate: Students will effectively communicate their research purpose, activity, and results, through both oral and written means, to audiences both inside and outside of Earth and climate science fields. Experience: Students will gain leadership experience, such as teaching, field work, grant writing, laboratory management, and project management.