Admission eligibility is based on receipt of a baccalaureate degree equivalent to a United States four-year bachelor's degree from a college or university recognized as an institution of higher education by the Ministry of Education in the relevant country or be regionally accredited within the U.S. prior to matriculating into a graduate program.
To be considered for regular admission, applicants must have a minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 2.75 or the equivalent (on the U.S. 4.0 scale). Applicants who have earned 9 or more letter-graded graduate credits must have a minimum graduate GPA of 3.0 or the equivalent, this graduate GPA supersedes the undergraduate GPA.
EITHER: The equivalent of our undergraduate BS Geology degree.
OR: If you have a BS in a Science other than geology, then courses equivalent to our undergraduate core. For certificate programs, we may accept the ASBOG Fundamentals exam in lieu of a BS in Geology.
2 terms of Calculus
2 terms of Physics (Calculus-based preferred)
2 terms of Chemistry
All required Allied Science and Geology courses need to be completed prior to admission to Geology
In geology-related and allied sciences, we are looking for a GPA of 3.0 or better
Field Camp. Although not a requirement for admission, completion of a field camp is a requirement for our MS and MA degrees. Students are encouraged to have completed a summer field camp before starting their graduate program at PSU.
FOR APPLICANTS WITHOUT A BS IN GEOLOGY
Allied Sciences requirements (see section above)
Equivalent of our undergraduate core:
G 312 Mineralogy
G 314 Petrology
G 318 Processes in the Surface Environment
G 324 Computer Applications and Information Technology
G 326 Numerical Modeling of Earth Systems
G 434 Structural Geology and Tectonics
G 435 Stratigraphy
G 485 Field Methods in Geosciences
IELTS - 6.5 overall score with minimum sub-scores of 6.5 in reading and writing
TOEFL iBT - minimum overall score of 80 with minimum subscores of 18 in reading and writing