Professors:
Carlos L. V. Aiken, David E. Dunn (emeritus),William I. Manton, George A.
McMechan, Richard M. Mitterer, John S. Oldow, Emile
A. Pessagno, Jr. (emeritus), Dean C. Presnall (emeritus), Robert H. Rutford (emeritus), Robert
J. Stern
Associate Professors: Thomas H. Brikowski, James L. Carter (emeritus), John
F. Ferguson
Senior Lecturers:
The
basic objective of the Department of Geosciences Graduate Program is to provide
students with a broad fundamental background in geosciences as well as an
in-depth emphasis in a particular specialty.
The
Master of Science degree (thesis option) is designed for students desiring
research experience in a specific area of the geosciences. This degree will
prepare the student for professional employment in the energy, mining, or
environmental industries or government, as well as those seeking a doctoral
degree. The Master of Science degrees (non-thesis options) are designed for
students who seek employment in the energy or environmental industries, and the
industrial application of Geospatial Information Sciences (GIS).
The
Doctor of Philosophy degree in Geosciences emphasizes basic research in one of
the specialties in geosciences and is designed to prepare students for advanced
positions in the energy, environmental or mining professions in industry or
government, or for positions in academia.
The
Doctor of Philosophy degree in Geospatial Information Sciences (GIS) is
supported by the Department of Geosciences, the School of Economic, Political
and Policy Sciences, and the School of Engineering and Computer Science.� The degree reflects geospatial information
science origins at the confluence of work in multiple disciplines.� The degree focuses on advancement of the
technology, its associated theory, and the enhancement of its
applications.� Graduates of this program
will be well suited to advanced positions in the geospatial technology industry
and academic positions.
Research
facilities include: JEOL JSM-T300 scanning electron microscope, digital imaging
petrographic microscope, rock preparation facilities,
and machine shop.
The
Geosciences Department has a large number of networked Windows/PC and unix/linux workstations in
several laboratories accessible to the students and faculty.� A number of laser printers are available, including a color printer. A large format HP 2500CP
printer/plotter is available for creating maps and posters.� A variety of software licenses are supported
for GIS, remote sensing, image processing, geophysical data processing,
graphics and visualization.� Large scale
computing is supported by two state of the art linux
clusters, one with 10 and one with 32 64-bit processors, and 13 terabytes of
disk.� A GeoWall
visualization facility permits immersive interaction with 3-D data.
Field
equipment for measuring ground and surface water flow and chemistry, including
borehole bailers, electric water level meter, FlowProbe
hand-held flow meter, Hach DREL 2010 Basic Water
Quality Lab (field spectrophotometer, pH and salinity meters), and YSI-85
DO/salinity/conductivity meter. Software for modeling water
flow and transport, including general interfaces GMS andWMS,
Hydrus-2D (unsaturated flow and transport), TOUGH2 and Tetrad (2-3D multiphase
flow and transport), and many public-domain models. Hardware and
software for visualizing model results, including Windows and linux workstations.
The
principal mass spectrometer is a Finnigan MAT 261
equipped with 9 collectors and a secondary electron multiplier. The mass
spectrometer is supported by Class 100 clean room facilities with sub-boiling
acid distillation apparatus, micro- and semi-microbalances, and vessels for
pressure decomposition of refractory silicates. Studies focus on using the
evolution of Sr, Nd and Pb as indexes of petrogenetic
processes, geochronology, environmental Pb, use of Pb as an index of bone mineral resorption,
and evolution of marine Sr. A large inventory of spikes allows precise isotopic
dilution analyses of elements of geological (U, Th,
REE), environmental (Ag, Cd), or metabolic interest
(Ca, Cu, Fe, Mg, Zn).
Geophysical
research is supported by two Scintrex CG-3M
Gravimeters; a variety of surveying instruments including a Nikon theodolite and data collector, a TOPCON GPT 3005LW total
station electronic distance meter and theodolite, two
Laser Atlanta Advantage CI reflectorless laser
rangefinders,� two dual frequency 18
channel Leica 530 RTK GPS systems (4 receivers), two
dual frequency Topcon HyperLite RTK GPS systems (4
receivers), a Trimble GeoXT GPS system, a Trimble GeoHT GPS system and GPS post-processing software including
Leica SKI and Trimble Pathfinder Office.� An AGI SuperSting
R1/IP DC resistivity and induced polarization system is available for near
surface electrical conductivity mapping.�
Seismic and radar equipment include a Bison 9048 48-channel floating
point seismic acquisition system with Betsy, hammer, and explosive sources for
shallow to deep exploration; and pulse EKKO IV and 1000 ground penetrating
radars.
The
University�s general admission requirements are discussed here.
Applicants
are expected to take the GRE General Test (Verbal, Quantitative, and Analytical
Writing). A combined score of no less than 1000 on the Verbal and Quantitative
portions of the exam is advisable based on our experience with student success
in the program. In addition, students should complete and submit a Supplemental
Geosciences Application Form which can be obtained from the Geosciences
Department Office by mail (FO21, University of Texas at Dallas, 800 W Campbell
Rd, Richardson, TX, 75080, USA), telephone (972-883-2401), or e-mail
([email protected]).
Entering
students are expected to have completed the equivalent of the University�s B.S.
degree in Geosciences, as well as a 3-hour scientific programming course.
Students whose undergraduate training is in a science other than geology or
geophysics are admitted to the program when their previous course work
complements or supports their intended research interests. All entering
students with non-geoscience degrees such as physics,
math, chemistry or biology should have completed the following undergraduate
courses: physical geology, rocks and minerals, structural geology, and sedimentology. All students are expected to have completed
a faculty approved field course. Students may be admitted with some
deficiencies but these must be completed during the first 18 graduate hours. It
is understood that the minimum course requirements for the intended degree, as specified
below, apply to well-prepared students.
The
University�s general degree requirements are discussed here.
Additional requirements are specified below for each degree.
The
Remote Sensing Certificate is supported by the Department of Geosciences and
the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences.
The
American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote
Sensing (1997) defined remote sensing as the art, science, and technology of
obtaining reliable information about physical objects and the environment,
through the process of recording, measuring and interpreting imagery and digital
representation of energy patterns derived from non-contact sensor systems.
Remote
sensing is a powerful set of software and hardware, computer-based techniques
for extraction and presentation of information represented by raster and vector
spatial data acquired via non-contact sensors. It provides reliable and
cost-effective means of studying the environment for protection, natural
resources management and urban planning. Government and non-government
organizations continuously seek qualified professionals to use remote sensing
for a wide range of applications.
�
B.S. or B.A. Degree. Competence in
personal computers, especially Windows-based, is expected.
�
Application for admission to UTD
Graduate School as �non-degree or degree seeking�
�
Only B.S. or B.A. transcripts are
needed. No GRE score, or reference letters are needed
for non-degree seeking students.
�
On-line registration is at: www.utdallas.edu/admissions
The
Graduate Certificate in Remote Sensing is obtained by completing 15 hours of
courses. Students must complete the following courses: GEOS 5325 Introduction
to Remote Sensing, GISC 6381 Introduction to GIS, GEOS 5326 or GISC 7365 Remote
Sensing Digital Image Processing, GISC 7366 Applied Remote Sensing and GEOS
7327 or GISC 7367 Remote Sensing Workshop.
All
students seeking the Master of Science degree (thesis option) must
satisfactorily complete the following requirements (a minimum of 36 graduate
semester hours):
�
GEOS 5303 or another acceptable,
graduate level, computing course to be determined in consultation with the
student's Supervisor and Graduate Advisor.
In
addition to the above requirements, students seeking the M.S. degree must
submit, no later than the second semester of enrollment, an acceptable research
proposal to the supervising committee. Upon completion of the thesis research,
the M.S. degree candidate will publicly defend the thesis.
All
students seeking the Master of Science degree (non-thesis option) must
satisfactorily complete a minimum of 36 graduate semester hours� including the specified Geosciences
courses below.
�
GEOS 5303 or another acceptable,
graduate level, computing course to be determined in consultation with the
student's Supervisor and Graduate Advisor.
The
Master of Science in Geographic Information Sciences is a professional program
that is offered jointly by the School of Economic, Political and Policy
Sciences and the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. The program
focuses on the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and associated
technologies such as remote sensing and global positioning systems for managing
spatially referenced information. Students are provided with the concepts
underlying GIS, the skills for implementing GIS projects in public and private
sector organizations, and the ability to use GIS in pure or applied research in
substantive areas. Prospective students should apply using established
procedures to either Geosciences or the
For
the Master�s degree in Geographic Information Sciences, beginning students are
expected to have completed college Mathematics through Calculus and at least
one programming or computer applications course or possess equivalent
knowledge. Students must have the equivalent of GISC 6381 Geographic
Information Systems Fundamentals and GISC 6382 Applied GIS, or they must take
these courses at UTD in addition to the 30 credit hours required for the
MGIS.� Additional details of the
curriculum can be found under �Master of Science in Geographic Information
Sciences,� in the School of Social Sciences section of the catalog.
All
students seeking a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Geosciences must
satisfactorily complete the following requirements (90 graduate hours minimum).
�
GEOS 5303 or another acceptable,
graduate level, computing course to be determined in consultation with the
student's Supervisor and Graduate Advisor.
In
addition to the above course requirements, students seeking the Ph.D. degree
must submit an acceptable research proposal describing the intended project to
be completed for the dissertation. Students entering with a Master�s should
complete this proposal in the third semester; students entering without a
Master�s have until the fourth semester. An oral qualifying examination covering
the broad background and detailed knowledge relating to the student�s
specialization and research proposal will be held in the same semester that the
proposal is submitted. After satisfactory performance on the Qualifying
Examination, the student will complete and publicly defend the dissertation.
Also,
see the University�s general
degree requirements. Please note that more detailed instructions for
Geosciences Graduate students are given in the �Guideline for Graduate Students
- Geosciences� that is available in the office of the Department Head.
The
Doctor of Philosophy in Geospatial Information Sciences is an advanced degree
offered jointly by the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, the School
of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences and the Eric Jonsson
School of Engineering and Computer Science. Geospatial information is a
unifying theme across a wide range of disciplines and the unique organization
of this program permits a diverse range of expertise to the prospective
student. The Ph.D. in GIS is intended to go beyond the M.S. in GIS degree in
terms of analysis, the creation of new technology and the novel application of
geospatial information technology. This program will prepare students for
leadership positions in academy, industry or government.
Individual
students can concentrate in particular discipline areas. The Geosciences
component focuses on remote sensing and mapping technologies, including global
positioning satellite and three-dimensional laser ranging based data capture as
well as other imaging technologies. In particular, these methodologies are applied
to geological, hydrological and environmental problems associated with the
physical Earth.
It
is expected that students will enter this program with diverse educational
backgrounds. Applicants may have Bachelors, Masters or other advanced degrees
in any relevant field including computer science, economics, engineering,
geography, geology, information system management, resource management,
geographical information science and possibly others. At least a Bachelors
degree from an accredited (or equivalent) institution with an
undergraduate/graduate grade point average of 3.25 or better is required. A GRE
score of 1150 or higher is desirable. Fluency in written and spoken English is
required.� (Please see detailed degree
requirements under �Doctor of Philosophy in Geospatial Information Sciences,�
listed in the School of Social Sciences section of the catalog.)