Master of Science (MSc) Thesis-based in Geoscience

In addition to the Faculties of Graduate Studies and Science requirements, the Department requires:

Completion of a minimum of 12 units.

Advanced Credit

Application for advanced credit should be made to the graduate program at the time of admission, so that the previous work can be taken into account when specifying a student’s program.

Advanced credit is not guaranteed and will be determined by the Graduate Program Director or Department Head with consideration of the recommendation of the Interim Supervisor.

Courses for which advanced credit is being sought must be from a recognized institution and not have been used for any degree or diploma accreditation. They must be graded, graduate-level courses, and the graded level of performance must be equivalent to a “B” grade or higher standing at the University of Calgary. Advanced credit is not normally given for courses taken more than five years before admission to the current graduate degree program or for courses taken for the purposes of qualifying for admission.

Flexible Grade Option (CG Grade)

Students admitted to the Department of Geoscience will not be allowed to request the Flexible Grade Option (CG Grade) for any course that is applicable to their degree; or apply any course awarded a grade of CG towards their graduation requirements.

Students may not choose the CG grade for a course taken extra to load.

The use of the CG grade will not affect students' eligibility for internal awards.

Time Limit

Expected completion time is two years for students in thesis-based master’s degree programs. Maximum completion time is four years.

Supervisory Assignments

Upon admission into a thesis-based program, a student is assigned an interim supervisor by the Graduate Program Director, either based on prior communication between the student and a prospective supervisor, or chosen from the research field the student has specified. A permanent supervisor (usually the interim supervisor) is normally appointed within two months.

Research Proposal Requirements

Master of Science thesis-based students must file a thesis proposal by March 1 of the second session of study for September registrants and July 1 for January registrants. The thesis proposal must not be more than five pages of text long and include an abstract and a list of references cited in the text. The supervisor will assess the proposal in detail.

Required Examinations

Thesis Examination

Master of Science thesis-based students have final thesis oral examinations that are open to the public, with a public presentation on the same day.

In addition to the Faculty of Graduate Studies requirements for Thesis Examinations, the Department requires:

Scheduling of the Examination

All members of the Supervisory Committee must have reviewed the student's research, including a relevant written sample of the materials related to the thesis, before an examination can be scheduled.

Composition of the Committee

The Internal Examiner may be internal to the home program.

Financial assistance may be available to qualified students. For information on awards, see the Awards and Financial Assistance section of this calendar.

Students applying for scholarships must have complete applications submitted to the Department by January 15.