Program/Course Requirements

Completion requirement

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

Completion of a minimum of 12 units in the first year of the program.

Subject to supervisor and Graduate Program Director approval, this requirement may be waived fully or partially, or course exemptions may be granted on the basis of comparable courses taken during a master's program.

Additional Program Information

Completion requirement

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 three or four years for doctoral students. Maximum completion time is six years.

Supervisory Assignments, Research Proposal and Required Examinations

Completion requirement

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. Supervisory committees for doctoral students are selected by consultation between the permanent supervisor and the student.

Research Proposal Requirements

PhD students will submit a more substantial thesis research proposal within 18 months of registration. The thesis proposal will be judged a pass or fail by the Supervisory Committee. The thesis research proposal must be passed before the FOS oral examination can be scheduled. Details about the thesis research proposal and the Department of Geoscience's Doctoral Candidacy Requirements can be found at https://science.ucalgary.ca/earth/current-students/graduate/procedures-policies-and-forms.

Required Examinations

Candidacy

Doctoral students have a two-hour Field of Study (FOS) oral candidacy examination that must be completed by the twenty-eighth month of the program. The FOS oral examination cannot be attempted until the written thesis research proposal has been passed by the Supervisory Committee.

Questions on the research proposal may be included in the FOS oral candidacy examination. Details of the Department of Geoscience's Doctoral Candidacy Requirements can be found at https://science.ucalgary.ca/earth/current-students/graduate/procedures-policies-and-forms.

Thesis Examination

Master of Science thesis-based and doctoral 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

Completion requirement

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.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Geoscience

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