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Graduate Studies in Earth and Environmental Sciences
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Ours is a vibrant, cohesive department aimed at the highest standards of scholarship. Faculty and students at the master's and doctoral levels pursue studies that address fundamental questions in the Earth and environmental sciences, spanning deep geological timescales to human timescales. Students may pursue the following degrees:
The M.S. degree in Earth and Environmental Sciences is administered by the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences. The M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in the Environmental Science option of Environmental Engineering are jointly administered by the Departments of Earth and Environmental Sciences and Civil and Environmental Engineering. Information relevant to all three degrees is covered on this page. In addition, the links above provide a more complete description of the Environmental Science option, including degree requirements, admission, financial aid, and interdisciplinary research opportunities in this one-of-a-kind program in the nation. A detailed description of the EES graduate program and faculty research is given in our recruiting brochure.
Our research programs are well-funded; projects are supported by ample laboratory facilities and instrumentation, including computational infrastructure, and they are topically and geographically diverse. Areas of emphasis in graduate studies and research include the following (see Research page for more information): Transport phenomena; sedimentary processes; paleoecology and coupled physical-biological processes; environmental policy; magmatic processes and crustal evolution; and geochemical processes. Current projects are underway in many parts of the U.S., Asia, South America and Antarctica, and include field, laboratory, analytical and modeling components.
This combination of active research on a wide range of problems, and close and enthusiastic interaction among faculty and graduate students, provides an ideal intellectual setting for pursuing graduate studies. The Department's relatively small size contibutes to personalized, engaging classes and a close-knit atmosphere.
Vanderbilt is a private, comprehensive university with a total enrollment of about 11,000. It is located on a large, park-like campus within Nashville, the state capital and a dynamic city with a metropolitan population approaching one million. Fossil-rich Paleozoic limestones underlie the beautiful forested hills in which the city is nestled. The Mississippi embayment (including the New Madrid Fault Zone) and the Precambrian granite terrain of Missouri lie to the west and the complex collisional Appalachian mountain belt to the east.
Application is made to the Graduate School. We encourage students to view the Graduate School Catalog and apply via the Graduate School Online Application. Transcripts, three letters of recommendation, and general aptitude GRE scores are required. The official deadline for receipt of applications is January 15. We are flexible about accepting applications at a later date, but financial aid decisions are normally made early. Applications received before the deadline therefore have the best chance of success.
Graduate students are supported by teaching assistantships, research assistantships, and scholarships, providing full tuition plus nine-month stipends of ~$15,500 and health insurance. Virtually all students receive summer research or teaching assistantships paying $1,500 - $5,000. For those without aid, tuition is based on course load (~$1000/semester hour).
The Department excels in terms of the product of its graduate program: well-trained students who produce important research and go on to successful careers in the Earth and environmental sciences and related fields. Our students normally publish the results of their work in major journals (see listings under faculty publications). The M.S. program is designed to span two years. The Ph.D. program is designed around a flexible curriculum wherein candidates' programs of study are tailored to their specialty areas and career goals.
Students completing their graduate degrees at Vanderbilt excel in their careers in the Earth and environmental sciences. Our graduates are about equally divided among academia (including those going on for Ph.D. degrees), private industry (mostly environmental firms, some in petroleum), and government (research labs, U.S. and state surveys); others have pursued careers in secondary education or law. Those who have finished Ph.D. degrees during the last decade, following their M.S. work at Vanderbilt, currently have faculty, research or survey positions.
Twenty-four hours of graduate credit and a research thesis are required for the M.S. degree. A student’s program of study is fairly flexible. It is planned by the student in consultation with, and approved by, the Director of Graduate Studies and a Supervisory Committee. All graduate students are expected to have a sufficient background in supporting sciences and mathematics as well as in undergraduate Earth science; some make-up work is permitted. Students pursuing the M.S. degree take most of their courses in the first year and spend summers and much of their second year completing the thesis. The Ph.D. involves 72 credit hours, including coursework at Vanderbilt, transfer credit (when appropriate) and dissertation research.
Graduate level courses taught by the faculty are listed on the Courses page.
Graduate students Miranda Loflin and Lorrie Coiner in Nevada, Fall 2001. Miranda and Professor John Ayers were collecting samples from the Ireteba granite in the Eldorado Mountains for her oxygen isotope study of altered monazites. Lorrie was working with Professor Calvin Miller on her project of mapping the Aztec Wash pluton in the Eldorado Mountains of Nevada.
For more information contact:
John C. Ayers, Director of Graduate Studies
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences
Vanderbilt University
VU Station B351805
2301 Vanderbilt Place
Nashville, TN 37235-1805
phone: 615-322-2158
email: john.c.ayers@vanderbilt.edu
Please let us know if you have questions or would like to receive more information about graduate studies in the Earth and Environmental Sciences at Vanderbilt. In addition to your name and e-mail address, we would like to know about your interests, the degree you are interested in pursuing, your academic background (including degrees and schools attended), and any professional experience. Please include your mailing address and telephone number.
After entering this information in the box below, click the "Submit" button. A window will appear confirming that the information has been sent to us.
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