Geology, Ph.D.

I. Contact Information

Graduate Program Director
Department of Geological Sciences and Engineering
Department Office: (775) 784-6050
DGSEgraddirector@unr.edu

II. Brief Introduction

Students may choose an appropriate course of study for their academic or career goals. Graduate students conduct research within the Department and/or in association with the Center for Neotectonic Studies, the Ralph J. Roberts Center for Research in Economic Geology, the Arthur Brant Laboratory for Exploration Geophysics, the Desert Research Institute, the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, the Nevada Seismological Laboratory, the Great Basin Center for Geothermal Energy, the Nevada Geodetic Laboratory, and the United States Geological Survey- Reno Field Office.
Both regional and international research programs are available. Field-related studies and research are among the strengths of our programs. The University of Nevada, Reno is located near the boundary between the Great Basin and Sierra Nevada physiographic provinces, and is near many world-class localities for field studies, ranging from glaciated high country to high desert environments. Lake Tahoe and Yosemite, Great Basin, and Lassen Volcanic national parks are all within easy reach of Reno. We have state-of-the-art field instrumentation for geologic, temperature, seismic, gravity, magnetic, electrical, geodetic, and rock properties studies. We also have one of the world’s largest digitally recorded seismic networks and host the world’s largest GPS analysis center.

III. Program Objectives/Student Learning Outcomes

Fields of emphasis for thesis work include:

• geology (regional geology, mineral deposits, structural geology, petrology, tectonics, stratigraphy, mineralogy, micropaleontology, paleolimnology, geomorphology, climate change);
• geophysics (seismology, earthquake hazards, exploration geophysics, remote sensing, paleomagnetism, neotectonics);
• geochemistry (aqueous isotope, geothermal);
• geological engineering (geomechanics, waste containment, slope stability, geologic hazards);
• hydrogeology;
• geodesy, and
• planetary geology.

IV. Admission Requirements

In addition to UNR Graduate School admission requirements: the GRE Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning exams; a two-page statement of purpose; and three (3) letters of recommendation.

V. Program Requirements

In addition to UNR Graduate School Ph.D. requirements: take the 1-credit GEOL 697 - Graduate Seminar  course the first semester after matriculation into the program; take the 1-credit GEOL 698 - Graduate Seminar  course the final semester in the program (or otherwise make a public presentation of thesis results); and file an approved Program of Study with the Graduate School no later than the thesis due date near the end of the third semester of residence.

VI. Total Units

The Ph.D. degree is 73 units.

VII. Notes

Available laboratories include: inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy, petrographic microscopes, reflected light microscopes, stable isotope geochemistry, fluid inclusion facilities, optical and infrared reflectance and Raman spectroscopy (field and lab), optical-fiber distributed temperature measurement, paleomagnetism and rock magnetism, conodont and radiolarian biostratigraphy, geographic information systems (GIS), computer graphics, 3D seismic interpretation (OpendTect), computational modeling, geologic modeling (EarthVision), networked computer clusters for data processing and scientific visualization, laboratory testing frames, and shear boxes. These laboratories support research in geology, geochemistry, geophysics, geodesy, hydrogeology, mineralogy, mineralization, petrology, petrochemistry, slope stability, rock mechanics and tectonics.

VIII. Undergraduate Prerequisites

None specific. Students usually enter this program with undergraduate degrees in geology, or related fields.