Graduate Program
Graduate education, leading either to the Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy
degree in Geology or Geophysics, is a major focus of the Department of Geology and
Geophysics at the University of Wyoming.
At UW you'll find:
- A top-notch faculty. Our faculty is dedicated to distinction in research and graduate education. Faculty
research is characterized by numerous interdisciplinary collaborations and a remarkably
collegial atmosphere.
- A large department with stimulating peers. Students interact with ~26 faculty, a graduate student population of ~40, and undergraduate majors numbering about 140. There's always someone to learn
from, and to share an idea with.
- Exciting research opportunities. Our faculty conduct world-class research in fields as diverse as surface chemistry
and marine seismology, in locations from Greenland to the Puna Plateau in Argentina.
- Cutting-edge and diverse research groups. Our faculty are involved in nine different research groups: geochemistry, geohydrology,
geophysics and seismology, paleo-science, petrology, isotope geology, sedimentology,
petroleum geology, structural geology and tectonics, and surface processes.
- The graduate experience. Excellence in graduate student mentoring is a key goal of our department. Your program
is custom-designed between you, your major professor and your advisory committee.
- A supportive environment. We are committed to providing a supportive - yet challenging - research environment
for our students. Graduate student life is characterized by a remarkable sense of
collaboration and an esprit-de-corps.
- State-of-the-art facilities. Our department has top-notch computer, laboratory, material characterization, aqueous
geochemistry and isotope chemistry laboratories. We have scanning and transmission
electron microscopes, electron microprobe, MC-ICPMS and XRD & XRF.
- Competitive stipend support. Virtually all of our graduate students are supported on research or teaching assistantships,
including several endowed, honorary fellowships.
If you're looking for a stimulating, collegial, well-supported research department
with a focus on distinction, then look no further!
Applications to begin our graduate degree program in the Fall 2025 will be accepted
between October 1, 2024 - January 15, 2025. Applications arriving after that date
may be considered until the program is filled.
There is no application fee: Apply!
Assessment
News
December 7, 2022 ‖ Graduate student Quin Miller was recently awarded three grants
that will support his dissertation research concerning unconventional reservoir rock
pore network evolution. Miller’s submission to The Clay Minerals Society (CMS) was
the highest ranked student research proposal, making him the recipient of the 2016
Robert C. Reynolds, Jr. Research Award. This $2,480 award also includes one year of
CMS membership. Additionally, Miller received a $2,000 student research scholarship
from the Unconventional Reservoir Special Interest Group of The Society of Petrophysicists
and Well Log Analysts. Lastly, Miller was granted the 2016 Spackman Award by The Society
for Organic Petrology (TSOP). Miller had the highest rated proposal and will receive
$1,000 from TSOP to apply to his research. All three awards will help support Miller’s
neutron scattering, microscopy, and experimental activities at Oak Ridge National
Laboratory, the Center for Advanced Energy Studies, and the University of Wyoming.
Quinn is advised by Associate Professor John Kaszuba.
December 7, 2022 ‖ Graduate students Jason Alexander (Ph.D.) and Mat Dunlop (Ph.D.)
were both recently awarded research grants from the Geological Society of America
(GSA).
December 7, 2022 ‖ The history of wildfires over the past 2,000 years in a northern
Colorado mountain range indicates that large fires will continue to increase as a
result of a warming climate, according to a new study led by a University of Wyoming
doctoral student.
