Program Overview

Introduction to the M.S. Program in Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences

The graduate thesis degree programs in Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences are customized to individual student interests, strengths, and academic background. The faculty conduct multi-disciplinary research projects among many of Rice's science and engineering departments.

Program Requirements

Master's students generally must complete one semester of residency and 30 credit hours. The thesis must include at least one manuscript that has been submitted to a recognized peer-review journal with the student as the lead author. All graduate students enrolled are also required to take a written preliminary exam covering general earth science knowledge in their second semester. At the end of the first year, students will complete an oral thesis proposal defense.

Research Areas

The Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences faculty conduct research in collaboration with other departments, including Chemistry, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Computational and Applied Mathematics, Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. The department also hosts the collaborative research center, the Center for Computational Geophysics, and collaborates with other interdepartmental research centers.

Funding and Support

Full-time students receive tuition waivers and a competitive stipend for the entire duration of their course of study. These are funded through some combination of the school's substantial endowment, endowed fellowships for graduate students, faculty research grants, and teaching assistant appointments. Many graduate students also win nationally competitive fellowships.

Admission Criteria

Any student with a strong interest in the geosciences is encouraged to apply. The EEPS department does not require scores from the Graduate Record Examination. Instead, the academic record, interests and objectives, and letters of recommendation are evaluated holistically.

Application Requirements

• A completed application form
  • Transcripts of all previous college or university work
  • TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo scores for foreign students whose language of instruction was not English
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • An application fee

Application Deadlines

The deadline for spring 2026 applications is October 31st, 2025, and the deadline for fall 2026 is January 9th, 2026. Decisions for admission and fellowships are made in October for Spring semester admission and in January for Fall semester admission.

Guidelines and Forms

For more information and a full list of documents and forms for Advanced Degrees, please refer to the guidelines provided by the department.