Program Overview

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences

The Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences offers a range of programs, including a Professional Master's Program, Online M.S. Degrees, Micro-Credentials, Petroleum Short Courses, and various certifications.

Online Master of Science (M.S.) in Geophysics with a Specialization in Petroleum Geophysics

This program is one of four subplans in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences that allows students to obtain an M.S. in Geology or Geophysics with a fully online curriculum. The program has a fixed and set curriculum focused on applied subsurface geophysics with a specialization in Petroleum Geophysics.

Program Overview

The program is designed to provide students with training in geosciences for professional positions requiring advanced geophysical backgrounds in academic, educational, governmental, and industrial sectors. The program can also prepare students with a B.S. for admissions to a Ph.D. program in the geosciences.

Admission to the Program

Admission to the graduate program is based on a competitive selection process. To be eligible, candidates must:

• Have successfully completed a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Geophysics equivalent to one at the University of Houston.
• Submit a complete graduate school application.
• Provide scores from the General GRE examination taken in the last 5 years (optional).
• Meet the minimum requirements for English language proficiency (for international students).

Prerequisites

Candidates are expected to have the necessary science and mathematics background and should have successfully completed coursework deemed equivalent to that of the B.S. in Geophysics degree at the University of Houston. The department will determine any deficiencies and the acceptable means of removing those deficiencies.

Degree Requirements

The Online Non-Thesis M.S. Geophysics with a Specialization in Petroleum Geophysics requires students to satisfactorily complete 39 credit hours of a fixed curriculum with a 3.0 or greater GPA. The curriculum includes:

• Twelve formal Earth & Atmospheric Sciences courses (GEOL) at the 6000 level or higher.
• A Capstone Research course.

Fixed Curriculum

The fixed curriculum includes the following courses:

• GEOL 6381 - Petroleum Geology - Credit Hours: 3.0
• GEOL 6380 - Sequence Stratigraphy - Credit Hours: 3.0
• GEOL 6350 - Advanced Structural Geology - Credit Hours: 3.0
• GEOL 6395 - Petroleum Seismology - Credit Hours: 3.0
• GEOL 6372 - Petroleum Geochemistry - Credit Hours: 3.0
• GEOL 6390 - 3D Seismic Exploration I - Credit Hours: 3.0
• GEOL 7325 - Petrophysics and Formation Evaluation - Credit Hours: 3.0
• GEOL 6393 - Seismic Amplitude Interpretation - Credit Hours: 3.0
• GEOL 7333 - Seismic Wave and Ray Theory - Credit Hours: 3.0
• GEOL 7324 - Rock Physics - Credit Hours: 3.0
• GEOL 7341 - Geophysical Data Processing - Credit Hours: 3.0
• GEOL 7330 - Potential Fields Methods - Credit Hours: 3.0
• GEOL 7323 - Borehole Geophysics - Credit Hours: 3.0
• GEOL 7301 - Capstone Project - Credit Hours: 3.0

Capstone Requirement

The Capstone Project requires students to complete a research course with a written report and an oral presentation.

Approximate Costs

The approximate cost of 3 hours of graduate coursework is:

• For Resident students: $3,475.00
• For Non-Resident students: $5,035.00

Tuition and Fees

The tuition and fees include:

• Tuition and Consolidated Fees
• Mandatory Fee Student Service
• Online Education Fee
• Professional M.S. Fee