http://www.utdallas.edu/dept/geoscience/
Professors: Carlos L. V. Aiken, David E. Dunn (emeritus), Anton L. Hales
(emeritus), William I. Manton, George A. McMechan, Richard M. Mitterer, Dean C.
Presnall (emeritus), Robert H. Rutford, Robert J. Stern
Associate Professors:, Thomas H. Brikowski, James L. Carter, John F.
Ferguson
Assistant Professors: Mohamed G. Abdelsalam, Matthew I. Leybourne
The basic objective of the Department of Geosciences Graduate Program is to
provide students with a broad fundamental background in geosciences as well as
an in-depth emphasis in a particular specialty.
The Master of Science degree (thesis option) is designed for students
desiring research experience in a specific area of the geosciences. This degree
will prepare the student for professional employment in the energy, mining, or
environmental industries or government, as well as those seeking a doctoral
degree. The Master of Science degrees (non-thesis options) are designed for
students who seek employment in the environmental industry, and the industrial
application of Geospatial Information Sciences (GIS).
The Doctor of Philosophy degree in Geosciences emphasizes basic research in
one of the specialties in geosciences and is designed to prepare students for
advanced positions in the energy, environmental or mining professions in
industry or government, or for positions in academia.
The Doctor of Philosophy degree in Geospatial Information Sciences (GIS) is
supported by the Department of Geosciences, the
Research facilities include: JEOL JSM-T300 scanning electron microscope,
Nuclide ELM-2B luminoscope with a Nikon Optiphot equipped with an automated
photographic system, two research quality Zeiss epi-fluorescence reflected
light microscopes with a fluid inclusion stage and video monitor,
photometer-indicator and an automated photographic system, petrographic
microscopes, rock preparation facilities, and machine shop. Network access to a
variety of LINUX workstations, Macintosh and PC computers is available.
Parallel processing is done on two state of the art LINUX clusters with 10
64-bit processors, 42 32-bit processors, and 3 terabytes of disk.
Core viewing and subsurface data analysis lab. �A large-scale scanner for digitizing well log
data is also available.
Field equipment for measuring ground and surface water flow and chemistry,
including borehole bailers, electric water level meter, FlowProbe hand-held
flow meter, Hach DREL 2010 Basic Water Quality Lab (field spectrophotometer, pH
and salinity meters), and YSI-85 DO/salinity/conductivity meter. Software for
modeling water flow and transport, including general interfaces GMS and
ArgusOne, Hydrus-2D (unsaturated flow and transport), TOUGH2 and Tetrad (2-3D
multiphase flow and transport), and many public-domain models. Hardware and
software for visualizing model results, including SGI O2 and Linux
workstations, GoCAD and IBM DataExplorer software.
The Geochemical labs house sample preparation and analytical facilities. The
sample prep lab uses multi-acid digestion and metaborate-tetraborate fusion
techniques to take rock samples into solution for analysis. The analytical lab
hosts the following instruments: 1) A Perkin-Elmer Optima 3300 DV inductively
coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES) instrument, with both
radial and axial determination modes, which permits rapid determination of
major and trace elements in rocks and water samples; 2) A Perkin-Elmer Sciex
Elan 6100 DRC inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS), used for
trace and rare earth element determinations to low parts per trillion levels.
The DRC (dynamic reaction cell) removes interfering Ar species in the plasma
and allows trace determinations of several critical elements such as Fe, As,
and Se. This machine is also used for Se isotope determinations; 3) A Dionex
DX-600 ion chromatograph, used to determine anions and cations in waters, Cl,
F, and Br in rocks, in addition to As and Se speciation; and, 4) Titration
station, for alkalinity determinations.
The principal mass spectrometer is a Finnigan MAT 261 equipped with 9
collectors and a secondary electron multiplier. Also available are an updated
NBS 12 inch instrument that is used principally for Rb isotope dilution
measurements, and a fixed multicollector, donated by Mobil Oil Corp., that is
used for studies of Sr in carbonates. The mass spectrometers are supported by
Class 100 clean room facilities with sub-boiling acid distillation apparatus,
micro- and semi-microbalances, and vessels for pressure decomposition of
refractory silicates. Studies focus on using the evolution of Sr, Nd and Pb as
indexes of petrogenetic processes, geochronology, environmental Pb, use of Pb
as an index of bone mineral resorption, and evolution of marine Sr. A large
inventory of spikes allows precise isotopic dilution analyses of elements of
geological (U, Th, REE), environmental (Ag, Cd), or metabolic interest (Ca, Cu,
Fe, Mg, Zn).
Remote sensing research is carried out using 12 PCs and 3 Sun Ultra
workstations, color and black-and-white printers, and an HP 2500CP Plotter. A
wide range of remote sensing data sets are processed and interpreted, including
orbital radar (SIR-C/X-SAR) and optical (Landsat TM and ETM+, SPOT, and ASTER)
imagery. We have extensive GIS (Geographic Information Systems) facilities
including an ESRI site license with ARC/INFO, ARC/VIEW, ARC/GIS and MAPINFO. We
have a GeoWall stereo projection system and 3D visualization and analysis
packages such as GoCad, AutoCad, and 3D Studio Max.
Geophysical research is supported by two Scintrex CG-3M Gravimeters; a
variety of surveying instruments including Nikon theodolite and data collector,
a TOPCON GPT 2008 Total Station electronic distance meter and theodolite, two
Laser Atlanta Advantage CI reflectorless laser rangefinders, two 16 channel
4000 SSE Trimble dual frequency geodetic GPS receivers, two dual frequency 18
channel Leica 530 RTK GPS systems, a Trimble GeoExplorer GPS system with GIS
dictionary and post-processing capabilities, a Landstar RACAL DGPS real time
sub-meter GPS system, and GPS post-processing software including Leica SKI,
Spectra Precision GeoGenius, Trimble GPSurvey and Trimble Pathfinder Office. We
also have two Scintrex GRS Differential Scintillometers.� Seismic and radar equipment include a Bison
9048 48-channel floating point seismic acquisition system with Betsy, hammer,
and explosive sources for shallow to deep exploration;and pulse EKKO IV and
1000 ground penetrating radars.
The University�s general admission requirements are discussed here.
Applicants are expected to take the GRE General Test (Verbal, Quantitative,
and Analytical Writing). A combined score of no less than 1000 on the Verbal
and Quantitative portions of the exam is advisable based on our experience with
student success in the program. In addition, students should complete and
submit a Supplemental Geosciences Application Form which can be obtained from
the Geosciences Department Office by mail (FO21, University of Texas at Dallas,
Box 830688, Richardson, TX, 75083-0688, USA), telephone (972-883-2401), or
e-mail ([email protected]).
Entering students are expected to have completed the equivalent of the
University�s B.S. degree in Geosciences, as well as a 3-hour scientific
programming course. Students whose undergraduate training is in a science other
than geology or geophysics are admitted to the program when their previous
course work complements or supports their intended research interests. All
entering students with non-geoscience degrees such as physics, math, chemistry
or biology should have completed the following undergraduate courses: physical
geology, rocks and minerals, structural geology, and sedimentology. All
students are expected to have completed a faculty approved field course.
Students may be admitted with some deficiencies but these must be completed
during the first 18 graduate hours. It is understood that the minimum course
requirements for the intended degree, as specified below, apply to
well-prepared students.
The University�s general degree requirements are discussed here.
Additional requirements are specified below for each degree.
The Remote Sensing Certificate is supported by both the Department of
Geosciences and the
The American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (1997) defined
remote sensing as the art, science, and technology of obtaining reliable
information about physical objects and the environment, through the process of
recording, measuring and interpreting imagery and digital representation of
energy patterns derived from non-contact sensor systems.
Remote sensing is a powerful set of software and hardware, computer-based
techniques for extraction and presentation of information represented by raster
and vector spatial data acquired via non-contact sensors. It provides reliable
and cost-effective means of studying the environment for protection, natural
resources management and urban planning. Government and non-government
organizations continuously seek qualified professionals to use remote sensing
for a wide range of applications.
The Graduate Certificate in Remote Sensing is obtained by
completing 15 hours of courses. Students must complete the following courses:
GEOS 5325 Introduction to Remote Sensing, GISC 6381 Introduction to GIS, GEOS
5326 or GISC 7365 Remote Sensing Digital Image Processing, and GEOS 7327 or
GISC 7367 Remote Sensing Workshop. In addition, students can choose one of the
following courses: GISC 7366 Applied Remote Sensing or GEOS 5328 Radar Remote
Sensing.
All students seeking the Master of Science degree (thesis option) must
satisfactorily complete the following requirements (minimum of 35 graduate
semester hours):
In addition to the above requirements, students seeking the M.S. degree must
submit, no later than the second semester of enrollment, an acceptable research
proposal to the supervising committee. Upon completion of the thesis research,
the M.S. degree candidate will publicly defend the thesis.
All students seeking the Master of Science degree (non-thesis option) must
satisfactorily complete a minimum of 36 graduate semester hours of a specified
curriculum in the general area of environmental geosciences.
The Master of Science in Geographic Information Sciences is a professional
program that is offered jointly by the
For the Master�s degree in Geographic Information Sciences, beginning
students are expected to have completed college Mathematics through Calculus
and at least one programming or computer applications course or possess
equivalent knowledge. Students must have the equivalent of GISC 6381 Geographic
Information Systems Fundamentals and GISC 6382 Applied GIS, or they must take
these courses at UTD in addition to the 30 credit hours required for the
MGIS.� Additional details of the curriculum
can be found under �Master of Science in Geographic Information Sciences,� in
the
All students seeking a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Geosciences must
satisfactorily complete the following requirements (90 graduate hours minimum).
In addition to the above course requirements, students seeking the Ph.D.
degree must submit an acceptable research proposal describing the intended
project to be completed for the dissertation. Students entering with a Master�s
should complete this proposal in the third semester; students entering without
a Master�s have until the fourth semester. An oral qualifying examination
covering the broad background and detailed knowledge relating to the student�s
specialization and research proposal will be held in the same semester that the
proposal is submitted. After satisfactory performance on the Qualifying
Examination, the student will complete and publicly defend the dissertation.
Also, see the University�s general
degree requirements. Please note that more detailed instructions for
Geosciences Graduate students are given in the �Guideline for Graduate Students
- Geosciences� that is available in the office of the Department Head.
Doctor of Philosophy in Geospatial Information
Sciences
The Doctor of Philosophy in
Geospatial Information Sciences is an advanced degree offered jointly by the
Individual students can
concentrate in particular discipline areas. The Geosciences component focuses
on remote sensing and mapping technologies, including global positioning
satellite and three-dimensional laser ranging based data capture as well as
other imaging technologies. In particular, these methodologies are applied to
geological, hydrological and environmental problems associated with the
physical Earth.
It is expected that students
will enter this program with diverse educational backgrounds. Applicants may
have Bachelors, Masters or other advanced degrees in any relevant field
including computer science, economics, engineering, geography, geology,
information system management, resource management, geographical information
science and possibly others. At least a Bachelors degree from an accredited (or
equivalent) institution with an undergraduate/graduate grade point average of
3.25 or better is required. A GRE score of 1150 or higher is desirable. Fluency
in written and spoken English is required.�
(Please see detailed degree requirements under �Doctor of Philosophy in
Geospatial Information Sciences,� listed in the