Go to Wesleyan Homepage Go to Navigation Menu Go to Directories Go to Events Calendar Go to Search Wesleyan Go to Portfolio Sign-in
Earth & Environmental Science
E&ES HOME
Undergraduate Program

Overview

General Guidelines

Requirements

Forms

Recent Theses

Office of Graduate Student Services
People
Research and Facilities
Environmental Studies Certificate Program
Of Note
Of Note

GRADUATE PROGRAM

The Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences offers a program leading to the degree of Master of Arts in Earth & Environmental Science.  Graduate students are offered a unique opportunity for accelerated and personalized instruction, with an emphasis on research.  The research opportunities cover the broad and overlapping fields of Earth Science and Environmental Science.  Some of our M.A. students continue their education for a Ph.D. degree at another institution whereas for others the M.A. is the terminal degree.  The Wesleyan program includes options for students who have an insufficient undergraduate background in Earth Science, due either to a decision to enter the discipline at a late stage or to limited opportunities in an undergraduate program.

Research

Conducting original research is an important component of graduate studies.  Upon arrival, students are expected to discuss their research interests with the E&ES faculty.  Students should identify a project and advisor in the course of their first semester, so that they can start their research as soon as possible.  Students must realize that they will spend much of their time on the chosen research project, so they should ensure that the topic indeed represents their interests.  We expect graduate students to fully participate in the teaching and learning activities in the department, including attendance of departmental seminars and presentations.

Areas of faculty specialization (also check faculty webpages)

  • Barry Chernoff: Systematics and biogeography of freshwater fishes of Latin America; morphological evolution; conservation of aquatic ecosystems.
  • Martha S. Gilmore: Planetary geomorphology; remote sensing of Mars, Venus, southwest U. S., and Long Island Sound.
  • James Greenwood: Cosmochemistry, sulfur and oxygen isotopic systematics of chondrites and martian meteorites, Mars analogue studies in St. Lucia.
  • Tim Ku: Aqueous geochemistry; isotope geochemistry; the biogeochemistry of marine and terrestrial sediments of the tropics (Panama, St. Lucia) and North America.
  • Suzanne O'Connell: Sedimentology; marine geology, paleoceanography/climate change, continental margin sedimentology in the North Atlantic and Southern Oceans.
  • Phil Resor: Structural geology and crustal deformation, Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
  • Dana Royer: Paleontology; terrestrial paleoclimatology and paleoecology, paleobotany, carbon cycle, plant physiology
  • Ellen Thomas: Paleontology; paleoceanography and micropaleontology of deep ocean basins, coastal salt marshes and marginal basins in the northeastern U. S.
  • Joop C. Varekamp: Geochemistry; volcanic and geothermal fluids, volcanology, volcanic petrology, pollution geochemistry, Long Island Sound studies.

Funding

The suitability of incoming students for the MA program is evaluated at the end of the first semester.  Subsequently, graduate student stipends may be guaranteed for another 1.5 years.  The terms of the stipend require that the student devote ~10 hours per week on departmental responsibilities, such as driving the departmental vans, assisting in laboratory maintenance or teaching assistantships.  Teaching assistants are assigned specific duties by their supervising faculty.  Duties may include the supervision of laboratories, assisting the faculty in lecture preparation, providing help sessions and grading.

Instructional holidays and University breaks apply to academic course meetings, not necessarily to research.  Be aware that faculty use much of these breaks to perform research as they have other commitments during the academic year.  As a student's research often involves close collaboration with the faculty, graduate students will commonly devote university breaks to research.  Students' vacations should be planned with the faculty advisor to ensure continuity of research.

General Guidelines

Graduate Office.  Each student has access to the shared graduate student office (SC 307).  A telephone is available there for local calls.  Some students may have their desk in one of the laboratories, depending upon their research topic.

Laboratories and Equipment.  Graduate students are expected to share responsibility for the upkeep, safety and security of departmental laboratories and equipment.

Department Office.  Each student will have a mailbox in the departmental office and a Wesleyan e-mail account.  Use of office supplies, copying etc., will be at advisor's discretion.
Of Note