Master of Science - Environmental Geosciences

The Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences offers graduate study leading to the Master of Science degree in Environmental Geosciences, focusing on near surface and environmental geology, seismic hazards and Bay Area tectonics, and water and soil characterization and remediation.

This program is designed to prepare students for:

1. employment as geologists and environmental scientists in government (city, county, regional, state, and federal) and private consulting firms (environmental, engineering, and geotechnical firms, mining and oil companies, etc.);
2. professional licensing requirements;
3. doctoral study in environmental science, geology, geochemistry, and geophysics; and
4. teaching at the Community College level

The department also provides continuing education for professional geologists, engineers, planners, etc.

The M.S. program is unique in the bay area in that many courses are offered in the evenings, and augmented by field experiences. Graduate seminars address diverse subjects; for example, geochemical evolution of groundwater, natural tracers of geologic processes, tectonic geomorphology, earthquake hazards, bay area tectonics, near-surface geophysics, and modern depositional environments. The department maintains strong connections with East Bay Regional Parks, the California Environmental Protection Agency, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, NASA Ames, the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park, and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.

Candidates for the M.S. degree will engage in significant, guided, individual research. Recent M.S. thesis and project research topics include near surface geophysics, groundwater dating, groundwater nitrate source identification, local catchment characterization, surface water-groundwater interaction, geologic mapping, slope stability, geochemistry, Bay Area structural geology, engineering geology, and neotectonics. Prospective candidates should determine whether their research interests coincide with those of the faculty members before applying to the program.