Graduate Catalog
2023-2024
 
Policies, Procedures, Academic Programs
Geosciences
College of Science
Derring Hall contains offices, classrooms, and laboratory space for many of the science programs at Virginia Tech, such as biological sciences and geological sciences. The Museum of Geosciences is also located in the building. Construction began in 1967 and was completed in 1969. Named after Paul Neyron Derring (1894-1973) who was Secretary of the YMCA from 1918 to 1957 and Director of Religious Affairs from 1957 to 1964.
4044 Derring Hall, Mail Code: 0420, 926 West Campus Drive Blacksburg VA 24061
Derring Hall
Degree(s) Offered:
• MS
MS Degree in Geosciences
Minimum GPA: 3.0
Offered In:
Blacksburg
• PhD
PhD Degree in Geosciences
Minimum GPA: 3.0
Offered In:
Blacksburg
Email Contact(s):
Web Resource(s):
Phone Number(s):
540/231-8824
Application Deadlines:
Fall: Jan 05
Spring: Oct 01
Directions
To get Google Maps directions from:

The Graduate School
to
Derring Hall

Get Directions

Department Head : Steven Holbrook
Graduate Program Director : Brian Romans
Emeriti Faculty: Thomas Burbey; Kenneth Eriksson; Gerald Gibbs; Michael Hochella; James Read; Akhaury Sinha; J Snoke
Professors: Robert Bodnar; Mark Caddick; Patricia Dove; Steven Holbrook; John Hole; Scott King; Richard Law; Brian Romans; Nancy Ross; Madeline Schreiber; James Spotila; Robert Weiss; Shuhai Xiao
Associate Professors: Benjamin Gill; Frederick Michel; Sterling Nesbitt; Ryan Pollyea; Manoochehr Shirzaei; D Stamps; Michelle Stocker; Michael Willis; Ying Zhou
Assistant Professors: George Allen; Julia Cisneros; Megan Duncan; Cristina Dura; Susanna Werth
University Distinguished Professor: Robert Bodnar; Patricia Dove
Research Professors: Martin Chapman
Senior Instructors: Neil Johnson
Adjunct Faculty: Eileen Martin; Mitsuhiro Murayama; Philip Prince; William Schmachtenberg; Sheryl Singerling
Instructors: Laura Neser
Research Scientists: Sean Bemis; Lowell Moore; Rachel Reid; Vicki Yarborough
Collegiate Associate Professors: John Chermak

Geosciences Introduction

The mission of Virginia Tech's Department of Geosciences is to discover and share knowledge of Earth processes, systems and history. We offer the MS and PhD degree programs at the Blacksburg campus. Our students and faculty investigate Earth processes at scales that range from atomic to planetary. We encourage interdisciplinary approaches to research in the geosciences, both within the department and through interdepartmental programs.

More details about the department, faculty, and research programs can be found at http://www.geos.vt.edu/. We encourage prospective students to fill out a pre-application survey and to contact individual faculty to explore research opportunities.

Funding Opportunities

 Those accepted into our graduate program are provided financial support for the academic year through one of the following ways:
  • Graduate Teaching Assistantship (GTA): The department receives GTA funding from the university to support our undergraduate teaching mission. Students on assistantships receive a stipend, tuition, and a significant fraction of the costs for a University sponsored healthcare plan.
  • Graduate Research Assistantship (GRA): Many faculty have active research programs that include funds for research assistants. GRAs receive stipends, tuition remission, and healthcare benefits, similar to GTAs.
  • Fellowships: Our applicants are eligible to compete for external fellowships (such as the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program), University- and College-level fellowships, and numerous other competitive sources. Some of these fellowships typically include multiple-year support guarantees, summer research support, and possibly travel or discretionary funds. Some are only available to US citizens and permanent residents and/or have other eligibility requirements.
Students may be supported in multiple ways during their time in the program, and initial funding details are provided in the department's offer of admission. MS students receive 4 semesters of guaranteed support, PhD students with an MS receive 8 semesters of guaranteed support, and direct PhD students (without an MS) receive 10 semesters of guaranteed support. Funding is contingent upon maintaining full-time graduate student status and continuing satisfactory academic progress toward degree. Summer support, while not guaranteed, is generally available through a combination of department scholarships and grant funding.
Offered In (Blacksburg)

Degree Requirements

Minimum GPA: 3.0
Institution code: 5859
Testing Requirements:
  • TOEFL
    • Computer
      • 250.0
    • iBT
      • 80.0
    • Paper
      • 600.0
  • IELTS
    • General Test
      • 6.5
The M.S. student must pass a minimum of 30 credit hours, at least 20 of which must be taken as coursework, and at least 6 must be research credits. The final exam for the M.S. degree is a defense of the thesis.

The GRE is no longer required.

Virginia Tech will accept IELTS scores of 6.5 or higher in lieu of the TOEFL.
Offered In (Blacksburg)

Degree Requirements

Minimum GPA: 3.0
Institution code: 5859
Testing Requirements:
  • TOEFL
    • Paper
      • 600.0
    • Computer
      • 250.0
    • iBT
      • 80.0
  • IELTS
    • General Test
      • 6.5
Ph.D. students must pass a minimum of 90 credit hours, at least 30 of which must be taken as coursework, and at least 30 must be research credits. The department does not give a standardized qualifying exam, but Ph.D. students must take a preliminary exam. The Ph.D. advisory committee shall have responsibility for the make-up and administration of the exam. The exam shall include both an oral and a written portion. Regulations that apply for the exam are: (1) the examination must be taken at least six months before the thesis/dissertation defense, and (2) at least 24 hours of coursework and/or research must remain to be taken at the time of the examination, including work for which the student is currently enrolled. It is recommended that the student meet with his/her advisory committee prior to preparing the exam to discuss the nature of the exam and the evaluation process. The final exam for the Ph.D. degree is a defense of the dissertation.

The GRE is no longer required.

Virginia Tech will accept IELTS scores of 6.5 or higher in lieu of the TOEFL.

Geosciences Facilities Introduction

The Department of Geosciences is currently housed in Derring Hall. (See https://geos.vt.edu/research/Research_Facilities.html for more details on our Derring laboratory and research space.)

Geosciences Research Facilities

Aqueous Geochemistry Laboratory

Biogeochemistry of Earth Processes (BGEP) Laboratory Chemical Hydrogeology Laboratory

Bone Histology and Thin Section Laboratory

Derring Electron Beam Laboratory (Cameca SX50 Electron Microprobe and Camscan Series II SEM)

Exploration Geophysics Field Equipment Laboratory

Extant Comparative Laboratory

Fluids Research Laboratory

Fossil Preparation Laboratory

Fossil Visualization Laboratory

Geochemical Sample Preparation Clean Laboratory

Geophysics Computing Facilities

Geothermal Database

Hydrothermal Synthesis and Experiment Laboratories

Laser-Ablation ICPMS Laboratory

Light Stable Isotope Laboratory Micropaleontology Laboratory

Lithospheric Dynamics and Tectonophysics Laboratory

Nanogeochemistry, Mineral Surface Geochemistry, and Biogeochemistry Laboratory

Optical Microscopy and Digital Photomicrography Laboratory

Physical Hydrogeology Laboratory

Radiogenic Helium Laboratory

Sedimentology and Stratigraphy Laboratory

Structural Geology Laboratory

Vibrational Spectroscopy Laboratory

Virginia Tech Seismological Observatory

X-ray Diffraction Laboratory

X-ray Fluorescence Laboratory

Cameca IMS-7F-GEO Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometer (SIMS) Laboratory (Geosciences Dept. facility housed in the Nanoscale Characterization and Fabrication Laboratory in the Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science, Corporate Research Center)

Cameca SX50 Electron Microprobe (Geosciences Dept. facility housed in the NCFL Laboratory of the Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science, CRC)

ICTAS/NCFL Facility (use available to Geosciences personnel): Dual-Beam FIB, ESEM, EBSD- and EDS-equipped SEMs and multiple TEMs in the Nanoscale Characterization and Fabrication Laboratory in the Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science, CRC (https://www.ncfl.ictas.vt.edu/)


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