GEOLOGICAL SCIENCES M.S. DEGREE PROGRAM

Department of Geological Sciences
School of Science
Office: North Science
Phone: (510) 885-3486

Program Description

The Department of Geological Sciences offers graduate study leading to the Master of Science degree in Geology. This program is designed to prepare students for: (1) employment as geologists in government (city, county, regional, state, and federal) and private enterprise (engineering and geotechnical firms, mining and oil companies, etc.); (2) research at the doctoral level in various aspects of geology, geochemistry, geophysics, and oceanography, depending on their undergraduate background; and (3) the Community College Instructor Credential (the master's degree requirement). We also provide continuing education for professional geologists, engineers, planners, etc.

To serve graduate students who are employed during the day, all graduate courses in the Department of Geological Sciences are offered in the evenings and on weekends. In addition to regular catalog courses, recent graduate seminars and advanced topics courses have dealt with such subjects as computer applications in geology, rock mechanics, geothermal exploration, mineral resource evaluation, isotope geochemistry, sedimentary models, and tectonics and sedimentation. Students registered at Cal State Hayward may enrich their graduate programs by enrolling in courses, through cross-registration at the University of California, Berkeley. Additional facilities and part-time employment may be secured through Co-op programs, the Lawrence Berkeley and Livermore National Laboratories, and the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park.

Candidates for this degree must be prepared to engage in significant individual research. Lately, student research in this department has included such topics as contaminant hydrogeology, areal geology and slope stability, engineering geology, glacial geology, marine and geothermal geochemistry, mineral deposits, volcanic petrology, neotectonics, and fluvial and marine sedimentology. It is very important that prospective candidates determine whether their research interests coincide with those of the faculty members before applying. Interested persons are invited to contact the department directly for more details on the program and the availability of financial assistance. Qualifications and advancement in the graduate program are decided by the department Graduate Coordinator with the concurrence of the department faculty.

Environmental Geology Option

Students who complete a combination of appropriate courses in the Department of Geological Sciences and other departments and who complete an environmentally related thesis, will be allowed to receive the M.S. degree with the Environmental Geology Option. A list of appropriate courses may be obtained from the department office.

Admission

With the qualifications listed under "Conditionally Classified Graduate" status below, the M.S. degree program is open to any student in possession of a baccalaureate degree in Geology with course work equivalent at least to the core requirements for the B.S. degree in Geology at Cal State Hayward (including a 5 week or 8 quarter unit, summer field geology course and coursework in mathematics, physics, and chemistry).

Applicants must have a GPA of at least 2.5 in all undergraduate work and at least 2.75 in all geology courses. Any undergraduate geology course with a "D" grade will have to be repeated. Students transferring from another graduate program must have a GPA of at least 3.0 in all graduate geology courses. (No more than 13 units may be transferred.)

Applications must be accompanied by two letters of recommendation from faculty members or work supervisors.

Conditionally Classified Graduate Status
Students who are otherwise qualified but have course deficiencies and/or have not satisfied the University Writing Skills requirement, will be accepted as "Conditionally Classified Graduate" students. Course deficiencies may be removed by enrolling on a "CR/NC" basis. (Students who wish to develop their writing skills should enroll in English 3000 or 3001.)

Classified Graduate Status
Students who fulfill all the requirements for admission to the program will be accorded "Classified Graduate" status once they have satisfied the University Writing Skills requirement. All deficiencies have to be removed, and the University Writing Skills requirement satisfied no later than the completion of 20 units of coursework applicable to the degree or the student will be disqualified.

Selection of Thesis or Academic Advisor

Once "Classified Graduate" status has been attained, each student will be assigned a thesis advisor by the department chair after consultation with the student and the graduate coordinator. The faculty member chosen also will act as academic advisor.

Advancement to Candidacy

In order to be Advanced to Candidacy, the student must have:
  1. been accorded "Classified Graduate" status
  2. been assigned a thesis advisor; and
  3. submitted to the department an acceptable Thesis Prospectus describing the research to be attempted (guidelines for preparation of the Prospectus may be obtained from the department office). The research topic must be approved in advance by the thesis advisor.

Degree Requirements

  1. Advancement to Candidacy
  2. Satisfaction of university requirements described in the Graduate and Post-Baccalaureate Studies chapter at the beginning of the graduate section of this catalog. These include the 32-unit residence requirement, the five-year rule on currency of subject matter, the minimum number of units of 6000-level courses, the 3.00 GPA, and the University Writing Skills requirement
  3. Completion of the study plan outlined below:

    4. Two Graduate Seminars (GEOL 6811) (2,2)
    University Thesis (GEOL 6910) (9)
    Geology Graduate Courses (20)
    Upper division/graduate electives in Geology and related fields (12)
  4. Completion and defense of the University Thesis.

Curricular Requirements

  1. Graduate Geology Course Requirements

    2. All students are required to take two graduate seminars (GEOL 6811), each 2 units. In addition, any combination of graduate geology courses and additional seminars except GEOL 6420 (Internship), GEOL 6900 (Independent Study), and GEOL 6910 (University Thesis) must be taken for a total of 20 units.
  2. Elective Course Requirement

    3. Twelve units must be completed in courses selected from a list of approved upper division and graduate courses in Geology and related disciplines which is available from the department office; at least 4 units must be in Geology courses.
  3. Basic University Requirements

    4. These include the 32-unit residence requirement, the five-year rule on currency of subject matter, the minimum number of units of 6000-level courses, the 3.00 GPA, and the University Writing Skills requirement.
Students cannot receive credit toward the master's degree for:

University Thesis

Requirements: Students must submit to the Thesis Committee, and defend orally, an acceptable University Thesis. The University Thesis is a formal paper reporting the results of original research. This research normally involves field and/or laboratory investigation. The thesis is submitted to the university in the bound format specified in the "University Thesis Writing Guide." A minimum of two copies of the thesis must be submitted to the Thesis Office (WA 859); one copy will be filed in the Department Office. The Thesis Committee comprises the faculty thesis advisor plus either (1) two other faculty members from the Department of Geological Sciences or other appropriate Cal State Hayward faculty, or (2) one other faculty member from the department and one or more qualified individuals from outside the university.

Units Required: GEOL 6910, University Thesis, for a total of 9 units; students may not register for more than 50% of the total units prior to starting the writing of their thesis.

GRADUATE COURSES

Marine Science Courses

6202 Marine Instrumental Analysis (6)
6204 Sampling and Experimental Design (6)
6242 Plate Tectonics (4.5)
6244 Paleoceanography (6)
6245 Deep Sea Sedimentation (6)
6251 Marine Geochemistry (6)
6261 Ocean Circulation and Mixing (6)
6262 Satellite Oceanography (6)
6263 Application of Computers to Oceanography (6)
6274 Advanced Topics in Oceanography (1.5-6)
6286 Graduate Seminar in Marine Geology (3)
6287 Graduate Seminar in Oceanography (3)

Geology Courses

6320 Groundwater (4)
Groundwater resource evaluation methods. Mathematical development of multi-dimensional flow equations. Introduction to computer models and numerical simulation to predict aquifer yields. Inorganic and organic groundwater contamination. Contamination transport processes. Three hrs. lect., 3 hrs. lab. and/or field trips. (Sp)

6321 Aqueous Geochemistry (4)
Chemistry of surface and ground water. Carbonate system and pH, ion exchange, mineral equilibria, salinity, redox reactions, trace elements, isotopes. Thermodynamics and equilibrium in natural waters. Hydrochemical cycling of elements. Cross-listed with CHEM 6321. Prerequisite: GEOL 4110 or upper division Chemistry, or permission of instructor. Three hrs. lect., 3 hrs. lab. (Alt. F)

6322 Water/Rock Interactions (4)
Near-surface interactions between rocks, water, and soils. Clay mineralogy, x-ray diffraction and SEM analysis. Weathering rates, development of soil profiles, kinetic constraints and chemical equilibrium in low temperature water/rock systems. Prerequisite: GEOL 4110 or permission of instructor. Three hrs. lect., 3 hrs. lab., field trip(s). (Alt. F)

6400 Plate Tectonics (4)
Geologic, geophysical, and geochemical evidence for plate tectonics. Mechanisms and implications of plate tectonics with regard to igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic processes and evolution of the crust. Background in geophysics and geochemistry recommended. Four hrs. lect.; one field trip required. (Alt. Y)

6405 Geotectonic Development of California (4)
Advanced treatment of petrology, stratigraphy, and structure of California; interpretation of the state's geologic history in terms of plate and accretion tectonics. Prerequisites: GEOL 3701, -2; 3730; and 3810, or permission of instructor. Two hrs. lect., 6 hrs. lab/field; several weekend (overnight) and Saturday field trips required. (Alt. Sp)

6410 Geologic Hazards (4)
Hazards to welfare and works of people due to faulting, earthquakes, volcanism, landslides, subsidence, expansive soils, and hydrologic processes. Prerequisites: structural geology, petrology, and geomorphology, or consent of instructor. Three hrs. lect., 3 hrs. lab. and/or field trips. (Y)

6411 Engineering Geology (4)
Application of geology in location and planning of engineering works. Study of case histories. Use of geophysical techniques to solve engineering geologic problems. Prerequisite: Graduate standing or consent of instructor. Three hrs. lect., 3 hrs. lab. and/or field trips. (Y)

6412 Advanced Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology (4)
Chemical characteristics of igneous rocks and magmatic evolution. Petrography of igneous and metamorphic rock suites using the polarizing microscope, emphasizing thorough description of mineralogy and textures. Prerequisite: GEOL 3611 or equivalent. Two hrs. lect., 6 hrs. lab. (Alt. Y)

6415 Advanced Sedimentary Petrology (4)
Advanced study of terrigenous-clastic and chemical sedimentary rock petrogenesis, including depositional environments and facies models, diagenesis, and basic analysis techniques. Prerequisites: GEOL 3611 and 3702 or equivalent courses. Three hrs. lect., 3 hrs. lab. Field trip(s). (Alt. Sp)

6420 Internship (1-4)
Professional experience for at least one quarter with a public or private organization involved in geologic studies, summarized in a written report. Credit/No Credit grading only. Prerequisites: "Classified Graduate" status and advisor's approval. No more than 4 units can be applied toward the master's degree. (A)

6510 Mineral Resource Evaluation (4)
The geologist's role in organizing exploration, in supervising mining production and ore processing, appraising mineral deposits, and estimating reserves. Principles of mining economics. Prerequisite: graduate standing in geology or instructor's approval. Three hrs. lect., 3 hrs. lab. (Alt. W)

6620 Advanced Topics in Geology (4)
Selected advanced topics in geology. May be repeated with consent of instructor. Prerequisite: graduate standing or consent of instructor. Four hrs. lect. (Y)

6621 Advanced Topics in Geology with Laboratory (4)
Selected advanced topics in geology. May be repeated with consent of instructor. Prerequisite: graduate standing or consent of instructor. Three hrs. lect., 3 hrs. lab. (Y)

6811 Graduate Seminar (2)
Investigation of a selected geologic topic. May be repeated for credit with consent of instructor. Prerequisite: graduate standing or consent of instructor. Two hrs. seminar. (Y)

6900 Independent Study (1-4)
CR/NC grading only. No more than 4 units may be applied toward the master's degree. (A)

6910 University Thesis (1-9)
Development and writing of a formal research paper for submission to the university in the specified bound format. Supervision by a departmental committee, at least two of whom must be Cal State Hayward faculty members. Oral defense required. CR/NC grading only. Prerequisites: "Classified Graduate" status and advisor's approval. Maximum of 9 units per student. (See also "University Thesis Writing Guide," available in WA 859.) (A)