Geology & Geophysics (Graduate Program)

For information regarding the UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM, click here.    

Program Overview

The Department of Geology & Geophysics offers a diverse graduate program in the Earth Sciences. Areas of specialization include biostratigraphy, environmental geology, geochemistry, geophysics, hydrogeology, mineralogy, palynology, petrology, sedimentology, stratigraphy, and tectonics. The department includes approximately 23 faculty members, 23 PhD candidates, 32 master’s candidates, and 48 undergraduate majors. Graduate study in geology and geophysics at LSU provides a balanced combination of coursework and independent research. Research projects focus on important geologic problems throughout the U.S. and in countries on every continent. Graduates have been successful in obtaining employment in academia, government, and industry.

Administration

Admission

Applications and supporting materials for all graduate study must be submitted through the online application site for the LSU Graduate School. Official transcripts, official test scores, and other materials that come from third-party sources must be mailed to: LSU Office of Graduate Admissions, 114 West David Boyd Hall, Baton Rouge, LA 70803. These paper documents are stored electronically and departments have access to all materials submitted by and/or on behalf of a student applying to graduate study.

Applications for admission are received and evaluated by the department Graduate Student Services committee. Applicants must adhere to the application deadlines established by the Graduate School.

Students seeking admission must submit satisfactory credentials from previous study, and three letters of recommendations. International students whose native language is not English must also submit an acceptable TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE score. Address all inquiries to the graduate coordinator in the Department of Geology & Geophysics. Applicants are encouraged to contact individual faculty members in their field of interest prior to application.

Admission is competitive based on prior study including prior research, GPA, letters of recommendation, the match between the student’s research interest and faculty research interests, and availability of funding and facilities.

Financial Assistance

Financial assistance is available to some students. Support may be available through the student’s home department or other units in the form of research or teaching assistantships. A student should contact his or her home department for more information on available assistantship positions. To ensure consideration for financial aid, all application materials should be submitted in accordance with deadlines established by the LSU Graduate School.

The department offers graduate students several forms of financial aid including, but not limited to, Board of Regents Graduate Fellowships; fellowships from industry, alumni organizations, and geological societies; and teaching and research assistantships. Teaching assistantship stipends for the nine-month academic year are approximately $18,321 for MS students and $20,676 for PhD students. Students are responsible for paying applicable fees. To be considered for financial aid, please check the appropriate box on the application form.

Graduate Faculty

(check current faculty listings by department here)

Huiming Bao (EM) • Stable isotope effects in geochemistry, atmospheric chemistry, and environmental sciences
Philip J. Bart (M) • Antarctic marine geology and geophysics, sequence and seismic stratigraphy
Sophie Warny Bart (M) • Palynology with emphasis on oil exploration paleoclimate, and forensic applications
Sam Bentley (M) • Coastal and marine Sedimentology
Gary R. Byerly (EM) • Petrology and geochemistry, planetary and Archean geology
Peter D. Clift (M) •  Sediments, climate, and tectonics
Peter Doran (M) • Hydrology, climate, lakes, polar regions, and astrobiology
Barbara Dutrow (M) • Mineralogy, metamorphic petrology, fluid-rock interaction, computational models of geo/hydrothermal systems
Brooks B. Ellwood (EM) • Stratigraphy, geophysics, geoarchaeology
Ray E. Ferrell (EM)
Adam Forte (6A) Tectonics, structural geology, and geomorphology
Jeffrey S. Hanor (EM)
George F. Hart (EM)
Darrell J. Henry (M) • Metamorphic petrology
Achim Herrmann (M) •  Biogeosciences and environmental geochemistry
Juan M. Lorenzo (M) •  Near-surface seismology of faults, fractures, and soil
Amy Luther (3F) • Structural Geology and fault zone mechanics
Karen M. Luttrell (M) • Geophysics, Crustal Deformation, Tectonic Hazards
Jeffrey A. Nunn (EM) • Geodynamics, subsurface fluid flow, tectonics
Patricia Persaud (6A) • Earthquake seismology and tectonics
Barun K. Sen Gupta (EM)
Jonathan E. Snow (M) •  Igneous petrology and isotope geochemistry
Suniti Karunatillake (M) • Planetary geology
Jianwei Wang (M) • Computational nuclear and earth materials
Carol Wicks (M) • Karst ecohydrogeology
Carol Wilson (6A) •  Sedimentology, coastal, and delta geomorphology
Guangsheng Zhuang (6A) • Molecular isotope geochemistry, paleoclimatology, and paleoaltimetry  

Programs

• Applied Depositional Geosystems Graduate Certificate

• Geology, M.S.

• Geology, Ph.D.