GRADUATE STUDIES

Graduate program in our department is based entirely on research, although a number of courses are required to build the background of students. Graduate students usually start their research in the second year, if not earlier. They work intimately with their supervisors, but on a philosophical basis and for deeper understanding the fundamentals of their science.

Research topics in our department include almost the entire Earth sciences. Some professors are interested in the geochemical and geophysical processes in the deep interior of the Earth and investigate chemical differentiation, mineralogy and petrology of the deep mantle, mantle dynamics and thermal evolution of the planet. Some are focused on upper few hundred kilometers and are concerned with chemical differentiation and petrology, properties of rocks at high temperatures and pressures, partial melting and volcanic processes, plate tectonics and strength of the lithosphere, and structure, deformation and magnetic properties of the crust.

Many professors are interested in near surface and surface properties, such as stratigraphy, paleontology, mineral resources and economic geology, seismic prospecting of petroleum resources, low-temperature geochemistry and mineralogy, pollutant dynamics and transportation, and astrobiology. Some professors are interested in the analysis and interpretation of geophysical data such as time series analysis and gravity and magnetic fields of the Earth.

Besides the Earth, some professors are also interested in the geochemical and geophysical processes in other terrestrial planets (Venus, Mars and the Moon) and use satellite data to investigate the internal dynamics and evolution of these planets.