A. Program Description

Scope

The Master of Science in Applied Geosciences provides an advanced degree that prepares students for careers in private industry, government agencies, teaching in community colleges or high schools, or continuing postgraduate studies leading to a doctoral degree at another university. The graduate program also provides an opportunity for professional geoscientists to update and upgrade their job skills. There are no formal concentrations within the program, but most students will choose to emphasize one of five areas: (1) Quaternary Geology and Neotectonics; (2) Engineering and Environmental Geology; (3) Sedimentology and Micropaleontology, (4) Marine Sciences, or (5) Meteorology of the Coastal Zone. Students who choose an emphasis in Marine Sciences will be expected to take courses available at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, an affiliate of SFSU. Before beginning course work toward the M.S., the student must prepare a course of study in consultation with the graduate coordinator for either geology or meteorology.

A major focus of the graduate program is interdisciplinary studies of the San Francisco Bay Area. We offer courses in environmental geosciences, focusing on sedimentology, stratigraphy, Quaternary geology, engineering geology and applied meteorology with a coastal emphasis. Two of the core courses (GEOL/METR 700 and 701) prepare students for the more advanced courses and thesis research. The third core course (GEOL/METR 702) is a multidisciplinary seminar that exposes students to current geoscientific problems of concern to the San Francisco Bay Area. Emphases are placed on a rigorous grounding in the sciences and on extensive laboratory and field work. The Geosciences Department includes faculty with expertise in geology, meteorology, and oceanographyÑfields that are critical to understanding many environmental problems, such as air and water contamination, coastal erosion, and global warming.

Career Outlook

Geoscientific investigations provide the key to finding new sources of useful earth materials and to understanding earth processes that affect our lives. Geoscientists contribute the basic information to society for analyzing problems and establishing policy for resource management, environmental protection, and hazard assessment. Dwindling energy, mineral, and water resources, and increasing environmental concern about global issues such as atmospheric warming with associated rising sea levels, present challenges that create a demand for geoscientific expertise.

Graduates in Geology or Meteorology are currently working in a wide range of fields in the earth sciences. For the next decade, geologists will find the greatest opportunities in the broad areas of environmental/engineering geology, including such specializations as surface and groundwater hydrogeology, geotechnical studies aimed at locating and remediating toxic sites, earthquake and landslide hazard assessment, and site evaluation for urban planning or construction. There also continue to be positions available in petroleum geology and mineral exploration. Meterologists will find opportunities in short and long-range weather forcasting, air pollution assessment, and global climate change research. Recent job trends suggest that the strongest candidates, regardless of the area of specialization, will have a master's degree, several years of experience, and an interdisciplinary background with strong chemistry, physics, mathematics, and computer skills. Geologists and meteorologists in the San Francisco Bay Area are employed by a number of government agencies and environmental consulting firms.

The M.S. in Applied Geosciences trains students to teach geosciences at community colleges or high schools, and prepares others to continue into doctoral programs leading to careers in university teaching and research. The increased emphasis on science in high schools and the new California mandate for earth science education in the elementary science curriculum provide many opportunities for teachers trained in the geosciences. Students interested in earth science education may choose to supplement their science education with elective courses in the education department.

Admission to the Program

To be considered for admission to the master's program as a classified graduate student, applicants must:

1. Satisfy the University admission requirements.

2. Have a bachelor's degree in one of the geosciences (geology, meteorology, or oceanography).

3. Have an undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0 in geoscience and related science and math courses.

4. Satisfactorily complete the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) general test.

5. Provide letters of recommendation from at least 2 persons familiar with the applicant's previous academic work and/or professional accomplishments.

6. Submit a statement of purpose.

Letters of recommendation and statement of purpose should be submitted directly to the appropriate Graduate Coordinator in the Department of Geosciences. Other materials should be submitted to the Graduate Division of the University.

Applicants lacking the appropriate background (i.e., geoscience degree) may be admitted as conditionally classified graduate students. These students must complete additional course work that will not be counted toward the graduate requirements. Conditionally admitted students take courses but may not file a Graduate Approved Program (GAP) until the conditions have been fulfilled.

Written English Proficiency Requirement

Each graduate student is required to demonstrate an acceptable level of written English proficiency on two levels:

1. Level One is satisfied by passing the Graduate Essay Test (GET), administered by the University Testing Center, preferably before enrollment in the master's program, but no later than the end of the first semester of enrollment. If remedial work is necessary, the student will be expected to complete prescribed course(s) in English.

2. Level Two is satisfied by the completion of a written thesis (GEOL/METR 898).

Advancement to Candidacy

To be advanced to candidacy, each student must:

1. Satisfy level one of the written English proficiency requirement.

2. Satisfy all course deficiencies stipulated upon entrance into the program.

3. Have a faculty advisor and a research prospectus that has been approved by the student's thesis committee.

4. File a Graduate Approved Program (GAP).

Elective units are chosen from courses offered by the Department of Geosciences or other university departments, and must be selected by students in consultation with their faculty advisors. At least 6 of these units must be courses numbered 700 or higher, and at least 6 must be courses offered in the Geosciences Department.

Students can receive their graduate degrees when all course requirements are completed and the written thesis, including oral defense, has been approved by the thesis committee. Some students may choose, with their thesis advisors' approval, to complete research under the auspices of a local governmental agency, or geoscientific or environmental firm. Those who chose this option must still complete all the requirements for a thesis, but do so in the context of an internship relationship with an outside agency.

Course Descriptions

Geology

700 Quantitative Methods in the Applied Geosciences (3) Prerequisites: graduate standing; MATH 124; MATH 222; METR/GEOL 206; or consent of instructor. Overview of quantitative methods, principally statistical and computer techniques necessary for geoscience problem solving. Classwork, two units; laboratory and field work, one unit.

701 Research Methods in the Applied Geosciences (3) Prerequisite: GEOL/METR 700, or consent of instructor . Overview of research methods, including problem formulation, literature searches, proposal writing, and scientific report writing. Course goal is to prepare and present a research prospectus.

702 Seminar in Applied Geosciences Topics (3) Prerequisites: GEOL/METR 700 and 701, or consent of instructor . Discussion of interdisciplinary topics to explore connections among the geosciences; format to include outside speakers and assigned readings.

752 Coastal Processes (3) Prerequisites: graduate or senior standing, GEOL/METR 102, or consent of instructor. Study of the physical and biological processes responsible for the development and evolution of coastal landforms. Investigations of major coastal environments with an emphasis on local conditions. Classwork, two units; laboratory and field work, one unit.

754 Quaternary Geology (3) Prerequisites: graduate or senior standing; GEOL 450. Study of Pleistocene and Holocene environments, and their geomorphic and stratigraphic record. Topics include soil characterization, landscape evolution, influence of climate changes and active tectonics, and human impacts. Classwork, two units; laboratory and field work, one unit.

761 Applied Sedimentology Prerequisites: graduate or senior standing; GEOL 460. Sources, weathering, erosion, transportation, and deposition of sediments. Techniques for characterizing rock, sediment, and soil found in outcrops, cores, fault trenches, or soil pits. Techniques include field descriptions, sequence stratigraphy, petrography, and geophysical logging and surveying. Classwork, two units; laboratory and field work, one unit.

774 Problems in Engineering Geology (3) Prerequisites: graduate or senior standing; GEOL 474. Advanced engineering geology with a focus on investigating local problems. Classwork, two units; laboratory and field work, one unit.

775 Hydrogeology (3) Prerequisites: graduate or senior standing; PHYS 220. Study of the geologic occurrence, distribution, storage, movement, and quality of water in rocks and sediments of the earth's surface. Includes evaluation of the chemical and physical changes produced during the hydrologic cycle. Classwork: two units; laboratory and field work, one unit.

776 Groundwater Contamination (3) Prerequisites: graduate or senior standing; GEOL 775. Application of hydrogeologic principles to environmental and water resource problems involving contaminated groundwater.

896 Directed Reading (1-3) Prerequisite: graduate standing. Intensive supervised literature research in a specific topic, concept, or area chosen on the basis of individual student need. Readings, tutorial discussion, and research report or creative projects required.

897 Research Project (1-3) Prerequisites: graduate standing; GEOL/METR 700 and 701. Thesis research incorporates all aspects of investigative studies from data collection in the field or laboratory to data analysis.

898 MasterÕs Thesis Preparation (3) Prerequisites: graduate standing; GEOL/METR 700, 701, and 702. Preparation of a written thesis and an oral defense.

Meteorology

700 Quantitative Methods in the Applied Geosciences (3) Prerequisites: graduate standing; statistics and calculus courses; experience with the use of computers. Overview of quantitative methods, principally statistical and computer techniques necessary for geoscience problem solving. Classwork: two units; laboratory and field work, one unit.

701 Research Methods in the Applied Geosciences (3) Prerequisite: graduate standing. Overview of research methods, including problem formulation, literature searches, proposal writing, scientific report writing. Course goal is to prepare and present a research prospectus. Classwork: three units.

702 Seminar in Applied Geosciences Topics (3) Prerequisites: graduate standing; GEOL/METR 700 and 701. Discussion of interdisciplinary topics to explore connections among the geosciences; format to include outside speakers and assigned readings.

725 Synoptic Meteorology of Midlatitude Oceans (3) Prerequisites: graduate or senior standing. Analysis of mesoscale atmospheric features and the problems encountered in forecasting them. Real-time examples of mesoscale forecasting issues are selected for detailed discussions during the course of the semester. Classwork: two units; laboratory and field work, one unit.

780 Advanced Weather Satellite Analysis Techniques (3) Prerequisites: graduate or senior standing. Advanced skill in weather satellite analysis and interpretation applied to an operational research problem. Classwork: one unit; laboratory and field work, one unit.

810 Atmospheric and Oceanic Dynamics of Coastal Zones (3) Prerequisites: graduate or senior standing. Application of basic dynamical equations that govern atmospheric and oceanic motions to understand phenomena of coastal zones. Land/sea breezes, topographically trapped Kelvin waves, coastal and island eddies, coastal upwelling and marine layers, etc. Classwork: two units; laboratory and field work, one unit.

815 Analysis and Prediction of Severe Storms (3) Prerequisites: graduate or senior standing. Examination of the thermodynamics, dynamics, and synoptics of thunderstorm clusters including mesoscale convection complexes in the High Plains and West Coast comma clouds. Overview of observational instrumention including Doppler radar. Classwork: two units; laboratory and field work, one unit.

820 Physics of Atmosphere-Ocean Interface (3) Prerequisites: graduate or senior standing. Study of the interactions between the ocean and atmosphere, with a focus on the exchange of heat, moisture and momentum at different geographical locations and times. Impact of ocean-atmosphere interactions on climate. Classwork: two units; laboratory and field work, one unit.

896 Directed Reading (1–3) Prerequisites: graduate standing. Intensive supervised research in a specific topic, concept, or area chosen on the basis of individual student need. Readings, tutorial discussion, and research report or creative projects required.

897 Research Project (1-3) Prerequisites: graduate standing; GEOL/METR 700 and 701. Thesis research incorporates all aspects of investigative studies from data collection in the field or laboratory to data analysis.

898 MasterÕs Thesis Preparation (3) Prerequisites: graduate standing; GEOL/METR 700, 701, and 702. Preparation of a written thesis, and an oral defense.

B. Space and Facilities

The department has five teaching laboratories, including:

1. Sedimentology laboratory with equipment for analyzing sediments and sedimentary rocks (e.g., equipment for grain-size analysis, microscopes, coring and bottom sampling equipment, water-sampling equipment).

2. Earthquake laboratory with surveying equipment for measuring active fault displacements.

3. Weather graphics acquisition laboratory with computerized interactive workstations, real time data and facsimile map access, a satellite image acquisition system and a networked SUN Micro Lab networked to receive WXP, state-of-the-art weather graphics acquisition display and print programs made available to universities who commit faculty and infrastructure resources to the development of their atmospheric science programs.

4. Micropaleontology laboratory with equipment for microfossil preparation and analysis.

5. Earth Systems Laboratory equipped with 13 Power Macintosh computers, scanner, and laser printer.

The department has five additional facilities for study and research, including:

1. X-Ray diffraction project room.

2. Meteorological library and student study room.

3. Geological library and student study room.

4. Petrographic preparation room equipped with thin section machines, rock cutting saws, rock grinders, and related equipment.

5. Weather station.

The department has access to several off-campus research and teaching facilities, including:

1. Sierra Nevada Field Campus - classrooms, laboratory, and lodging facilities for course and research use.

2. Romberg Tiburon Center (part of SFSU located about 30 miles from campus) - equipment for biological and physical oceanography; research vessel for estuarine studies.

3. Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (part of a CSU consortium with SFSU, located about 90 miles from campus) - equipment for many aspects of oceanographic study and research, including research vessels for open-ocean and coastal waters studies; ten-member faculty with expertise in biological, physical, chemical, and geological oceanography.

C. Library Resources

The library at SFSU has a collection of books and journals in the fields of geology, meteorology and oceanography. The Department of Geosciences' Fosberg-Quinn Library of Atmospheric and Earth Sciences contains additional textbooks and journals, including an historical colleciton of Monthly Weather Review and the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society back to the beginning of this century, manuscript weather maps, historical synoptic charts, Climatological Data, data archive for the Campus Weather Station, USGS topographic and geologic quadrangles for all 50 states, seismograph records for the campus seismograph station and many other holdings. Other more complete geoscientific collections are available nearby at the earth science libraries of UC Berkeley and Stanford University. The U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park, and the California Academy of Science and California Division of Mines and Geology in San Francisco also have accessible library facilities.

D. Additional Available Equipment

1. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) in the Biology Department.

2. NeXT microcomputer laboratory in the Computer Sciences Department (available for graduate- sized classes).

E. Additional Information