List of M.S. Theses (1982-Present)
Our department offers a MS degre in Geological Sciences. Students are extremely successful in getting jobs with oil companies and in environmental geology, and several have continued into Ph.D. programs at Universities such as Stanford, UCLA, University of Oregon, and Purdue, among others.
NMSU is located in the southern part of the Rio Grande rift, which provides an ideal setting for a wide variety of geologic studies. World-class exposures are ideal for class field trips as well as local MS projects.
Faculty research includes projects throughout New Mexico, Arizona, Alaska, Mexico and Australia. Faculty specialties can be viewed on their individual pages.Our laboratory facilities include an XRD, XRF, TIMS, LIBS, rock saws, a mineral separation lab, and shatterbox for preparing geochemical samples.
Application Process
The deadline for applications for the Fall Semester has been extended to April 15; all materials must be received by this date. If you are not applying for financial aid (a TA position), you can submit your application as late as July 1. The deadline for those interested in applying for the Spring semester is October 31.There are two applications. One is sent directly to the University Graduate School and you use this form to pay an application fee and arrange for your official transcripts to be sent to NMSU. The other is sent to our department and consists of 3 reference letters and a financial aid application that includes a personal essay. The process includes these steps:
1) Submit the graduate school application directly to the graduate school. Be sure to send the transcript request form to your college(s).
2) If you are applying for financial aid (usually a TA position), submit this form directly to the Department of Geological Sciences. This form also has a place for a statement of your interests.
3) In addition to sending your official GRE scores to NMSU via the GRE Testing Program, please email your cumulative GPA and GRE scores to the Graduate Advisor . The NMSU GRE Institution Code is 4531 and the Geological Sciences GRE Department Code is 0504.
4) Obtain three copies of the Reference Letter form and give it to your referees (hard copy or PDF). These can be submitted in one of three ways:
1) Your referees can mail these directly to the Graduate Advisor at the address listed on the form.
2) Your referees can fill out the PDF form, save it, and email it to the Graduate Advisor
3) Your referees can put a hard copy in a sealed envelope, signed across the seal of the envelope, and give it back to you to submit with your financial aid application.
Note: A student who does not qualify for financial aid may enroll and take classes leading to the department's MS degree in geology. If a TA position opens up during a subsequent semester, and if the student has the required minimum 3.0 GPA, there may be an opportunity to receive financial assistance. In addition, acceptance by the NMSU Graduate School does not mean that you will automatically receive financial aid from the department. Contact us if you have questions about your status.
Offers can be made anytime after your application is complete, but typically do not begin until after February 15. Offers may be made through March, April, and May, so please contact us if you have any questions or have accepted an offer from a different program.
If you do NOT hear from us that does not mean you have not been accepted. This typically means that you are on the wait list and we are waiting to hear from the other students before we can make an offer to you. This process can
If you prefer, we can mail you these forms:
E-mail us to request an application packet from the Department of Geological Sciences.
For more information contact:
Dr. Jeff Amato, Graduate Advisor
Dept. Geological Sciences/MSC 3AB
P.O. Box 30001
Las Cruces, NM 88003
(575) 646-3017
amato (at) nmsu (dot) edu
Useful links for Graduate Students
Long-term class schedule (subject to change)