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  The information below is meant to assist current and prospective Biogeochemistry scholars and faculty navigate the dual-title degree requirements. For more detailed information or questions, please contact the Director.

Admission to the Biogeochemistry Dual-Title Degree Program
Once a student has been accepted to a major program of study, application to the dual-title degree program can occur immediately or at a later time, such as upon matriculation. The application to the dual-title degree program should be completed before scheduling the candidacy examination in the major program. Students applying to the program must submit (1) a short essay describing their interest in future biogeochemistry research and (2) a signature form. The complete application can be downloaded here (link coming soon, please stand by).

Degree Requirements
To qualify for a dual-title degree, students must satisfy the requirements of the major graduate program in which they are enrolled, in addition to the minimum requirements of the Biogeochemistry program. Students are required to have two advisors from separate disciplines: one individual serving as a primary advisor in their major degree program (i.e., Soil Science, BMMB, Material Science & Engineering, Chemistry, Ecology, Environmental Engineering or Geosciences) and a secondary advisor in an area within a field covered by the dual-title program and a member of the Biogeochemistry faculty. The major program advisor normally will also be a member of the Biogeochemistry faculty. The two faculty advisors can represent different academic programs, but this is not required, as faculty from a scientifically diverse department could represent very different areas of expertise. To fulfill the course requirements for the dual-title in Biogeochemistry, students must complete a total of 15 graduate credits chosen in consultation with the advisor from an approved list of courses in the areas of biochemistry and microbiology, environmental chemistry, environmental engineering, geochemistry, materials science and engineering, and soil science.

All students must pass a candidacy examination that includes an assessment of their potential in the field of biogeochemistry. In all cases, the result of a single candidacy exam for both entrance to the student's major Ph.D. program and this dual-title program will be reported to the graduate school. When possible, the candidacy exam will involve a single examination that includes biogeochemistry. However, in some cases, such as with the Chemistry Department, existing candidacy procedures preclude use for the Biogeochemistry dual-title program. In these instances that require a major program's existing candidacy procedure to be augmented by a biogeochemistry examination, the structure and timing of this exam will be determined jointly by the dual-title and major program. The student's doctoral committee should include faculty from the major program of study and also faculty with expertise within Biogeochemistry. The field of Biogeochemistry should be integrated into the comprehensive examination. A Ph.D. dissertation that contributes fundamentally to the field of Biogeochemistry is required. A public oral presentation of the dissertation is required, which may be part of the final defense within the major degree program.

Click text below to download pdf detailing course requirements.






 
 


 
 
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