The School of Geosciences has been a global leader in geosciences research and education since it was founded in 1900.
Our outstanding faculty instruct and mentor graduate students in a diverse range of geoscience fields related to Earth, energy, and the environment. Our graduate students are engaged in research and professional geoscience organizations, work towards publishing manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals and present their research at regional, national and international conferences.
January 15: consideration with department funding
April 1: consideration without department funding (international students)
May 1: consideration without department funding (U.S. citizens)
September 1: consideration with department funding
Academic Program Coordinator
The School of Geosciences is committed to providing a complete experience for graduate students. With faculty and departmental support, our students have the opportunity to present their research at regional, national and international conferences.
As a graduate student, you'll have numerous opportunities to build upon the field skills that you learned in your undergraduate program. Many of our graduate student courses have a field trip component. Additionally, you'll conduct research in the field and lab with your faculty advisor to gather data for your thesis or dissertation.
With an active alumni base locally and globally, you'll have access to a network of mentors in a wide range of industries.
The Alumni Advisory Council (AAC) is open to all graduates of the School of Geosciences. The Council has both service and social components that give alumni the opportunity to remain engaged with the School throughout their lives and careers.
An education in geosciences opens up opportunities for a variety of career paths in energy and mineral resources, environmental and academia. Our graduates are also prepared for careers with geoscience applications in law, economics, meteorology, oceanography, science writing and consulting firms.
David Sanger works as an environmental site assessment researcher for the Illinois geological survey, based out of Urbana-Champaign. He performs preliminary environmental site assessments (PESA’s) for the Illinois Department of Transportation's roadway improvement projects. His work involves a physical inspection of the project right of way (ROW), researching local/state/federal regulatory requirements/compliance and producing a written report for the project. The report informs IDOT of any inherent environmental or manmade hazards associated with the projects completion.
Branson Harris works as a geologist for Arcadis; an international environmental consulting firm based out of Amsterdam. He assists in establishing permanent engineering solutions for exposed environmental hazards. His work includes establishing the extent and severity of environmental hazards, executing planned remediation efforts, and continuous monitoring of those efforts. This process includes drilling and logging of soil/rock samples, groundwater sampling of existing monitor wells, installation and monitoring of vapor intrusion mitigation systems, and continuous groundwater pump tests.He currently focuses on Phase I remediation of PFAS (polyfluoroalkyl substances) within the Texas and Oklahoma federal Air Force bases.
Alicia (Bonar) Mount (B.S. in Geology, West Virginia University 2015; M.S. in Geology, New Mexico State University 2018; Ph.D. in Geology, University of Oklahoma 2023) works as an exploration geologist at Continental Resources in Oklahoma City, OK. She's also on Continental's geoscience recruitment team and looks forward to bringing industry opportunities to OU students.
Lily Pfeifer (B.S. Geology Bucknell University ‘12; M.S. Geology OU ’14; Ph.D. Geology OU ’20) worked between OU MS and PhD degrees, first as a development geologist at ConocoPhillips (TX), and then as a data analyst for Fisher Investments (WA). She is now a faculty member in the Department of Geology at Rowan University, where she teaches about sedimentary processes, ancient sedimentary basins, and field geology. She continues to apply traditional field methods and a variety of analytical techniques (e.g., geochronology, geochemistry, cyclostratigraphy, granulometry) to address research questions about deep-time (pre-Quaternary) terrestrial paleoclimate.
I am a Ph.D. student in geosciences at OU. I am originally from Kentucky, where I earned my bachelor's in geosciences. While at the University of Kentucky, I was exposed to geology late into my undergraduate program and decided to switch majors, never to look back.
During my undergraduate research, my advisor Dr. Ryan Thigpen introduced me to the world of tectonics and some of the techniques used to date tectonic events (such as thermochronology and geochronology). Thanks to his guidance, this baseline knowledge of tectonics helped me define the work I would later do for my master’s program at OU. I would go on to work with Dr. Mike Soreghan here at OU where I looked at the timing of exhumation along faults bounding Lake Tanganyika.
Currently, I am continuing my master’s research by looking at erosion rates along the lakeshores that may tell us more about fault history and sediment accumulation in Lake Tanganyika.
After graduate school, I plan to work in the geohazard mitigation industry and continue to academia. I want to show folks in the black community the opportunities available in geosciences and that people of color are welcomed in these spaces.
There are four active student organizations in the School of Geosciences.
The OU AAPG Student Chapter is very diverse in terms of its membership with good mix of geologists, geophysicists and petroleum engineers from both undergraduate and graduate programs. Our main goals are to promote fellowship within the department, as well as giving our members various skills that they can transfer over into their professional fields.
Pick and Hammer is an official OU Student Organization that raises awareness of the importance of geology and geophysics in society, and creates a venue for students to explore the geosciences through field trips, social events and community outreach. The organization is open to all undergraduate and graduate students of various majors.
SEG student chapters empower students to participate and spearhead projects that will address issues, challenges, and opportunities related to the SEG's mission of promoting the science of geophysics.
Our chapters provide opportunities for education, training, and networking at a local level, where a diverse group of conservation-minded members meet to discuss and address the environmental challenges facing their particular landscapes and communities.
