Graduate Program

Environmental Geosciences, M.S. Program

The Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences offers graduate study leading to the Master of Science degree in Environmental Geosciences, focusing on near surface and environmental geology, seismic hazards and Bay Area tectonics, and water and soil characterization and remediation.

The Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences offers graduate study leading to the Master of Science degree in Environmental Geosciences, focusing on near surface and environmental geology, seismic hazards and Bay Area tectonics, and water and soil characterization and remediation.

This program is designed to prepare students for:

  1. employment as geologists and environmental scientists in government (city, county, regional, state, and federal) and private consulting firms (environmental, engineering, and geotechnical firms, mining and oil companies, etc.);
  2. professional licensing requirements;
  3. doctoral study in environmental science, geology, geochemistry, and geophysics; and
  4. teaching at the Community College level

The department also provides continuing education for professional geologists, engineers, planners, etc.

Our M.S. program is unique in the bay area in that many courses are offered in the evenings, and augmented by field experiences. Graduate seminars address diverse subjects; for example, geochemical evolution of groundwater, natural tracers of geologic processes, tectonic geomorphology, earthquake hazards, bay area tectonics, near-surface geophysics, and modern depositional environments. We maintain strong connections with Â鶹ÃÛÌÒAV Regional Parks, the California Environmental Protection Agency, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, NASA Ames, the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park, and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. 

Candidates for the M.S. degree will engage in significant, guided, individual research. Recent M.S. thesis and project research topics include near surface geophysics, groundwater dating, groundwater nitrate source identification, local catchment characterization, surface water-groundwater interaction, geologic mapping, slope stability, geochemistry, Bay Area structural geology, engineering geology, and neotectonics. Prospective candidates should determine whether their research interests coincide with those of the faculty members before applying to the program. We invite interested persons to contact the department faculty directly for more details on the program. The Graduate Coordinator provides guidance that enables students to complete the requirements for advancement in the graduate program.

The M.S. degree program is open to any student in possession of a baccalaureate degree in Geology, Environmental Science, or a closely related field, with coursework substantially equivalent to the core requirements for the B.S. degree in Geology or Environmental Science at CSU Â鶹ÃÛÌÒAV. Students who do not meet those requirements will be considered on an individual basis and accepted only after approval by a majority of regular faculty members.

Students may be admitted with “Conditionally Classified Graduate” until the qualifications listed under “Classified Graduate” status below are satisfied.

Applicants must have a GPA of at least 2.75 in all undergraduate work. Any undergraduate core course with a “D” grade will have to be repeated. Students transferring from another graduate program must have a GPA of at least 3.0 in all graduate geology or environmental science courses. (No more than 12 units may be transferred.)

Applications must be accompanied by two letters of recommendation from faculty members or work supervisors.

  • Advancement to Candidacy
  • Satisfaction of university requirements described in the Graduate Degree Requirements, Policies, & Other Information chapter in this catalog. These include the 22-unit residence requirement, the five-year rule on currency of subject matter, the minimum number of units of 600-level courses, the 3.00 GPA, and the University Writing Skills requirement. For information on meeting the University Writing Skills Requirement, see the Testing Office website at /testing/.
  • Completion of the 31-32 unit study plan outlined in the
  • Completion and defense of the University Thesis or completion (and defense, as required by the department) of the graduate Project.

Any Questions? Contact Us

Earth and Environmental Sciences
  • Â鶹ÃÛÌÒAV 25800 Carlos Bee Blvd Hayward, CA 94542 North Science 329 College of Science
  • Hayward, CA 94542
  • Phone: (510) 885-3486
  • Fax: (510) 885-2526