Accelerated MS | Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences

Bachelor's + 1 Year = Master's Degree

This program prepares highly motivated students for a variety of careers in geology, geological engineering, and geophysics that require advanced training beyond the bachelor's degree, such as in industry, teaching, independent research, or continued graduate work. You will earn both a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in just five years of full-time study.

This accelerated degree plan allows you to combine the master's degree with a bachelor's degree from Michigan Tech the Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences in geological engineering, geology, and geophysics.

Accelerated MS Requirements

Admissions

Undergraduate students must apply for admission and be accepted to the Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences Accelerated Master's program through the standard Graduate School application process prior to their bachelor's degree being awarded.
Only students who will complete both a Bachelor's and a Master's in Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences at Michigan Tech are eligible to enroll in the accelerated program.
Students already enrolled in a graduate program may not retroactively enroll in the accelerated master's program.

Credit Requirements

Students must earn 30 credits past the Bachelor of Science to complete the requirements for the Master of Science in the Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences
Up to six credits taken as an undergraduate student can be applied toward both the BS and MS degree, as long as they are at the 3000-5000 level and satisfy the requirements for both degrees.
These six credits would typically be earned through electives and are independent of a maximum of six Senior Rule credits that may additionally count toward the MS, thus a total of 12 credits earned while an undergraduate could be applied toward the Master's degree. Graduate School rules on course requirements for master's degree will apply.
A maximum of 12 credits may be taken at the 3000 or 4000 level.
A minimum of 12 credits taken at the 5000 or 6000 level.
Up to 3 research credits earned by an undergraduate can be applied toward a research-based (thesis or report option) master's degree as long as the credits are earned after the student has attained senior-level standing.
All credits must meet the Scholastic Standards of the Graduate School in order to be counted toward the credit requirements.

GPA

Only students with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above are eligible to enter the accelerated master's program.
Students who are accepted in the accelerated master's program will not be allowed to continue in this program if their cumulative undergraduate GPA drops below 3.0. However, such a student will be eligible to apply through the non-accelerated master's degree option.

Course Requirements

The Thesis Option requires 20-24 course and 6-10 research credits.
The Report Option requires 24-28 course and 2-6 research credits.
The Coursework-only Option requires 30 course credits.
Up to 6 credits with a B/C grade can be counted with department approval.
Courses with grades less than a B/C will not be counted.

MS Plans

Thesis Option

Graduation Requirements for Thesis (Plan A) Accelerated MS Students in the Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences

This option requires a research thesis prepared under the supervision of the advisor. The thesis describes a research investigation and its results. The scope of the research topic for the thesis should be defined in such a way that a full-time student could complete the requirements for a master’s degree in twelve months or three semesters following the completion of course work by regularly scheduling graduate research credits. The thesis must be prepared following the current procedures.

At least two weeks prior to the oral examination, students must

Schedule their defense using the Current Students tab on MyMichiganTech.
Submit a draft thesis to the Graduate School
Distribute the thesis to the examining committee

The Degree schedule form must be approved before a defense is scheduled.

Students must also report the results of the oral examination and submit a final thesis to the Graduate School prior to completing their degrees.

The minimum requirements are as follows:

Course work (minimum)	24 credits
Thesis research	6 credits
Total (minimum)	30 credits
Distribution of course work credit
5000–6000 series (minimum)	12 credits
3000–4000 level (maximum)	12 credits

Report Option

Graduation Requirements for Report (Plan B) Accelerated MS Students in the Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences

This option requires a report describing the results of an independent study project. The scope of the research topic should be defined in such a way that a full-time student could complete the requirements for a master’s degree in twelve months or three semesters following the completion of course work by regularly scheduling graduate research credits. The report must be prepared following the current procedures.

At least two weeks prior to the oral examination, students must

Schedule their defense using the Current Students tab on MyMichiganTech.
Distribute the report to the examining committee
Submit the report to the Graduate School

The Degree schedule form must be approved before a defense is scheduled.

Students must also report the results of the oral examination and submit the final report to the Graduate School using the current procedures.

Of the minimum total of 30 credits, at least 24 must be earned in course work other than the project.

Course work	28 credits
Report	2 credits
Total (minimum)	30 credits
Distribution of course work credit
5000–6000 series (minimum)	12 credits
3000–4000 level (maximum)	12 credits

Coursework-only Option

Graduation Requirements for Coursework-only (Plan D) Accelerated MS Students in the Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences

This option requires no oral examination.

Course work	30 credits
Total (minimum)	30 credits
Distribution of course work credit
5000–6000 series (minimum)	18 credits
3000–4000 level (maximum)	12 credits

Accelerated MS Degree Curriculum

For each program in:

Geological Engineering
Geology
Geophysics
Mining Engineering

the following options are available:

Accelerated MS Thesis Option
Accelerated MS Report Option
Accelerated MS Coursework-only Option

Contact the graduate program director for curriculum sample plans.

Advising

To help expedite the degree completion, a student should ideally begin conducting degree research with a faculty research advisor no later than during the senior year. Each student will work with a faculty who is a member of the Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences graduate faculty. The advisor's primary responsibility is to supervise the student's research and academic and professional growth, as well as to work with the student to develop an academic plan for enrolling in the appropriate courses.