Prospective Students

Graduate Program

Out in the field or on the back of an envelope, our graduate students find new and surprising ways to attack scientific problems. We spend our time making (and breaking) waves on supercomputers, sniffing out the composition of stardust and the ancient Earth, and searching for ground truth in the forests of Madagascar, the ice shelves of Antarctica, and the mountains of Tibet.

To learn about applying to our program, visit our pages for prospective graduate students. To get a better sense of our program, you may also wish to learn more about our research, our scientists, and our facilities, as well as to look at our pages for current graduate students.

For more information about applying to the graduate program in the Geophysical Sciences Department please email Student Affairs Administrator Adelaide Grosse. The application deadline is December, 18th, 2023, and the direct link to apply is https://apply-psd.uchicago.edu/apply/.

Undergraduate Program

In addition to two majors (a BA and BS in geophysical sciences and a BS in environmental sciences), our department offers an opportunity for undergraduates to participate in high-level research. Undergraduates also participate actively in department life, through giving talks at Expo (the annual departmental conference) or through the weekly GeoUnion meeting.

To learn more about our undergraduate program, visit our page in the College Catalog. To learn about applying to the College, please visit the College Admissions page.

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    For all subjects in the geosciences ranging from the Earth’s core to exoplanets, here you’ll able to share ideas with both students and faculty in an equally relaxed and stimulating setting. 

    Jade Checlair Graduate Student

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    I took the most mind-blowing classes of my life, did serious research with awesome scientists, and learned the answers to questions I'd had about nature since childhood. There's probably not a better place to learn about the world(s) around you. 

    RJ Graham BS Alumnus

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    Our program hosts speakers and journal clubs for practically any subdiscipline of the geosciences you can name.

    Lily Thompson PhD Alumna

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    The distinctive, intellectually addictive ingredient in a geoscience PhD is learning to go after problems with both a forensic approach - what happened here and why? - and also a physicist's approach - how can this system teach us about general principles?

    Edwin Kite Assistant Professor

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    Pulling apart motors, hugging stromatolites, embarking on field trips, shooting electrons at meteorites, peering through a microscope at a neon-rainbow thin section of a rock and feeling like a little kid again... what more could you possibly want?

    Shannon Sheu BS Alum, graduate student