Master of Geology at East Carolina University

East Carolina University offers the Master of Geology as a full-time degree delivered on campus at its main campus in Greenville , United States of America. Taught in English and completed over 2 years, the program equips students with the theoretical knowledge and practical skills required for geology and related professional fields. The next available intake begins on August 21, 2027.

About Master of Geology

Can you picture yourself roaming the Alaskan wilderness looking for new sources of gold, copper, and other economic minerals? Are you interested in investigating and helping to solve the environmental problems associated with exploiting hydrocarbon energy resources using state-of-the-art procedures such as fracking and horizontal drilling? Would you like to help communities develop new groundwater supplies?

The emphasis of the 30-semester-hour MS program in geology is in coastal geology, environmental geology, hydrogeology, and solid Earth geology. It attracts students, in part, due to the location near North Carolina's coastal system that includes extensive barrier islands and the second largest estuarine system in the United States. However, because our civilization is based upon acquisition and wise development of natural resources such as oil, gas, and minerals, increased emphasis has recently been placed on these sub-disciplines.

Students in the program conduct research that contributes to the discovery and proper management of these resources and are encouraged to take advantage of state-of-the art laboratories, analytical equipment (X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence, gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, ICAPES), field equipment, and research vessels enabling pursuit of a wide variety of projects. The department teaches and trains students in areas of great societal and global significance, such as environmental geology, economic geology, hydrogeology, climate change, structural geology, and petroleum geology. The importance of geology to the nation's future is reflected in the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimate of an 18-percent job growth for earth scientists from 2008 to 2018.

Department Website
College Website
How Do I Apply
Apply Now

Program Coordinator: Eric Horsman (101 Graham Building; 252-328-5265; [email protected])

The Department of Geological Sciences offers a Geology, MS with both a thesis and non-thesis option. In the non-thesis option, a major paper is substituted for the thesis and 3 s.h. additional course work is required. The Department participates in the East Carolina University Integrated Coastal Programs unit and in the Integrated Coastal Sciences, PhD.

The degree requires a minimum of 30-33 s.h. as follows:

Thesis option requirements are as follows:

Nonthesis option requirements are as follows:

GEOL courses:

To view GEOL courses, go here.

Comprehensive assessment requirement

A comprehensive assessment is required for all graduate programs at ECU. The comprehensive assessment for the non-thesis option is the completion of a written document describing a research project supervised by a faculty member, plus an oral presentation of that research project to a committee of ECU graduate faculty. Finalizing this work takes place within the course of GEOL 6998, which students pursuing the non-thesis degree option take in their final semester. The successful completion of the course is the last major requirement for the non-thesis Geology, MS. A student whose research project paper and/or presentation is unsatisfactory will earn a grade of I (incomplete) in the course. In that case, revisions to the paper and/or presentation are required to complete the course. The comprehensive assessment for the thesis option is the successful completion of a thesis.

For more information about this degree visit the university's academic catalogs.

Requirements and Admission Criteria for Master of Geology at East Carolina University

Entry Requirements

In order to be considered for admission, international graduate applicants follow the same steps as a U.S. applicant with a few exceptions as identified in Red font. Step by step instructions are identified below:

Complete the ECU Online Graduate School Application: One application fee and one set of supporting documents should be submitted for each program of study applying to.
Pay the Application Fee: Payment will be made through the self-service portal prior to submission of the application. The payment portal accepts debit or credit card only.
Provide Foreign Transcript Evaluation:

An official course by course credential evaluation of all foreign transcripts indicating that, at minimum, the US equivalent of a bachelor’s degree has been awarded by an accredited college or university is required.

Provide Official Transcript(s) & Diploma Copy: A copy of your transcript(s) and diplomas showing a full education history issued in your native language as well as a notarized or certified copy in English must be uploaded to your application.
Provide Evidence of English Proficiency: If English is not your native language and you have not completed at least one year of education (minimum of 18 credit hours) at a United States school, you are required to take a standardized English language exam or complete the ECU Language Academy (ECULA).
- Language Exam Options: The Graduate School accepts either the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), the Duolingo English Test or Pearson Test of English (PTE) and scores must be forwarded to the Graduate School by the testing service. The paper- or computer-based TOEFL exam is accepted by request only.
ECU Language Academy: You may choose to attend the ECU Language Academy instead of taking the TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE. Also, if you do not obtain the required score on the TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE, at least one session of the ECU Language Academy may be required prior to the start of your program. Successful completion of all levels of the ECU Language Academy is required for admission without TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE scores. More information on the ECU Language Academy, including the ECULA application, is available on the Intensive English Program website. Individual programs may have higher minimum requirements.
Provide Official Standardized Admissions Test Results: If required by the program you’re applying to, please arrange for an official score report to be sent directly to the Graduate School by the testing service (GRE or GMAT). ECU’s institutional code is 5180. ECU does not have departmental codes.
Upload Statement of Purpose: If required by the program you’re applying to, please upload a copy of your personal statement (why you believe you would be a good candidate for the program) to your application. You may want to use resources to help you write a personal statement in English such as this webinar.
Provide Letters of recommendation: If required by the program you’re applying to, please arrange to have LOR’s submitted electronically with the online application. Review your program’s application requirements to determine the number of letters, if any, that they require.
Upload Resume: If required by the program you’re applying to, please upload a copy of your most recent resume to your online application.
Provide Financial information: If/when you are admitted to a graduate program at ECU you will be required to provide certified evidence of financial resources adequate to cover educational costs and living expenses. Documents only need submitted if/when an offer of admission is extended.

English Requirements

PTEMin 65
IELTSMin 6.5
TOEFLMin 78

Career Opportunities after Completing Master of Geology

Graduates with this degree are successful in many fields and careers, including the following:

Geology/Earth Science, General
Geoscientists
Hydrologists
Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers
Scientific and Technical Services
Education and Training

Career Opportunities

ECU has developed resources to help you learn more about career opportunities and job market outlook. In addition, the websites below provide specific information on careers in the various majors from which students may choose:

NC Tower

This website provides graphs and tables of in-depth information on employment rates, wages and ongoing higher education enrollment of graduates from the North Carolina Community College System and from the University of North Carolina system schools. NC Tower includes data on former UNC students who are working in roughly 90% of all jobs in North Carolina. This database excludes information for graduates who are:

Self-employed;
Work for the federal government, including the military: or
Work outside of North Carolina.

US Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook

This website also provides in-depth information regarding pay, projected new jobs, required education, growth rate and on-the-job training information on various occupations.

Degree-specific internships

For information on internship information for specific majors, go to the home page of the department in which the major is located and, as available, find the link to the information on internships in that major.

Tuition and Fee Information for Master of Geology at East Carolina University

Application Fee 75

How to Apply for Master of Geology at East Carolina University

Thank you for your interest in a graduate program at East Carolina University!

Contact information for each program, along with their application deadlines, can be found on the Find Your Program feature.

Ready to apply now? Great!

If you have already created an account and/or are applying to multiple programs, please use the same account. After selecting the program of choice, simply login with your credentials.
Use a personal email account (e.g., Gmail, Yahoo, AOL) when setting up your ECU application account. Please refrain from creating an account using any ECU associated emails because doing so may prevent you from receiving important email communication from us.

Master of Geology at East Carolina University

East Carolina University

United States of America, Greenville