PhD Opportunities

The Department of Geology within the School of Earth and Environment of Rowan University is a leader within the discipline of Geology and related fields including faculty expertise in paleontology, global climate change, planetary science, petrology, paleoclimatology, paleaeoceanography, sedimentology, and Earth Science education. The department is the academic steward of the Jean and Ric Edelman Fossil Park at Rowan University, a destination to discovery for the public and professional researchers alike.  The department has close academic ties to the other two units of the School or Earth and Environment, Environmental Science and Geography, Planning and Sustainability, plus to the College of Engineering and the College of Education. Students are encouraged to peruse any avenue of potential interdisciplinary research with other departments or colleges, as well as that founded in traditional geology studies. Rowan University is a Carnegie ranked R2 institution and we are committed to excellence in cutting-edge research, education, and outreach.

The curriculum for the Ph.D. in Geology at Rowan University was designed with an emphasis on the importance of (1) performing cutting edge research, (2) contributing in novel ways within their sub-disciplines by publishing results in high-impact, peer-reviewed journals, (3) competitively win, and properly manage, research grants, and (4) to be effective and efficient communicators of science. Students graduating with a PhD in Geology will be trained as high impact researchers and prepared for positions within academia, industry, or government agencies.

The Department of Geology is accepting applications for the PhD in Geology.

Interested students should look at our faculty and our research to identify potential research opportunities and an advisor. Students can be supported in their studies through grant-supported Research Fellowships or Graduate Teaching Fellowships. 

The graduate curriculum includes

Year 1

• GEOL01.701 Seminar in Geology & GEOL01.702 Advanced Seminar in Geology
• GEOL01.605 Graduate Colloquium & GEOL01.606 Advanced Graduate Colloquium
• GEOL01.603 Proposal Writing and Grant Management
• GEOL01.604 Communication and Ethics in Geology

• GEOL01.610 Fundamental Research 1 & GEOL01.611 Fundamental Research 2
• GEOL01.612 Topics in Graduate Geology 1 & GEOL01.613 Topics in Graduate Geology 2

Years 3-4

• GEOL01.630 Dissertation Research in Geology