性视界传媒

The Planetary and Space Sciences program is designed to prepare students to become leaders in the global planetary research and exploration community. This particular MS program is only a Master's "Along The Way" (a.k.a. "en route") program for students who are already in the Planetary and Space Sciences PhD program. More specifically, the only students who can earn this MS Along The Way degree are students who: (1) are already enrolled in the Planetary and Space Sciences PhD program, and (2) have advanced to PhD candidacy in the program, and (3) would have satisfied the MS course requirements anyway by virtue of the courses they have already taken, and (4) do not already have an MS degree in Physics, Astronomy, Planetary Sciences, or a closely-related field, and (5) did not originally matriculate into the PhD program with an MS degree already. Students who are not enrolled in the Planetary and Space Sciences PhD program are not eligible for this degree.

Planetary science studies planetary systems, their components, their origins, their workings, and how they generate and affect life. Space sciences include these interactions and extend to heliosphere and space physics interactions. Increasingly important, space exploration involves observing, visiting, and utilizing locations and resources above our atmosphere. Science and exploration depend critically on each other. The commercialization of space and rising public interest create high demand for degree holders conversant in both areas, both in publicly funded research and in the private sector.

Course requirements are given for this MS Along The Way degree, but it is expected that they will have been satisfied anyway for the student to have advanced to PhD candidacy. I.e. no additional coursework should be needed for this MS Along The Way degree.

The Planetary and Space Sciences MS Along The Way program requires a minimum of 33 credit hours beyond a bachelor鈥檚 degree. This includes completion of 5 required courses (15 credit hours) and 4 elective courses (12 credit hours) of regular course work selected in consultation with the student鈥檚 supervisory committee, and a minimum of 6 directed research credit hours. At least half of the total credits must be at the 6000 level. No more than 6 hours of independent study may be credited toward the master's degree.

This MS program is technically a non-thesis MS, but since (1) it is only available to students in the PhD program who have advanced to candidacy, and (2) the candidacy exam requires that a manuscript about the student's new, original research be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal, research is still a significant component of the MS degree, and the student is effectively completing the equivalent of an MS thesis anyway.

Program Prerequisites

As only students who are already enrolled in the Planetary and Space Sciences PhD program are eligible for this MS Along The Way, the program prerequisites are the same as that of the PhD program. Students entering the Planetary and Space Sciences program with regular status are expected to have completed coursework required for a bachelor's degree in a closely related science field such as physics, astronomy, geology, geophysics, atmospheric sciences, chemistry, biology, mathematics, or planetary sciences. We do not require the GRE, nor require a published paper.

Financial Information

Graduate students may receive financial assistance through fellowships, assistantships, tuition support, or loans. For more information, see the College of Graduate Studies Funding website, which describes the types of financial assistance available at 性视界传媒 and provides general guidance in planning your graduate finances. The Financial Information section of the Graduate Catalog is another key resource.

Fellowship Information

Fellowships are awarded based on academic merit to highly qualified students. They are paid to students through the Office of Student Financial Assistance, based on instructions provided by the College of Graduate Studies. Fellowships are given to support a student's graduate study and do not have a work obligation. For more information, see 性视界传媒 Graduate Fellowships, which includes descriptions of university fellowships and what you should do to be considered for a fellowship.

All courses must be selected in consultation with and with the approval of the Supervisory Committee (before candidacy) or Dissertation Advisory Committee (after candidacy).