Looking for an Evaluation - MS Geophysics Applicant

[Proford]

I currently attend a state school that is highly-ranked for its geography program. My major is Resource & Environmental Studies within the geography department. I also have 12 hours of Remote Sensing/GIS coursework completed. I will be graduating in May of 2016. I have not taken the GRE yet.

 

I have been exploring graduate programs and have recently decided that a career in geophysics would be very exciting and suite my interests. While I do not have any experience or direct coursework in geophysics, I feel I could be a competitive candidate for graduate programs if I can prove I have the math and science background. I am interested in pursing a MS degree in Geophysics. I have not decided on a specialization yet, but seismic is an option for me. Below is a summary of my credentials and plan before graduation. I would appreciate it if anybody can provide advice as to what I should be focusing on between now and graduation.

 

Major: BS Resource & Environmental Studies

Minor: Geology

GPA: 3.7

 

I am in the middle of my second internship (working in the public sector in risk management). This summer I will be continuing that internship, and also complete a summer internship program with a state agency in a coastal GIS office (will focus primarily on GIS).

 

My Geology minor will cover Physical Geology, Historical Geology, Mineralogy, Stratigraphy, and hopefully either Structural Geology or Petrology. 

 

My BS degree requires very little math. In fact, I have only been required to complete College Algebra and Quantitive Methods as degree requirements. That being said, I have fit the following courses into my degree plan before graduation:

 

Spring 2015 (current semester): Calculus I

Fall 2015: Calculus II; Mechanics (calculus-based Physics I)

Spring 2016: Calculus III (or Differential Equations); Electricity & Magnetism (Physics II)

 

Assuming I complete the courses I have mentioned with a cumulative GPA of 3.45-3.5 (let's assume the worst), do I have a chance of being admitted into an MS program for geophysics? I realize that I will probably have a semester (if not two) of leveling coursework. Any advice on specific programs to look in to, and what to focus my time and attention on during my remaining undergraduate semesters would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

[sjoh197]

Does your geology department offer a reflection seismology course for undergrads? That would be quite helpful. I very much enjoyed my rs class. Also, just know that seismics involves a lot of programming. I would get on that bandwagon pretty quickly.

[GeoDUDE!]

It's very hard to enter a geophysics program without linear alegebra.

[Proford]

Does your geology department offer a reflection seismology course for undergrads? That would be quite helpful. I very much enjoyed my rs class. Also, just know that seismics involves a lot of programming. I would get on that bandwagon pretty quickly.

 

My department offers:

petrology

sedimentation and stratigraphy

structural geology

paleontology and biostratigraphy

hydrogeology

 

None of these courses are offered every semester. Of these 5, are there any courses you recommend me taking over others?

There is the possibility of a petroleum geologist joining the department next semester. If this does happen, there may be a seismology class offered.

 

As for programming, I don't have enough time to fit that in with the other math/science courses. Programming may be included in my leveling coursework.

 

It's very hard to enter a geophysics program without linear alegebra.

 

I've read on many graduate admission pages that a minimum of 12 hours (three classes) of calculus and differential equations are required as a prerequisite for admission. At my university, calculus III, differential equations, and linear algebra all have the same prerequisite of calculus II. I can take any of those three during Spring 2016. Should I consider linear algebra instead of differential equations that semester (even though it's not listed on admission pages)?

Edited March 1, 2015 by Proford

[GeoDUDE!]

I've read on many graduate admission pages that a minimum of 12 hours (three classes) of calculus and differential equations are required as a prerequisite for admission. At my university, calculus III, differential equations, and linear algebra all have the same prerequisite of calculus II. I can take any of those three during Spring 2016. Should I consider linear algebra instead of differential equations that semester (even though it's not listed on admission pages)?

 

From an admissions stand point, I would take differential equations. If thats the prereq, thats the prereq. 

 

From a physics stand point, I am not sure how you can teach someone a meaningful geophysics course without linear algebra unless it just covers potential fields. In fact, the first thing my advisor asked me when I was inquiring about graduate school was if I had taken linear.   You need to be able to solve for tensors in geophysics. Differential Equations is a purely mechanical class that shouldn't be too difficult to self learn if you are talented in math. 

 

Another thing is I find it weird that Diff eq and calc 3 do not have a linear algebra pre req. Perhaps in calc 3 or diff eq they teach you the necessary linear algebra (Row Reduction, Basis, Eigenvalue/vectors). My calc 3 course required linear before taking it. 

 

It all depends though. You don't need much math to learn from Fowler's book, and a lot of people teach from it. But if you end up going to a school were you are required to take a Turcotte and Schubert or Stein and Wysession  based geophysics course then you will have a lot of trouble without linear. 

 

Then again, you might just be able to pick it up as you go... there are people who have done it!

 

Another thing is programming. I think if you are going into seismology, a lot of the programming might be done for you depending on the project. You might need to learn Matlab/GMT, but people in seismology labs tend to share code (like autopickers) and you just need the programing for graphics, which is easy enough to learn. 

 

On the other hand... if you are going into novel modeling ( not plug and chug shear wave splitting, yes, anisotropy measurements still make a ton of assumptions) you will need matlab/gmt and C++ or Fortran (yes, people still use fortran, it won't die). But these I think are things you can learn in graduate school too. 

 

You also probably don't need to have all of this by application time, but at some point you will need to learn all of this.  Hope this post helped 

[sjoh197]

I would skip the paleo and hydro above the others.

Some universities, albeit typically larger ones, may offer a combined diff eq/linear algebra course. Make sure your university doesn't offer that, because if they do, that is the way to go. I know our university offers it as a 4 credit course.

Also, as far as programming goes, there are a lot of free courses put together by actual professors on "edx" and "coursera". Google them. You could try to learn basic matlab, perl, c++, python... In your spare time.

[Proford]

From an admissions stand point, I would take differential equations. If thats the prereq, thats the prereq. 

 

I will stick with calculus I, calculus II, and differential equations (along with the two physics courses). I now see that these courses are essentially only the beginning of geophysics coursework. My leveling coursework will surely include linear algebra. Is it common for introductory programming classes to be offered at the graduate level?

 

 

I would skip the paleo and hydro above the others.

 

You could try to learn basic matlab, perl, c++, python... In your spare time.

 

 

No combined diff eq/linear algebra course is offered. I will definitely try to get the petrology, stratigraphy, and structural courses completed before I graduate. Thanks.

 

Python is used quite often in GIS, so I may be able to obtain some basic skills online this summer.

 

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Are there other areas of geophysics you guys recommend I look into? While seismology does interest me, I can see myself doing petroleum or oceanography, too. Are some areas going to require less programming than others?

 

Do I have a chance of being admitted to a geophysics MS program with my background and future coursework?

[tuff]

My two cents:

 

Aside from a strong coursework, I think it is important to get some research experience, perhaps over the summer since you have a heavy course load. Apply for REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) programs--a specific geophysics program is called SAGE (Summer of Applied Geophysical Experience). Website below:

 

http://www.lanl.gov/projects/national-security-education-center/geophysics-planetary-physics/sage/sage-apply.php

 

Best of luck!

[GeoDUDE!]

Is it common for introductory programming classes to be offered at the graduate level?

 

Do I have a chance of being admitted to a geophysics MS program with my background and future coursework?

 

No, it is not common. It is common, however, for quantitative method courses (statistics, ect) that are graduate level to involve some sort of learning in R or Matlab. In graduate school you will have to self learn, maybe audit a class. This won't keep you out of graduate school. 

 

Its important to note that all the GIS stuff that is done with python can most likely be replicated (and probably already has) with Matlab. I'm a really big advocate for learning matlab, as it teaches you the basics of programming and you can do almost anything you want in it as long as speed isn't a concern (and its actually faster at most stuff than python). Its 100 dollars for the full student version - simulink (which you dont need), but in my opinion thats a small price to pay. When you are ready to publish with the the code that you write on the tsudent version will still work on the full version at your lab (I'm assuming that any reasonable geophysics research group has a copy of it... but you might find ones that don't).  

 

Most of all, I think you can learn matlab on your own. www.projecteuler.net has a bunch of math problems that require programming, and its perfect for learning in matlab. 

 

 

 

 

Yeah, I think you have a chance, especially if you get As in classical mechanics and E/M. Work hard on getting 160+ on the Q section of the GRE too. You aren't in a quantitate field, and building that case (however irrelevant the Q on the GRE is) can only help. You seem very confident, and I think if that shines in your application that will help you. 

 

Where you get in though will depend. There are some professors might take you on, other professors might only take math,cs or physics majors. It really depends on the research. Seismology and potential field geophysics seems to be the most flexible in backgrounds, since a large part of it is field work and data sampling and a lot of the analysis software has already been written. Physical Oceanography/Atmospheric caters more towards mechanical engineers, mathematicians and physicists, at least from the people I know in those fields.

 

I think your profile could probably be on par with any geophysics or geology major wanting to get a thesis based MS. There will always be holes in an application, for example mine was never having taken an earth science course (pretty relevant lol) and a poor undergraduate GPA. I still made it in, I'm sure you can to.  

 

Another REU you might look at if you have a free summer (and they are free to apply to) is the LDEO one. I think WHOI also has one, but I'm not sure.

Edited March 1, 2015 by GeoDUDE!