Grad programs in exploration geophysics

[geophysics_ugrad]

New poster here. 

I am an undergrad working on a BS in geophysics and geology with a decently strong math background starting to look into PhD programs with the intention of applying next fall.

I'm looking for good programs in reflection/exploration seismology, and would appreciate some advice. So far I've been really attracted to Columbia because they have a very active research program and several reflection seismology faculty - though they aren't well connected to industry. Also UT Austin seems to have a good program with strong industry connections. I've also thought about SEP at Stanford and CWP at Mines, but I'm not sure I want to be so focused on processing. Maybe a program with survey design, processing, and interpretation would be better? Where else should I be looking?

[I'm at a tier 1 school and have decent grades (3.7 GPA) as well as some research experience (3 AGU posters)]

[GeoMex]

Hi.

I'm not sure Columbia has an exploration focus. Most big Universities don't. Almost all exploration programs are in states where O&G industry exists. 

I'll be starting in UT this fall and besides Stanford, I think it's the best option. They have a good variety of courses in seismic interpretation, processing, and related courses which could be of interest, such as rock physics, reservoir geomechanics, geology courses (sedimentology, structural, etc), basin analysis, subsurface mapping and workstations, etc. Other good options are U. of Oklahoma, U. of Houston, CSM. The thing is as you said, in CSM they tend to focus more on processing, which can be really difficult, depending on your skills and what you like. 

Another thing to look for is faculty, some good universities or relatively good universities don't have enough faculty dedicated to seismic exploration. That's why I think both Stanford and UT are the best overall. 

You get to choose what you study and how focused you will be in it. You can get courses on each stage of seismic exploration, or specialized in interpretation, or imaging, etc.

Check other Universities where O&G exploration is big and they should have good programs. Maybe it's not a good university but that specific department is good.

Good luck

[GeoDUDE!]

The truth is that if you get a good seismology PhD it wont matter if your uni has connections: I'm sure people from Columbia get hired by O&G no problem. I'd be more worried about coming from smaller/unranked programs. 

However, I think GeoMex is mostly right. It is probably best to go to a school like stanford/UT/mines

[Geophysical Ninja]

Since this thread was started in May and it is now December, I'm pretty sure the OP doesn't need any additional help. However, I thought that I would post this for anyone else who may have similar questions in the future. I am a Ph.D. student at a Tier 1 university (currently in absentia), and I am currently working in the oil and gas industry as a geophysicist. 

A great school like Columbia should allow a student to get into the oil industry even if there is no direct focus on the industry for their research. However, (and I have friends that can attest to this) it can be somewhat more difficult to get through the front door. At a typical oil focused school, the ease of getting employment into the oil industry is dramatically easier. This is simply a huge advantage if that is your goal. After leaving from a large oil school with an M.S., I had more than over a dozen offers (granted the oil prices were high then). However, my friends at great academically focused schools had a much more difficult time (some never got any offers despite their best efforts). 

That being said, I believe that name and pedigree of a school are meaningless as a Ph.D. student (they only seem to matter to the uneducated). Who you study with and what you do matters more than where you went to school. For geophysics, this OP mentions Standford who are the leaders in rock physics and imaging, CSM's CWP is top notch as well, and UT has a great program (e.g. Texas Consortium for Computational Seismology). The University of Oklahoma is a leader in industry orientated interpretation. The University of Houston has some amazing people there as well in rock physics, interpretation, and especially AVO work. The point here is that each of these programs has equal strengths in different areas for the oil industry. Which school I decided to go with was a function of the type of research that I wanted to do. My advice is basically if you don't know what discipline you are interested in then consider an M.S. first. You don't want to go to a great school with a focus on imaging when you really should have done rock physics. I have personally worked with individuals at each of these programs, and they are all equally impressive. There are great, smart people everywhere, but what they focus on is significantly different, and it is heavily influenced by where they went to university.

[GeophysHopeful]

Hey, you guys!  Anyone else still waiting to hear back from the geophysics department at Mines?  My POI is thinking we'll know something by the end of March.