Graduate student life in the Department of Geosciences is engaging, with frequent seminars, lab group meetings, field trips, and social events. Annual faculty-student softball games and the "Entropy" party each spring offer ample opportunity for more casual interaction with faculty.
The geosciences graduate students lead a very active Association for Women Geoscientists chapter (for geoscientists of all genders) that runs regular outreach, mentorship, and community events. Our graduate students are also active in campus-wide groups, including SACNAS, Latin@ Outdoors, Graduate Women in Science, the Graduate and Professional Student Association, and the Science Policy Society.
Our graduate student positions are fully funded, with tuition and a stipend provided by either a graduate teaching assistantship or a graduate research assistantship. The specific funding situation is dependent on the research adviser’s available grant support as well as department teaching assistantship needs. The level of stipend funding typically increases as a student passes major degree milestones (i.e., passes the qualifying exam in the Ph.D. program). Additionally, graduate students can apply for supplemental funding within the department to support their research and for conference travel.
Please read about the many accomplishments of our current graduate students, including their recent publications and awards. Recent student thesis topics can provide a window into the breadth and type of graduate research that takes place in our department.
The Educational Equity offices in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences and Penn State offer a range of support programs students from underrepresented groups, and the Department of Geoscience Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee works to enhance inclusion and belonging within the Department. We encourage students from underrepresented groups to consider applying for the PSU Graduate School STEM Open House, an opportunity to visit campus and meet prospective advisers. This opportunity is free and is usually held in October with applications accepted in early fall.
Many of the research groups in the Department of Geosciences are participants in the EMS Rainbow network. Situated in the large University Park campus, Department of Geoscience students have access to extensive resources to support international students, LGBTQIA+ students, veterans, first-generation students, and students with disabilities.