Master of Science in Geological Engineering

Admission Requirements

The applicant must meet the School of Graduate Studies' current minimum general admission requirements as published in the graduate catalog. Additionally:

  1. To be admitted under "approved" status, the applicant must hold a Bachelor of Science degree in Geological Engineering from an ABET accredited or equivalent program. A bachelor’s degree in another engineering discipline or in a science field, qualifies a student to be admitted to “qualified status” with an obligation to acquire background undergraduate engineering and geology knowledge.
  2. Applicants must submit a Graduate Record Examination General Test score if their B.S. degree is from a non-ABET accredited program. Other applicants are encouraged to submit GRE scores to support their application.
  3. Applicants must have a cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher.
  4. Applicants must satisfy the School of Graduate Studies' English Language Proficiency requirements as published in the graduate catalog.

Combined Bachelor and Master’s in Geological Engineering

To encourage undergraduate geological engineering students to extend their studies to include a graduate degree, the College of Engineering and Mines offers a Combined Program that permits students to earn both a bachelor's (B.S.) and a master's (M.S.) degree in Geological Engineering. This program allows students to designate six credits of graduate approved courses, at the time of admission, to count for both degrees.  

Students may be admitted to the Combined Degree Program if they have:

  1. Completed 95 credit hours towards the bachelor's degree.
  2. Completed 30 credit hours of coursework and 8 credit hours of upper division coursework in the geological sciences.
  3. Maintained an overall GPA of at least 3.0 in all geological sciences they took.
  4. Completed an application to the UND Graduate School and been accepted for admission.

Once admitted to the Combined Degree Program, undergraduate students are eligible to take 500-level courses for graduate credit. Students must complete the petition titled, "Graduate Credit as an Undergraduate Student" prior to registering for the courses. Such courses could be included in the 30 credit hours for the degree and should appear in the program of study.

Students in the Combined Degree Program will be admitted to the School of Graduate Studies if they meet all requirements set forth by the School of graduate Studies.

The time normally needed to complete the Combined Degree Program is 1 year, plus an additional summer after admission to the Graduate School.

Accelerated Bachelor's/Master's (ABM) 5-year Degree in Geological Engineering

Accelerated Bachelor's/Master's (ABM) 5-year Degree in Geological Engineering

The ABM degree program allows exceptional undergraduate students at UND an opportunity to complete the requirements for both the bachelor’s and master’s degrees at an accelerated pace.  All requirements for both degrees must be met, and these students may double count up to 12 graduate approved credits towards the requirements for both their Bachelor in Geological Engineering and their Master of Science in Geological Engineering degree requirements.  ABM students must obtain their Master of Science degree in Geological Engineering within 12 months of completing the Bachelor of Geological Engineering degree, provided that the degree requirements can be completed in that timeframe.

High achieving high school students (GPA of at least 3.2/4.0 and an ACT score of 25 or higher) will initially be considered for “identified” status and become eligible for formal admission when they meet the same criteria that undergraduates must meet for admission into the ABM program.  Admission is a competitive process.  The following are minimum eligibility requirements:  

  1. Students must have completed a minimum of 60 credits, including credits earned from advanced placement and dual credit.  Students must apply before completion of the undergraduate degree.
  2. Transfer students with a minimum of 60 credits-whether from the transfer institution alone or in combination with UND credits-must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.2/4.0 at the time of admission to the ABM program.
  3. Students must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.2/4.0 at UND at the time of admission into the ABM program.
  4. ABM program applicants must submit the standard application to the School of Graduate Studies, the application fee, a personal statement, and transcripts. ABM program applicants do not need to take the GRE or other standardized exams.
  5. Additionally, ABM program applicants must submit a detailed Program of Study that describes the 12 credits of double counted courses, the courses that will be taken after being accepted into the ABM program, the courses that will be taken before graduation from the Bachelor of Geological Engineering program, and the expected graduation date for each degree.  The submitted program of study must be signed by the student, the student's undergraduate advisor, the student’s graduate advisor, and the Geological Engineering Graduate Program Director.

Degree Requirements

Students seeking the Master of Science degree at the University of North Dakota must satisfy all general requirements set forth by the School of Graduate Studies' as well as particular requirements set forth by the Harold Hamm School of Geology and Geological Engineering.

Thesis Option

  1. A minimum of 30 credit hours in a major field, including the credits granted for the thesis and the research leading to the thesis.
    Geology/Geological Engineering coursework12
    Other Engineering and Science coursework12
    Thesis6
    Total Credits30
  2. At least one-half of the credit hours must be at or above the 500-level.
  3. A maximum of one-fourth of the credit hours required for the degree may be transferred from another institution.
  4. Completion of the thesis.

Non-Thesis Option (Independent Study)

  1. Thirty (30) credit hours including credits required for the major.
    Geology/Geological Engineering coursework15
    Research Project/Independent Study3
    Electives12
    Total Credits30
  2. At least one-half of the credit hours must be at or above the 500-level.
  3. A maximum of one-fourth of the credit hours required for the degree may be transferred from another institution.
  4. Preparation of a written independent study approved by the faculty advisor.
  5. Comprehensive final examination.