Graduate

The UMaine School of Earth and Climate Sciences has a well-established reputation for educating highly successful masters and doctoral students. Through advanced coursework and focused research you will develop expertise on a well defined subject while improving your general knowledge across a broad range of science and engineering topics. Earning a graduate degree will not only enrich you personally but will also widen your career opportunities and significantly increase your expected lifetime earnings. If you are motivated and interested in joining our program, then we want to hear from you! 

Admission to our program is contingent upon identifying an advisor and having a financial plan in place to fund the student and the research.  Therefore, it is critical that prospective students contact potential advisors before submitting an application.  We occasionally are able to admit students who have not contacted potential advisors, but this is uncommon.  More details about admissions procedures and program requirements are in the Graduate Student Guide.  Some practical tips and links for current graduate students are available here. If you have any questions about the program, please contact the graduate coordinator,  Alicia (Cici) Cruz-Uribe, um.gradcoordinator.ecs@maine.edu.  See the following topics below for more information:

Researcher cleans a section near the mouth of Miers Valley, standing on the slope with an ice pick

grad student guide

click to learn how to apply, expectations for students, and answers to common questions about the grad school process

Application

Click to explore umaine grad school application website

Admission to our program is contingent upon identifying an advisor and having a financial plan in place to fund the student and the research. Therefore, it is critical that prospective students contact potential advisors before submitting an application. We occasionally are able to admit students who have not contacted potential advisors, but this is uncommon. More details about admissions procedures and program requirements are in the Graduate Student Guide. Some practical tips and links for current graduate students are available here. If you have any questions about the program, please contact the graduate coordinator, Alicia (Cici) Cruz-Uribe.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Know: Students will demonstrate advanced knowledge of a sub-discipline of the Earth and climate sciences.
  2. Propose: Students will develop and write a thesis proposal related to a sub-discipline of the Earth and climate sciences.
  3. Implement: Students will demonstrate the ability to implement scientific approaches to address scientific questions and/or hypotheses, and carry out a research plan from start to finish.
  4. Analyze and Quantify: Students will demonstrate competence in the collection, synthesis, interpretation, and contextualization of data (quantitative and/or qualitative).
  5. Critique: Students will be able to apply critical thinking skills to assess work done by others in their sub-discipline.
  6. Communicate: Students will effectively communicate their research purpose, activity, and results, through both oral and written means, to audiences both inside and outside of Earth and climate science fields.
  7. Experience: Students will gain leadership experience, such as teaching, field work, grant writing, laboratory management, and project management.
  1. Know: Students will demonstrate advanced knowledge of a sub-discipline of the Earth and climate sciences, and a broader knowledge of a range of Earth science topics.
  2. Propose: Students will develop, write, and defend a thesis proposal related to a sub-discipline of the Earth and climate sciences.
  3. Implement: Students will demonstrate the ability to independently conceive professional-level research questions and hypotheses, implement scientific approaches to address these questions and/or hypotheses, and carry out a research plan from start to finish. The dissertation will comprise original research and show evidence of excellence in scholarship. 
  4. Analyze and Quantify: Students will demonstrate competence in the collection, synthesis, interpretation, and contextualization of data (quantitative and/or qualitative).
  5. Critique: Students will be able to apply critical thinking skills to assess work done by others in their sub-discipline.
  6. Communicate: Students will effectively communicate their research purpose, activity, and results, through both oral and written means, to audiences both inside and outside of Earth and climate science fields.
  7. Experience: Students will gain leadership experience, such as teaching, field work, grant writing, laboratory management, and project management.
Course descriptions
Life in the school
Advising