Penn’s Master of Science in Applied Geosciences is engineered for your success
Whether you’re an experienced geoscientist or are preparing to enter the field, Penn’s rigorous Master of Science in Applied Geosciences (MSAG) is a highly practical program that helps you build on your experience and prepare for your next professional move ahead. With a faculty of leading academic researchers and experienced government and industry experts, we know what you need to move forward in your career, and we’ve designed the program for your success.
The Penn Master of Science in Applied Geosciences connects you with the world-class resources of an Ivy League institution and provides you with theoretical and technical expertise in geochemistry, geophysics, hydrogeology and engineering geology. You will also hone essential project management skills necessary for leadership in environmental remediation and pollution prevention. While you’re completing your studies, the program also facilitates your preparation for professional licensure and certification processes.
An advanced degree in applied geosciences prepares you to take on a range of pressing environmental problems in a field where you can make a real, practical difference. You’ll master approaches to mitigating soil and water contamination, solving waste disposal challenges and responding to human-induced natural disasters such as landslides and floods, and learn cutting-edge methods for clean energy extraction.
Designed for your ongoing advancement
We provide you with a rigorous, elite educational experience that you can access without interrupting your career. With day and evening classes available, you can complete the 12-course program, either full or part time, in just two to four years. Depending on your work or internship status, you can change your enrollment status from full time to part time and back, from one semester to the next as needed.
Amplify your expertise
For working professionals in the environmental or geoscience fields, the Master of Science in Applied Geosciences offers the opportunity to accelerate your career by expanding and refreshing your expertise, enhancing your leadership skills and training for Professional Geologist licensure. All courses are available in the evening, so you can enroll in classes while you continue to advance in your current job.
The Master of Science in Applied Geosciences program offers significant benefits even to highly experienced professionals. We’ve partnered with the prestigious Organizational Dynamics program faculty at Penn to provide a comprehensive project management course, designed to teach you innovative best practices for leading your workplace at a higher level. This project management course is a core element of our program at Penn, and prepares you to lead with confidence in your increasing project and people management responsibilities.
Finally, the culminating element of our curriculum, Project Design, both tests and defines your program mastery. During the Project Design exercise, you will propose and defend a complex project of your choice, which allows you to stake out a new professional niche and demonstrate your abilities to current or prospective employers.
Your gateway to a career in the geosciences
If you’ve recently graduated from college and have a strong background in the sciences, the Master of Science in Applied Geosciences offers you exceptional preparation to enter professional geology. In the program, you will apply your undergraduate degree knowledge in physical sciences, math or engineering, providing you with the tools and confidence to become a competitive candidate for potential employers.
The Master of Science in Applied Geosciences program also helps you discover and pursue your individual interests within the applied geosciences. Our faculty members bring an incredible wealth of industry experience and expertise to help you define your career direction. In addition, many of our students are experienced professionals themselves, and program alumni say that the connections they made with their classmates have been invaluable for their professional prospects.
Ivy League preparation for certifications and licensure
Our rigorous coursework also provides the academic depth needed for licensure as a Professional Geologist (PG) in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. When you complete the degree, your “professional geological work” requirement is shortened from five years to four.
We also subsidize and streamline certification programs like OSHA’s Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response Standard (HAZWOPER), bringing the test to campus for you.
New possibilities with the MSAG
Our alumni are pursuing fulfilling careers in a variety of cutting-edge jobs — including green infrastructure, storm water management, environmental remediation and large-scale construction siting — across government, education and corporate sectors. As part of the Penn alumni network, you’ll join a group of professionals that spans the globe and expands your professional horizons.
We welcome you to contact a member of our program team to learn more about the possibilities that await you through experiences in the Master of Science in Applied Geosciences program at Penn.
Courses and Curriculum
The Master of Science in Applied Geosciences (MSAG) degree is structured to give you a well-rounded grounding in applied scientific knowledge, as well as to train you in the project management and leadership skills necessary to effectively put that knowledge into action in the field. To that end, the curriculum is structured with a combination of foundation courses and concentration electives, which allow you to focus on topics best suited to your interests and goals.
The MSAG requires the completion of 12 course units (c.u.)* as follows:
Seven foundation courses
Three electives in a professional concentration
Project Management
Project Design thesis
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