The Geosciences Department offers graduate programs leading to the Master of Science, Master of Arts, and Doctor of Philosophy degrees. Students work in consultation with major and minor professors to develop programs specifically designed to meet individual needs and interests. In addition, the department offers graduate and professional certificates in Geographic Information Science.

Master of Science and Master of Arts Degrees
Students in the Geosciences Department may pursue either an M.S. or M.A. degree. For the Master of Arts degree, the student must show foreign language proficiency equivalent to that attained at the end of a second year university course in that language with a grade of C (2.00) or better. English is not considered a foreign language for the purposes of this requirement. For this reason, most students opt for the M.S. degree.

The master's degree requires successful completion of at least 45 hours of appropriate courses including a thesis, or 48 hours with a research paper (available as an option only for geography students). The thesis presents a written summary of research findings and conclusions. All master's programs include a final oral examination. Each graduate program is supervised by a committee of at least three members of the graduate faculty who collaborate with the student in developing a program of study and research leading to the final oral examination. The examination is conducted and approved by the student's graduate committee.

The time required for completion of the master's degree varies among individual students depending on their prior preparation, choice of degree paths and research topics, breaks from study for personal or work-related reasons, and individual initiative. Most students spend at least two years before completion. On occasion, a non thesis geography program is completed in less than two years while field based thesis research in either geography or geology may take three years.

Advanced degree programs may include an optional minor subject area. It may be in a single discipline or an integrated grouping of courses organized around a theme. Examples include water resource management, surficial processes, landscape ecology, quantitative methods, research techniques, environmental perception, resource management, environmental impact analysis, and land use. In developing minors, students commonly combine courses from several campus departments.

Doctor of Philosophy Degree
The Doctor of Philosophy degree requires at least three years of post baccalaureate study, including the master's degree, and is granted for proven ability in research and mastery of the discipline of geography or geology The length of time for degree completion varies significantly, depending on the student's prior study current work and course load, and research topic. Ph.D. candidates must complete at least three of four consecutive terms with at least 36 credit hours taken on the OSU campus.

The Ph.D. commonly builds on the master's degree, with appropriate previous course work included in the doctoral program. Programs of study vary according to the student's preparation experience, and professional goals. All doctoral programs, however, include a major topic in one of the Department's areas of specialization (Geography programs must also include a reading knowledge of one modern foreign language). Examination is usually by appropriate departmental faculty. A committee of at least four members of the graduate faculty assists the major professor in supervising and examining Ph.D. students.

The Dissertation
Each candidate for the Doctor of Philosophy degree must submit a dissertation focused on research in one of the Department's major fields. Students formulate the problem to be studied, and conduct the research in concert with the advice of the committee. The dissertation must be based on the candidate's original research and be a contribution to knowledge in the field. It must satisfy OSU Graduate School requirements for form and presentation.

Final Oral Examination
The final oral examination for the Ph.D. focuses on defense of the candidate's dissertation and training in the major field, but may also include questioning on related subject matter and philosophy of the discipline. The Graduate School requires that at least one full term and no more than five years elapse between the preliminary examination and the final oral examination.