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Apply to our Graduate Program

One person in a laboratory outfit (mask, safety glasses, and lab coat) putting a sample into a lab appliance

PhD student Priyanka Bose working in Dr. Megan S. Duncan’s Experimental Petrology Lab

One person standing next to and discussing a scientific poster

Graduate student Ethan Conley presenting his poster during VT Hazards Research Day, April 2022, for which he won first place among student submissions

A group of students listening to explanations of a teacher, while standing on a big rock at the shore of a river

Dr. Mark Caddick discussing melting and deformation of the lower crust during the Study Abroad program in the Maggia Valley, close to the Swiss-Italian border (October 2018)

Group of seven people sitting around a table in a conference room

Computational Geofluids Lab led by Dr. Ryan Pollyea (not in photo) discussing managed aquifer recharge and injection-induced earthquakes

One person next to lab equipment and two monitors showing lab results

Graduate Student Rui Serra Maia studies a sample on the Scanning Electron Microscope in Dr. F. Marc Michel’s Lab

Collage of four pictures showing a group of graduate students in robes, two students investigating specimen, several people beneath a dinosaur skeleton in the Museum of Geosciences and a group of people listening to a talk in the same Museum

Impressions from student’s path to graduation: balance of studies, research and outreach at the Geosciences Department

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Our Graduate Program offers M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in one of our many Research Areas. We encourage interdisciplinary approaches to research in the geosciences, both within our department and in the other programs across the Virginia Tech campus.

Apply to our Graduate Program

For your graduate application you will need:

  • A one-to two-page, double-spaced personal statement.
  • A brief statement that describes your research interests and career aspiration in geosciences.
  • Resume/CV.
  • Transcripts from previous academic institutions.
  • Three letters of recommendation

(No GRE required)

The application deadline for fall admission is January 5th and the deadline for spring admission is October 1st. Prospective students are strongly encouraged to have all materials, including recommendation letters, submitted by the appropriate date for review.

Apply for Graduate Admission

Graduate Pre-Application

Submitting this pre-application simply indicates your interest in our program and does not incur any cost or obligation on your part. We strongly encourage you to directly contact faculty in the research areas you are interested in pursuing, to determine whether there are open positions and to discuss possible research directions.

Graduate Pre-application

If you have more questions about becoming a geosciences major or the admissions process, please visit our advising page or contact: April Newcomer, Advising & Enrollment Manager, 540-231-8824 apriln@vt.ed

Current Graduate Student Resources