Geophysics Graduate Certificate
The CU geophysics graduate certificate offers a coherent curriculum in geophysics that can complement and supplement a student's regular graduate degree program and encourages multi-disciplinary education in the area of geophysics. The Geophysics certificate program allows students to obtain recognition for their accomplishments in geophysics, without having to switch into the Geophysics degree program. Participation in the certificate must coincide with pursuit of an MS or PhD at the University of Colorado Boulder. This program was approved by the CU graduate school, spring 2002.
Description of Curriculum
All students must take at least 3 Geophysics Core Courses, and the Geophysics Seminar course, listed below. At least one of the three Geophysics Core Courses must be from the Earth and Planetary Physics (EPP) series, and at least one of the remaining core classes taken must be from outside the student's home department. Most geophysics core courses are offered once every two years.
A Certificate in Geophysics will be awarded upon the student's completion of degree requirements in their home department. Upon request from a student, the Program Director and the student's advisor will determine whether a student has met the requirements for the certificate and will generate a letter to the appropriate department head and Dean. The certificate is not intended as a substitute for a degree and will be awarded only upon completion of a graduate degree.
| Geophysics Graduate Certificate Core Courses | ||
|---|---|---|
| ASTR/GEOL/PHYS | Earth and Planetary Physics 1. (Seismology) | |
| ASTR/GEOL/PHYS | Earth and Planetary Physics 2. (Geodesy) | |
| ASTR/GEOL/PHYS | Earth and Planetary Physics 3. (Geodynamics) | |
| ASTR/GEOL/PHYS | Geophysics Seminar | |
| APPM | (3) | Nonlinear Waves and Integrable Equations |
| ASEN | (3) | Space Flight Dynamics |
| ASEN | (3) | Introduction to the Global Navigation Satellite Systems |
| ASEN | (3) | Radar and Remote Sensing |
| ASEN | (3) | Engineering Data Analysis Methods |
| ASEN | (3) | Aerospace Environment |
| ASEN | (3) | Advanced Global Navigation Satellite Systems Software and Applications |
| ASEN | (3) | Special Topics: Advanced Astrodynamics and Celestial Mechanics |
| ASTR/PHYS | (3) | Astrophysical & Space Plasmas |
| ASTR/PHYS | (3) | Plasma Physics |
| ASTR | (3) | Magnetospheres |
| ASTR | (3) | Introduction to Fluid Dynamics |
| ASTR/GEOL | (3) | Planetary Surfaces and Interiors |
| ASTR/ATOC/GEOL | (3) | Origin and Evolution of Planetary Systems |
| CVEN | (3) | Continuum Mechanics and Elasticity |
| CVEN | (3) | Mechanics and Dynamics of Glaciers |
| CVEN | (3) | Introduction to Rock Mechanics |
| CVEN | (3) | Earthquake Engineering |
| GEOG | (4) | Physical Climatology: Field methods |
| GEOG | 5100 (4) | Advanced Remote Sensing (uses special topics course number) |
| GEOL | (3) | Remote Sensing of the Environment |
| GEOL | (3) | Geomechanics |
| GEOL | (3) | Petroleum Reservoir Characterization and Modeling |
| GEOL | (3) | Tectonics of the Western U.S. |
| GEOL | (2) | Field Geophysics |
| GEOL/PHYS | (3) | Geophysical Inverse Theory |
| MCEN | (3) | Solid Mechanics 1 |
| MCEN | (3) | Dynamics of Continuous Media [not currently offered] |
Requirements for Certificate
- Completion with a grade of B or better of a total of three geophysics core courses (at least one from the EPP sequence) and one semester credit for the Geophysics Seminar.
- Completion of degree requirements for graduate degree within the student's home department, with a thesis on a topic that uses geophysics in some way, including the successful defense of this thesis before a committee that includes at least one of the geophysics faculty members with the advance approval of the chair of the geophysics program committee.
Admission Requirements
A student wishing to be considered for a Certificate in Geophysics must first be admitted as a graduate student into one of the participating graduate departments (ASEN, APS, CEAE, ECEN, GEOG, GEOL, MCEN, PHYS). Students from outside the participating departments can apply for entry to the geophysics certificate program by letter addressed to the Geophysics Graduate Program Committee. A student must have a course background that includes mathematics through three semesters of calculus and four undergraduate science or engineering courses.