Earth Science and Engineering Program
The Earth Science and Engineering (ErSE) Program focuses on applications of modern computational methods to study geophysical problems associated with the atmosphere and/or ocean circulation, earthquakes, oil exploration, reservoir modeling, and subsurface phenomena. Students in this program receive broad training in numerical methods, mathematical modeling, and geophysics, with an option for M.S. students to participate in scientific research activities that include computational, mathematical modeling, and field-study projects. Ph.D. candidates in the program conduct original research on a topic related to earth science and engineering.
The program is divided into two tracks that focus on computational analysis of (1) fluid earth systems and (2) solid earth systems. ErSE students must specify one of the two tracks as their major. Students in the fluid earth systems track study flow and transport processes both beneath and above the earth’s surface, including subsurface, surface and atmospheric flows. Students in the solid earth systems track focus on seismology, geophysics, geodynamics and geomechanics.
Master of Science (M.S.) in Earth Science and Engineering
There are two M.S. degree programs in ErSE, one with a thesis and one without. The program without the thesis is expected to be completed in one year. The program with the thesis is expected to be completed in 1.5 years. The coursework requirements for the two M.S. programs are listed below.
M.S. degree without thesis
- Three core courses (nine credits) successfully completed
- Three courses (nine credits) in the chosen track (fluid earth systems or solid earth systems) successfully completed
- Two elective courses (including at least one non-ErSE course; six credits) successfully completed
- Six additional credits (coursework or directed research) successfully completed
- Total credits required: 30
Typically, a student will enroll in four courses (12 credits) in the Fall semester, four courses (12 credits) in the Spring semester, and six credits of directed research or coursework during the Summer session.
M.S. degree with thesis
The degree requirements for the M.S. with thesis are:
- Three core courses (nine credits) successfully completed
- Three courses (nine credits) in the chosen track (fluid earth systems or solid earth systems) successfully completed
- Two elective courses (including at least one non-ErSE course; six credits) successfully completed
- Twelve additional credits (including at least six M.S. thesis credits and a thesis presentation)
- Total credits required: 36
The M.S. thesis reports on research conducted under the supervision an ErSE faculty member. Typically, students in this program complete their coursework during the first two semesters of study, although additional courses may be taken during the second year. By the end of the first year of study, an M.S. with thesis student must select a faculty supervisor. During the third semester of the program, the student must form a committee that includes the faculty supervisor and two other faculty members, including one from outside of the ErSE program. This committee must read and approve the thesis.
Doctor of Philosophy in Earth Science and Engineering
Students studying for a Ph.D. must first satisfy the coursework requirements for the M.S. program. Some or all of the M.S. coursework requirements may be waived, at the discretion of the student’s advisor and with the approval of the dean, when a student is admitted to the program after obtaining a Master’s degree from a university other than KAUST. The Ph.D. degree requires (in addition to the M.S. coursework requirements) a minimum of 12 credit hours of course work and 60 hours of dissertation research. In special cases, these minimum requirements may be reduced with the approval of the dean. Ph.D. students must enroll in a minimum of two courses at the 300 level or above as a part of their degree work. If a student admitted to the Ph.D. program does not have a research advisor, an interim advisor will be assigned. The student must identify a permanent research advisor by the end of the first year in the program. Typically, completing the Ph.D. program takes a minimum 2.5 years beyond the completion of the M.S. program requirements.
In accordance with KAUST regulations, the Ph.D. program includes the following requirements:
- Successfully completing Ph.D. coursework, designating a research advisor, and passing a subject-comprehensive examination.
- Obtaining candidacy status.
- Preparing a doctoral dissertation and successfully defending it.
Subject-comprehensive Exam
The subject-comprehensive exam tests the student’s knowledge of materials covered in the core and track courses. The exam includes both oral and written components. The student is provided a list of examination topics in advance. The possible outcomes of the exam are: pass, conditional pass, failure with retake, and failure. In the case of a retake, the student must retake and pass the exam within three months of the date of the first exam. The exam is administered by an examination committee (with a minimum three faculty members) that is selected by the advisor and the student. Students admitted with a Master’s degree should complete the subject-comprehensive exam within one year from the start of the program; students admitted without a Master’s degree should complete the subject-comprehensive exam within two years from the start of the program.
Admission to Ph.D. Candidacy
To be admitted to Ph.D. candidacy, the student must:
- Successfully complete all coursework requirements and pass the subject-comprehensive exam.
- Identify an advisor and form a dissertation committee.
- Present a doctoral research proposal and obtain approval from the dissertation committee.
Dissertation Committee
The dissertation committee is formed by the student under the guidance of the advisor. The committee is chaired by the advisor, and it must include at least three other faculty members, one of whom must be external to the program. The committee may additionally include one or more appropriate persons external to KAUST. The committee members must interact with the student to discuss the student’s progress. The student must submit an annual written progress report to the dissertation committee. All committee members must be designated as dissertation readers.
Research Proposal Defense
A Ph.D. student must submit a written research proposal to the dissertation committee two weeks prior to an oral defense of the proposal. The oral defense consists of an oral presentation by the student followed by a question and answer session. The oral defense must be attended by a minimum of three members of the dissertation committee. The committee will determine if the proposal qualifies as a dissertation topic in the area and if the candidate is capable of completing the research project as proposed. The committee’s decision can take the form of pass, conditional pass, fail with retake, or fail. In the case of fail with retake, the committee will provide feedback to the student, who must prepare and pass a repeat examination within one semester. Each student is expected to defend the research proposal by the end of the second year from the start of the program.
Dissertation Defense
The student must schedule a dissertation defense after the doctoral research project and dissertation are completed. The dissertation defense will include a defense of the doctoral dissertation and a test of the candidate’s knowledge in the specialized field of research. The format of the dissertation defense will be a public seminar presented by the candidate, with an open question period, followed by a private examination by the dissertation committee. The possible outcomes of the exam are pass, conditional pass, or fail. After a successful defense, the final written dissertation approved by the committee must be submitted within two months and must be signed by the supervisor and all dissertation committee members.
Earth Science and Engineering Program Requirements
Core Courses (choose at least 3, one AMCS course is mandatory):
ErSE 203 – Geophysical Continuum Mechanics
ErSE 211 – Global Geophysics
ErSE 213 – Inverse Problems and Data Assimilation
ErSE 253 – Data Analysis in Geosciences
AMCS 206 or – Applied Numerical Methods
AMCS 231 or – Applied Partial Differential Equations I
AMCS 306 – Numerical Analysis of Partial Differential Equations
Fluid Earth Systems Courses (at least 3 from the list)
ErSE 201 – Geophysical Fluid Dynamics I
ErSE 202 – Computational Groundwater Hydrology
ErSE 301 – Geophysical Fluid Dynamics II
ErSE 303 – Numerical Methods of Geophysics
ErSE 305 – Multiphase Flows in Porous Media
ErSE 306 – Ocean Physics and Modeling
ErSE 307 – Atmospheric Chemistry and Transport
ErSE 308 – Atmospheric Physics and Modeling
ErSE 324 – Parallel Scientific Computing in Earth Sciences
ErSE 395 – Special Topics in Earth Science
ME 250 – Introduction to Viscous Flow
Solid Earth Systems Courses (at least 3 from the list)
ErSE 210 – Seismology I
ErSE 212 – Geophysical Geodesy and Geodynamics
ErSE 214 – Seismic Exploration
ErSE 215 – Geomechanics I
ErSE 217 – Seismotectonics
ErSE 225 – Physical Fields Methods in Geophysics l
ErSE 260 – Seismic Imaging
ErSE 310 – Seismology II
ErSE 315 – Geomechanics II
ErSE 324 – Parallel Scientific Computing in Earth Sciences
ErSE 325 – Physical Fields Methods in Geophysics ll
ErSE 328 – Advanced Seismic Inversion I
ErSE 329 – Advanced Seismic Inversion II
ErSE 345 – Seismic Interferometry
ErSE 395 – Special Topics in Earth Science
In addition to the above, a number of courses from other programs (MarSE, ME, EE, AMCS) may serve as appropriate electives for students in ErSE. Those courses could be taken upon approval by graduate advisor.