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About
the Department
The
E&PS Department consists of about 25 faculty and 40 students with
widely varying research
interests
(geology,
geochemistry, geophysics, geobiology, geodynamics, planetary science, geoarchaeology).
Academically the E&PS Department is both demanding and flexible.
The faculty and department administrators genuinely want to help students
succeed. We also have our own E&PS
library and computer lab in the building, so the literature and
resources you need are readily available or can be shipped here at your
convenience.
The grad students are generally a close-knit bunch and find time for
fun together at least once/week. There's always something going on,
with three annual department social events (Fall Picnic, Winter Party,
Spring Banquet) and weekly Colloquia,
Brown
Bags,
and
Friday
Beer.
We
think this is an exciting place to spend your graduate career!
Application
Advice
Before
applying,
we
recommend you learn about the faculty
and
their research. Contact a few and introduce yourself. Read some of their
papers and ask them questions. Having an inside connection goes
a long way! After acceptance, try to come to the propective student
weekend, which is usually held in late March. There you'll have a chance
to meet faculty and students, tour the facilities, and get a feel for
what our department is like.
Financial
Concerns
All
students accepted to the program are guaranteed funding
in some form, usually a teaching assistantship. Teaching assistants
and research assistants are paid the same stipend, which is actually
adequate for living comfortably (partially due to
St.
Louis'
relatively
low cost-of-living). It is generally not a problem to get summer funding,
so students don't often need to worry about finding summer income.
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Fellowships
In
addition to the prestige, there are many advantages to having a fellowship:
you generally get paid more, and some fellowships offer travel/book/computer
allowances. Being paid by an outside source also means you aren't
necessarily tied down with TA/RA responsibilities/schedules, giving
you greater freedom and flexibility. On the other hand, having outside
funding doesn't necessarily prevent you from gaining teaching experience.
So go ahead and apply - it's worth a try! And remember, this is your academic
career and these decisions will affect your life for the next 2-6 years,
so don't hesitate to pester the people in charge with loads of questions.
(That advice goes for the rest of the application process as well!)
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Funding Sources
Department
of Earth & Planetary Sciences
Graduate
School of Arts & Sciences
The
National Academies
Geological
Society of America
The
National Science Foundation
NASA
National
Physical Science Consortium
US
Department of Defense
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