The program reflects, and builds upon the Department’s long-standing vision: to continue as the leading Department of Geosciences in the region through a balanced approach between education and research.
Major and Minor Areas: The Ph.D. program is offered in three Major Areas, each of them having several specializations (“Minor Areas”):
- Petroleum Geology (Minor Areas: Paleontology, Clay Mineralogy, Basin Analysis, Reservoir
Characterization, Petroleum Exploration, Exploration Geophysics, etc.) - Hydrogeology & Environmental Geology (Minor Areas: Numerical Modeling, Flow in Porous
Media, Geostatistics, etc.) - Structural & Regional Geology (Minor Areas: GIS, Remote Sensing, Economic Geology, etc.)
- Applicants should hold an M.Sc. degree in any field of Geosciences with a GPA of 3.0 or higher (or its equivalent) from reputable Institutions.
- They should meet KFUPM & Departmental standards of performance in the GRE and in the TOEFL score.
- In case of part-time students, there is an altogether one full year residency requirement, with a full release from work duties.
The Ph.D. Student will take
- 2 compulsory Core Courses from the GEOL6XX list (i.e.: GEOL 601 Carbonate Sedimentology & Diagenesis; GEOL 602 Global & Regional Tectonics; 3 Geosciences Elective Courses from their Major Area (GEOL 6XX, GEOL 5XX, GEOP 5XX or ENVS 5XX) provided such courses or their equivalent, had not been already taken during his M.Sc. studies.
- 3 Free Elective Courses from the 6XX or 5XX Courses offered by the ESD or from other departments of the KFUPM College of Sciences, College of Computer Sciences & Engineering, or College of Engineering
| COURSE | TITLE | LT | LB | CR | COURSE | TITLE | LT | LB | CR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Year | |||||||||
| GEOL 601 | Carbonate Sed. and Diagenesis | 2 | 3 | 3 | GEOL 602 | Global and Regional Tectonics | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| GEOL/GEOP 5xx/6xx | Earth Sciences Elective I | 3 | 0 | 3 | GEOL/GEOP 5xx/6xx | Earth Sciences Elective II | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| XXX 5xx/6xx | Free Elective I | 3 | 0 | 3 | XXX 5xx/6xx | Free Elective II | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 8 | 3 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 9 | ||||
| Second Year | |||||||||
| GEOL/GEOP 5xx/6xx | Earth Sciences Elective III | 3 | 0 | 3 | GEOL/GEOP 5xx/6xx | Earth Sciences Elective V | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| GEOL/GEOP 5xx/6xx | Earth Sciences Elective IV | 3 | 0 | 3 | XXX 5xx/6xx | Free Elective III | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 6 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 6 | ||||
| Third Year | |||||||||
| GEOL 711 | Ph.D. Pre-Dissertation | 0 | 0 | 3 | GEOL 712 | Ph.D. Pre-Dissertation | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | ||||
| Total Credit Hours: 42 | |||||||||
Requirements
- Applicants should hold an M.Sc. degree in any field of Geosciences with a GPA of 3.0 or higher (or its equivalent) from reputable Institutions.
- They should meet KFUPM & Departmental standards of performance in the GRE and in the TOEFL score.
- In case of part-time students, there is an altogether one full year residency requirement, with a full release from work duties.
The Ph.D. Student will take
- 2 compulsory Core Courses from the GEOL6XX list (i.e.: GEOL 601 Carbonate Sedimentology & Diagenesis; GEOL 602 Global & Regional Tectonics; 3 Geosciences Elective Courses from their Major Area (GEOL 6XX, GEOL 5XX, GEOP 5XX or ENVS 5XX) provided such courses or their equivalent, had not been already taken during his M.Sc. studies.
- 3 Free Elective Courses from the 6XX or 5XX Courses offered by the ESD or from other departments of the KFUPM College of Sciences, College of Computer Sciences & Engineering, or College of Engineering
Degree Plan
| COURSE | TITLE | LT | LB | CR | COURSE | TITLE | LT | LB | CR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Year | |||||||||
| GEOL 601 | Carbonate Sed. and Diagenesis | 2 | 3 | 3 | GEOL 602 | Global and Regional Tectonics | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| GEOL/GEOP 5xx/6xx | Earth Sciences Elective I | 3 | 0 | 3 | GEOL/GEOP 5xx/6xx | Earth Sciences Elective II | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| XXX 5xx/6xx | Free Elective I | 3 | 0 | 3 | XXX 5xx/6xx | Free Elective II | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 8 | 3 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 9 | ||||
| Second Year | |||||||||
| GEOL/GEOP 5xx/6xx | Earth Sciences Elective III | 3 | 0 | 3 | GEOL/GEOP 5xx/6xx | Earth Sciences Elective V | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| GEOL/GEOP 5xx/6xx | Earth Sciences Elective IV | 3 | 0 | 3 | XXX 5xx/6xx | Free Elective III | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 6 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 6 | ||||
| Third Year | |||||||||
| GEOL 711 | Ph.D. Pre-Dissertation | 0 | 0 | 3 | GEOL 712 | Ph.D. Pre-Dissertation | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | ||||
| Total Credit Hours: 42 | |||||||||