The Ph.D. program in Geophysics is the latest of programs offered by the Department of Geosciences.
The Ph.D. program in geophysics in the Department of Geosciences at KFUPM was commenced in September 2017. The program is based on a balanced approach and combines excellence in education with basic and applied research relevant to the discovery and recovery of hydrocarbon.
- An M.Sc. degree from an Institution whose graduate programs are equivalent to those of KFUPM, with a major in the proposed field or in a relevant filed
- A minimum GPA of 3.00/4.00 in the M.S. degree and a minimum GPA of 3.00/4.00 in the B.S. degree
- Extracurricular activities, publications, teaching experience, short courses, and experience relevant to the proposed field
- At least 2 letters of recommendation from faculty members who taught the applicant university-level courses (we specifically look for their research capabilities)
- Statement of purpose
- Availability of faculty members to supervise the student
- An interview report by the graduate committee
- If necessary, the student may be required to take an Entrance Exam to evaluate his background and deficiencies
- Before starting doctoral studies, the remedial courses must be completed
- In case of part-time students, there is an altogether one full year residency requirement, with a full release from work duties. The applicant should obtain from his employer a Letter of No Objection at the start of his year of residency.
| (A) Geophysics Core Courses (9 credit hours): | ||
|---|---|---|
| Course | Code | Credit Hours |
| Geophysical wave propagation | GEOP 602 | 3 |
| Numerical modeling in geophysics | GEOP 603 | 3 |
| Geophysical signal analysis | GEOP 604 | 3 |
| TOTAL | 9 | |
| (B) Dissertation Courses (18 credit hours): | ||
|---|---|---|
| Course | Code | Credit Hours |
| Ph.D. Seminar | GEOP 699 | 0 |
| Directed research I | GEOP 701 | 3 |
| Directed research II | GEOP 702 | 3 |
| Pre-dissertation | GEOP 711 | 3 |
| Dissertation | GEOP 712 | 9 |
| TOTAL | 18 | |
| (C) Electives (21 credit hours): | ||
|---|---|---|
| Course | Code | Credit Hours |
| Two Elective Courses from the list below (in addition to existing graduate Geophysics courses 5XX): | 6 | |
| • Multi-scale rock physics | GEOP 613 | 3 |
| • Microseismic geophysics | GEOP 618 | 3 |
| • Advanced electromagnetic fields | GEOP 621 | 3 |
| • Advanced petrophysics | GEOP 625 | 3 |
| • Computing in geosciences | GEOP 629 | 3 |
| • Integrative geoscience | GEOP 630 | 3 |
| • Geomechanics and fluid flow | GEOP 633 | 3 |
| • Near-surface field geophysics | GEOP 642 | 3 |
| • Geophysical laboratory techniques | GEOP 645 | 3 |
| •Seismic imaging | GEOP 647 | 3 |
| • Special topic in geophysics I | GEOP 690 | 3 |
| • Special topic in geophysics II | GEOP 691 | 3 |
| One Math Elective Course from the following courses: | 3 | |
| • Advanced partial differential equations I | MATH 568 | 3 |
| • Numerical analysis of partial differential equations | MATH 572 | 3 |
| • Matrix computations and optimization algorithms | MATH 573 | 3 |
| • Numerical methods of partial differential equations | MATH 574 | 3 |
| • Wavelets and fractals | MATH 579 | 3 |
| • Advanced applied regression | MATH 587 | 3 |
| • Asymptotic expansions and perturbation methods | MATH 605 | 3 |
| • Inverse and ill-posed problems | MATH 607 | 3 |
| Two Free Electives (any KFUPM graduate course from the Science and Engineering disciplines provided that he has not taken it or an equivalent course before) | XXX xxx | 3 |
| XXX xxx | 3 | |
| TOTAL | 15 | |
The students in the Geophysics Ph.D. program have to complete 42 credit hours during the 4-years program. 24 credits are courses work and 18 credits are research credits.
| COURSE | TITLE | LT | LB | CR | COURSE | TITLE | LT | LB | CR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Year | |||||||||
| GEOP 602 | Geophysical wave propagation | 3 | 0 | 3 | GEOP 604 | Geophysical signal analysis | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| GEOP 603 | Numerical modeling in geophysics | 3 | 0 | 3 | MATH xxx | Mathematics elective | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| XXX xxx | Free elective I | 3 | 0 | 3 | GEOP xxx | Geophysics elective I | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 9 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 9 | ||||
| Second Year | |||||||||
| XXX xxx | Free elective II | 3 | 0 | 3 | GEOP 702 | Directed research II | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| GEOP xxx | Geophysics elective II | 3 | 0 | 3 | GEOP 711 | Ph.D. Pre-Dissertation | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| GEOP 701 | Directed research I | 0 | 0 | 3 | |||||
| GEOP 699 | Seminar | 1 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| 7 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||||
| Third Year | |||||||||
| GEOP 712 | Ph.D. Dissertation | 0 | 0 | IP | GEOP 712 | Ph.D. Dissertation | 0 | 0 | IP |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Fourth Year | |||||||||
| GEOP 712 | Ph.D. Dissertation | 0 | 0 | IP | GEOP 712 | Ph.D. Dissertation | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | ||||
| Total credit hours required for Ph.D. degree: 42 | |||||||||
Requirements
- An M.Sc. degree from an Institution whose graduate programs are equivalent to those of KFUPM, with a major in the proposed field or in a relevant filed
- A minimum GPA of 3.00/4.00 in the M.S. degree and a minimum GPA of 3.00/4.00 in the B.S. degree
- Extracurricular activities, publications, teaching experience, short courses, and experience relevant to the proposed field
- At least 2 letters of recommendation from faculty members who taught the applicant university-level courses (we specifically look for their research capabilities)
- Statement of purpose
- Availability of faculty members to supervise the student
- An interview report by the graduate committee
- If necessary, the student may be required to take an Entrance Exam to evaluate his background and deficiencies
- Before starting doctoral studies, the remedial courses must be completed
- In case of part-time students, there is an altogether one full year residency requirement, with a full release from work duties. The applicant should obtain from his employer a Letter of No Objection at the start of his year of residency.
| (A) Geophysics Core Courses (9 credit hours): | ||
|---|---|---|
| Course | Code | Credit Hours |
| Geophysical wave propagation | GEOP 602 | 3 |
| Numerical modeling in geophysics | GEOP 603 | 3 |
| Geophysical signal analysis | GEOP 604 | 3 |
| TOTAL | 9 | |
| (B) Dissertation Courses (18 credit hours): | ||
|---|---|---|
| Course | Code | Credit Hours |
| Ph.D. Seminar | GEOP 699 | 0 |
| Directed research I | GEOP 701 | 3 |
| Directed research II | GEOP 702 | 3 |
| Pre-dissertation | GEOP 711 | 3 |
| Dissertation | GEOP 712 | 9 |
| TOTAL | 18 | |
| (C) Electives (21 credit hours): | ||
|---|---|---|
| Course | Code | Credit Hours |
| Two Elective Courses from the list below (in addition to existing graduate Geophysics courses 5XX): | 6 | |
| • Multi-scale rock physics | GEOP 613 | 3 |
| • Microseismic geophysics | GEOP 618 | 3 |
| • Advanced electromagnetic fields | GEOP 621 | 3 |
| • Advanced petrophysics | GEOP 625 | 3 |
| • Computing in geosciences | GEOP 629 | 3 |
| • Integrative geoscience | GEOP 630 | 3 |
| • Geomechanics and fluid flow | GEOP 633 | 3 |
| • Near-surface field geophysics | GEOP 642 | 3 |
| • Geophysical laboratory techniques | GEOP 645 | 3 |
| •Seismic imaging | GEOP 647 | 3 |
| • Special topic in geophysics I | GEOP 690 | 3 |
| • Special topic in geophysics II | GEOP 691 | 3 |
| One Math Elective Course from the following courses: | 3 | |
| • Advanced partial differential equations I | MATH 568 | 3 |
| • Numerical analysis of partial differential equations | MATH 572 | 3 |
| • Matrix computations and optimization algorithms | MATH 573 | 3 |
| • Numerical methods of partial differential equations | MATH 574 | 3 |
| • Wavelets and fractals | MATH 579 | 3 |
| • Advanced applied regression | MATH 587 | 3 |
| • Asymptotic expansions and perturbation methods | MATH 605 | 3 |
| • Inverse and ill-posed problems | MATH 607 | 3 |
| Two Free Electives (any KFUPM graduate course from the Science and Engineering disciplines provided that he has not taken it or an equivalent course before) | XXX xxx | 3 |
| XXX xxx | 3 | |
| TOTAL | 15 | |
Curriculum (Degree Plan)
The students in the Geophysics Ph.D. program have to complete 42 credit hours during the 4-years program. 24 credits are courses work and 18 credits are research credits.
| COURSE | TITLE | LT | LB | CR | COURSE | TITLE | LT | LB | CR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Year | |||||||||
| GEOP 602 | Geophysical wave propagation | 3 | 0 | 3 | GEOP 604 | Geophysical signal analysis | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| GEOP 603 | Numerical modeling in geophysics | 3 | 0 | 3 | MATH xxx | Mathematics elective | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| XXX xxx | Free elective I | 3 | 0 | 3 | GEOP xxx | Geophysics elective I | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 9 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 9 | ||||
| Second Year | |||||||||
| XXX xxx | Free elective II | 3 | 0 | 3 | GEOP 702 | Directed research II | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| GEOP xxx | Geophysics elective II | 3 | 0 | 3 | GEOP 711 | Ph.D. Pre-Dissertation | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| GEOP 701 | Directed research I | 0 | 0 | 3 | |||||
| GEOP 699 | Seminar | 1 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| 7 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||||
| Third Year | |||||||||
| GEOP 712 | Ph.D. Dissertation | 0 | 0 | IP | GEOP 712 | Ph.D. Dissertation | 0 | 0 | IP |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Fourth Year | |||||||||
| GEOP 712 | Ph.D. Dissertation | 0 | 0 | IP | GEOP 712 | Ph.D. Dissertation | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | ||||
| Total credit hours required for Ph.D. degree: 42 | |||||||||