Graduate Programs:
We offer two graduate degrees, both thesis and dissertation oriented, intended to prepare graduates for careers in research, academia, and beyond. We strongly suggest contacting prospective advisors to discuss potential research projects and whether they are admitting new students into their research programs. A list of department faculty can be found here.
For any questions, reach out to our graduate coordinator Pamela Burnley at pamela.burney@unlv.edu
The following links further describe the requirements, learning objectives, and career opportunities that come with either a master’s or doctorate degree.
We are pleased to announce that the UNLV Geoscience Department has been selected to participate in the NSF EPSCoR Graduate Fellowships (EGFP). This program awards an annual stipend for 4 years along with tuition and fee waiver to PhD students enrolled in our program that have received an Honorable Mention from the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program.
Please see this flyer for details.
Graduate Catalog:
Geoscience Graduate Student Guidelines:
Provided are the handbooks and guidelines for master’s and doctorate students.
For more information regarding Graduate College forms and deadlines, please visit:
Graduate Admissions
Master’s and Doctorate Flyers and Handbooks:
Apply to Graduate School:
Become a UNLV graduate student
More information on the requirements of applying to graduate school can be found here
We admit students during both Fall and Spring semesters. For preferential consideration, please submit application materials as follows:
- For Fall admission, submit by January 15th
- For Spring admission, submit by October 1st
However, please send materials as early as possible. Admission decisions are made shortly after the indicated dates, and application materials often take extra time to arrive. An application that is missing a component risks being overlooked or rejected.
We strongly encourage you to contact individual faculty members whose research interests match yours before submitting your application. We do not admit students who cannot be matched with a willing faculty advisor.
The Department has 20 full time faculty members with wide geoscientific research interests, and also contains state-of-the-art laboratory facilities including geochronology, stable isotope, environmental, metal stable isotope, elemental chemistry, SEM, and microprobe instrumentation.
A full list of our facilities can be found here
Up until a student is admitted, our Recruitment & Admissions team can be reached at gradadmissions@unlv.edu.
Dr. Dave Beasley (garland.beasley@unlv.edu) is our Recruitment and Admissions Specialist and can assist with your application procedure.
Grant and Scholarship Opportunities
Many grants and scholarship opportunities exist to alleviate some financial challenges associated with graduate school. The Geoscience Department, UNLV’s Graduate College, and a number of Geologic and Scientific societies provide research grants open for graduate students to apply for. Graduate student internships are also available for those who look to work over the summer within their field of interest.
For information on Graduate School Financing see: Graduate Financing
A list of grant and scholarship opportunities can be found here.
Housing for New Graduate Students
Las Vegas is a sprawling metropolitan city that grows each year. Figuring out where to live while attending graduate school can be a difficult task for domestic out-of-state and international students.
We’ve dedicated this page to suggesting ideal zip codes that are close to campus while highlighting the numerous national and state parks that Nevada and surrounding states has to offer.