EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCES
Academic Advising
The Graduate Studies Committee (GSC) meets with all new students and confirms a preliminary advisor during the first week of the fall term. (Normally, it will be clear from the admissions process which faculty member should be the preliminary advisor.) After meeting with the GSC, students meet with their preliminary advisor during the beginning of the fall term to discuss a plan of study.
Unless students have an outside fellowship, the first year of funding derives from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS). This system is set up so the student can explore the scientific possibilities within the department before deciding upon a dissertation topic and PhD advisor. Toward this aim, the majority of the Earth and Planetary Sciences (EPS) faculty give introductions to their research and laboratories on Friday afternoons during the fall term. Toward the end of the spring term, first-year students submit their Plan of Study, which includes their proposed PhD advisor and advisory committee.
Normally, the advisory committee consists of a principal advisor and up to three other faculty members from the department. Members of the advisory committee are selected by the students in consultation with their advisor. As students’ research interests evolve, the composition of their advisory committee can be adjusted. The co-directors of graduate studies mediate issues between graduate students and advisors should they arise.
Plan of Study and Course Requirements
All first-year graduate students are required to file a Plan of Study form toward the end of their second term. The form asks students to specify which courses they intend to use to satisfy each component of the course requirements, to name a PhD advisor, and to list members to serve on their advisory committee. The co-directors of the GSC will review and approve the Plan of Study, or will notify students and their principal advisor if they foresee any problems. Students are encouraged to check with the GSC at the beginning of their first year to make sure the courses the plan to take are consistent with the course requirements.
All students are required to take at least eight letter-graded graduate-level half-courses in fulfillment of the PhD degree. Four of these half-courses must be at the 200 level in Earth and Planetary Sciences or related courses at a suitable level in other disciplines such as Applied Mathematics, Applied Physics, Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Engineering Sciences, Mathematics, or Physics.
Two applied math half-courses are required, and are meant to provide students with a broad mathematical education in addition to providing them with the mathematical tools they might need for their research. Students in geophysics, climate, ocean and atmospheric dynamics and other math-intensive research areas are normally expected to take Applied Math 201 and a second graduate-level applied math or statistics course such as APM 202, 205 or Statistics 230. Students in less mathematically-oriented research areas (as defined by their advisory committee) are expected to take Applied Math 105 and one of Applied Math 104, 111, 115, 147 or higher-level math courses, or Statistics 110, 111, 139, 149 or higher. Additional math and statistics courses not listed here may qualify with GSC approval. The department assumes all students have taken the mathematic equivalent to Applied Math 21a and 21b. If not, they should be taken in addition to the above requirement and incoming students should be aware that this represents a significant additional commitment.
To ensure that graduate students gain exposure to the many areas of Earth sciences, the department has a breadth requirement. Students are required to take at least two EPS courses outside of their main area of research interest. These courses must be approved by the student’s advisor. By petition to the GSC, courses with an Earth or planetary science component in other departments at Harvard may count towards the breadth requirement, provided the course is a lecture course with an exam or a term paper designed for graduate students.
The requirements outlined above are a minimum standard and students will usually take additional courses in their selected fields and in other fields. Students normally satisfy the course requirements in the first two years of graduate study in preparation for their qualifying oral examination; however, students need not fulfill these requirements before beginning research and should not put off research on this account.
All degree candidates must maintain an average equivalent to B or better to continue in the program. Satisfactory progress is reviewed annually and students who fall below the grade minimum will normally be given one term to improve their grades.
Field Trip
All graduate students are required to participate in at least one department-sponsored field research trip during their time at EPS. These annual trips are organized by EPS graduate students and are approved by the GSC. Students learn about the relevant earth science in a particular area and gain experience in planning field trips—from developing an itinerary to preparing a budget to executing and reporting on the trip. Alternatively, students may be a leader on one of the undergraduate field trips, as appropriate, or may carry out other department-sponsored fieldwork. Students who are unable to take part in a trip should complete a waiver form by the end of their fifth year.
Teaching Requirements
All PhD students are required to serve as teaching fellows for at least two sections during their time at Harvard. The two sections should be for two different courses or for the same course in two different years. This requirement ensures that all students have at least some exposure to classroom or laboratory interactions with undergraduates, as teaching will likely be an important aspect of any future career. First-year students may not teach in their first term, but may serve as teaching fellows in the second term when the course material is useful for their own professional training (generally not Core, General Education, or introductory classes). Many students teach more than the minimum requirement. In some cases, this additional teaching provides necessary financial support for their research if research grants or fellowships are not available. However, to ensure that teaching does not prohibit satisfactory progress, students are required to petition the GSC if they wish to teach more than two sections in a single academic year.
It is department policy that students keep half of the teaching stipend after meeting the two-course teaching requirement. Teaching two sections of one course in a given term merits the financial teaching benefits but does not satisfy the academic teaching requirements. Under special circumstances, students may petition the GSC to keep the full stipend while teaching the two required sections or after they have fulfilled the minimum requirement.
If a student has received an outside fellowship that permits additional support, he or she may keep the stipend from teaching in addition to the fellowship—even if it is while teaching the two required sections.
Students are required to consult with their faculty advisor regarding when and which courses they should teach, in order to maximize the benefit to their education and training and make sure teaching does not interfere with their dissertation work. Students are also required to attend a Bok Center Teaching Conference (offered at the start of each term) prior to teaching their first class. Students for whom English is their second language may want also to contact the Bok Center to discuss which resources (available year round) would help them become effective teachers.
Qualifying Oral Examination
The purpose of the oral examination is to determine a student’s depth and breadth of scholarship in a chosen area of specialization as well as the student’s originality, capacity for synthesis and critical examination, intensity of intellectual curiosity, and clarity of communication.
In consultation with their principal advisor, students are required to prepare and submit to their oral exam committee and to the department office a paper on a research topic, to discuss it in-depth, and to answer questions about the topic and closely related problems. The paper should be no more than fifteen pages including figures but not including references, in 12 pt. font with 1.5” margins. More far-reaching questions that have a bearing on the research will also be subjects for discussion. The research paper should be distributed to the committee with a copy to the department office at least two weeks prior to the date of the orals, failing which their exam may have to be rescheduled.
All candidates for the PhD degree are expected to take the oral examination by the end of their fourth term in the program. It is the student’s responsibility to file the Request for the Oral Examination form or petition for postponement. The form requests the student and principal advisor each to nominate a member of the examining committee for the oral examination. Normally, these will be the other members of the student’s advisory committee. The examining committee will consist of the principal advisor, the nominee of the principal advisor, the nominee of the student, together with a fourth member from the GSC who will be appointed by the GSC. This fourth member will act as convener (i.e., chair) at the examination and will report the outcome of the examination to the department office. The Request for the Oral Examination form or a petition to postpone is due by the study card due date in the student’s fourth term in the program.
Request for permission to postpone the examination is by written petition to the GSC and should include statements by both the student and his/her principal advisor outlining the reasons for postponement.
Oral examinations are open to all faculty members of the department, but only the examining committee members will evaluate the students. The examination generally begins with a presentation of the student’s proposition lasting approximately twenty to twenty-five minutes uninterrupted (approximately 20-25 slides). Visual aids are encouraged; it is the student’s responsibility to ensure that the necessary equipment is set up. The presentation should include an introduction explaining the rationale for the study, the methodology employed, and something of the context in the field of study into which the research project fits, and its implications or possible implications for neighboring branches of the Earth sciences.
The student’s presentation will be followed by questions from the examining committee members and other faculty members present that will focus on issues bearing on the ability of the student to carry out dissertation research in his or her chosen area, but will not be limited to any narrow field of specialization or to the proposed project.
Students who do not pass the qualifying oral examination are normally given another chance with specific guidelines for improvement on their weakness(es).
The duration of the examination is variable but is usually in the neighborhood of two to three hours.
Progress Reports
In the third and subsequent years of study, students and their advisory committees are required to file an annual Progress Report. It is the student’s responsibility to arrange for the Progress Report. This form is intended to keep the student, advisors, and the GSC aware of the student’s progress toward the degree.
By the end of the sixth term, students are required to submit to the department, via their advisory committee, the subject and general objectives of their proposed dissertation research. Details may be modified as the dissertation progresses, but any major change in the subject and scope of the dissertation must be approved by the advisory committee.
Students in their fourth year and beyond should meet with their entire committee to review the student’s progress. Any issues should be noted on the Progress Report. The advisor and committee members may decide, in coordination, to do without a group meeting if the student is making satisfactory progress towards their PhD.
Final Examination/Dissertation Defense
The object of the dissertation is to show that candidates have technical mastery of the field in which they present themselves and that they are capable of independent research. The subject should be distinct and limited, and the writer should be able to formulate conclusions modifying or enlarging some aspects of present knowledge. Candidates must submit the dissertation not more than five years after having passed the Qualifying Oral Examination.
When students have completed writing the dissertation, they meet with their final examination committee for a private defense of their dissertation. This private defense generally takes between one and two hours. An unbound copy of the dissertation is distributed to the final examination committee members at least two weeks prior to the private defense. An electronic copy is also given to the department office and is available to the department community if requested.
PhD candidates are required to file the form Request for Appointment of Final Examiners and Scheduling of Final Examination. This form requests that the student and the principal advisor each nominate a member of the final examining committee for the final examination. The final examining committee is approved by the GSC and normally will consist of the principal advisor, the nominee of the principal advisor, the nominee of the student, together with a fourth member appointed by the GSC. This form is provided to request scheduling of the final private examination and the public presentation. At the private defense, PhD candidates can expect recommendations for changes to their dissertation and/or a decision on whether or not the final examination committee feels they are ready to go forward with a public defense.
It is expected that the dissertation will conform to the requirements described online in The Form of the PhD Dissertation.