The core courses required for study of hydrogeology at the University of Kansas are:

Geol 751/CE 754 Physical Hydrogeology,

Geol 752 Field and Lab. Hydrogeology,

Geol 753/CE 753 Chemical Hydrogeology, and

Geol 754/CE 776 Contaminant Transport.

Completion of the four core courses with a grade of B or better is required to continue in the ground-water specialty toward an advanced degree.

The M.S. degree with a specialty in ground-water studies can be earned with or without a thesis. It can be obtained through Geology or Civil and Environmental Engineering. The four core courses (12 credit hours) are required for both thesis and non-thesis M.S. options and must be taken within the first three semesters in residence, if the student has adequate preparation (Students with inadequate backgrounds and nontraditional students may petition for more time).

The M.S. thesis option consists of a minimum of 30 credit hours of graduate work including up to 6 credit hours of thesis research. A combination thesis defense and final examination is required. The M.S. non-thesis option requires at least 30 hours of graduate credit, three or more hours of which must be used to complete a research project and report on the results (research, independent investigation, or seminars). A final examination is also required.

For students with normal undergraduate preparation in Geology the schedule of courses for the first two years of a Master's program would look something like the following.

Prerequisites or equivalent: Two semesters of chemistry, two semesters of physics, differential equations, Geol. 101 Intro. to Geol., Geol. 331 Sedimentology and Earth Surficial processes, Geol. 532 Stratigraphy, Geol. 562 Structural Geology.

Typically, one of the electives would be either Geol. 541 Geomorphology or Geol. 741 Adv. Geomorphology, depending on student preparation. Likely candidates for additional electives would be Geol. 731 and or Geol. 732 dealing with depositional systems. A variety of other electives are possible depending upon research interest.

A Ph.D. degree may be earned either through Geology or Civil and Environmental Engineering. The Ph.D. curriculum is arranged by the student and his/her advisory committee. A qualifying or comprehensive exam is required before extensive dissertation research is undertaken. A dissertation containing original research is required, parts of which are suitable for publication in scholarly journals. Upon completion of the thesis, a final oral defense is also required.

Each summer, the Department of Geology awards about $10,000 of supplemental support for graduate research using funds contributed by alumni and industry. Students commonly obtain additional research support from Sigma Xi; the Geological Society of America; the American Association of Petroleum Geologists; and direct industry, federal, or state grants to individual projects. Teaching assistantships are available each summer at the Kansas Geology Field Camp near Canon City, Colorado. The endowed Scott and Carol Ritchie Fund is dedicated to supporting research and education in hydrogeology.

Alpha Chapter of Sigma Gamma Epsilon, founded at the University of Kansas in 1915, provides social and intellectual interaction among geology students at all levels. The club helps sponsor visiting lecturers, including AAPG Distinguished Lecturers.