- Application Information
- ForALL Preview
- The MS program
- The PhD program
- Coursework (MS and PhD)
- Mentoring (MS and PhD)
- The Qualifying Exam (PhD)
- Graduate Student Instructors (GSIs)
- Research and Travel Funding
- Policies
- Student Publications and Awards
- Resources for Graduate Students
- Graduate Program Statistics
- Professional Development
Graduate students in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (EARTH) have a common interest in understanding how the Earth and environment work and how they have changed through time. Graduate students use experimental, field, and computational methods and apply principles from biology, chemistry, and physics to understand processes from the atomic to the planetary scale, in modern and recent times and deep in Earth's geological past.
EARTH’s graduate program has an outstanding reputation and has been consistently rated highly in many rankings. According to the U.S. News & World Report, EARTH has the ninth-best Earth Science graduate program in the US and the University of Michigan is the 19th-best global university.
EARTH offers master (MS) and doctoral (PhD) degree programs. It trains students in all facets of academic research and learning with the goal to develop a transferable toolset. Conceptualization, planning, team work, quantitative analysis, scientific communication, teaching and public outreach are essential skills irrespective of career paths.
Prospective applicants are strongly encouraged to contact faculty and researchers in EARTH (see People) to learn about ongoing and planned research, coursework, teaching, research and travel funding, internships, fieldwork, and other academic opportunities.
Quick links
Academic Program Manager – Nathan Sadowsky, nsad@umich.edu
The Academic Program Manager is responsible for program management, student service delivery, advising and counseling, recruitment and admissions, and financial management.
Associate Chair for Graduate Studies – Jeroen Ritsema; earth-grad-chair@umich.edu
The Grad Chair is responsible for the general oversight of the graduate program and the welfare of graduate students in EARTH.
Graduate Affairs Committee page (limited access)
Advisory committee for the graduate program
