Prospective and Current Students

The Department of Earth Sciences works to provide a friendly and inclusive atmosphere for all graduate students. The relatively small size of the Department means that graduate students have regular access to their advisors and other faculty, research scientists, postdoctoral scholars, graduate students, and staff. We also encourage interactions with members of other departments at Dartmouth and outside investigators from other institutions. Undergraduate students play a visible and important role in our research and departmental life, so there are numerous mentorship opportunities as a graduate student. Owing to these factors and more, we feel that we offer a unique and exceptional opportunity for outstanding students interested in graduate study in the Earth Sciences.

GRADUATE RESEARCH EXAM (GRE)

The Department of Earth Sciences has waived the GRE requirement from all current and future graduate applications. Prospective students are still able to report GRE scores in their applications, but they are no longer required.

TRANSCRIPTS

Transcripts should be sent to the Guarini School of Graduate and Advanced Studies Admissions Office:
 
Guarini Schiool of Graduate and Adanced Studies
Dartmouth College 
Anonymous Hall
64 College Street, Suite 6062, Room 102
Hanover NH 03755

CURRENT AND FUTURE LABORATORY GROUP OPENINGS

Because of the small size of Dartmouth's Earth Science department, ensuring a good intellectual fit between an applicant and an EARS professor is a key part of graduate admissions. Before or during the application process, you should reach out to professors you are interested in working with to introduce yourself and discuss potential projects. 

To facilitate this communication, we compile annually a list of EARS professors looking for graduate students, what projects those students might expect to join, and any specific interests or skills that would make a good fit. This list is not exhaustive and some professors may also be open to student-led projects.

Meredith Kelly
I am accepting new graduate students for the academic year 24-25. I have ongoing projects investigating the past fluctuations of tropical glaciers. These projects aim to understand tropical paleoclimate conditions from approximately the Last Ice Age until the present, and investigate the influence of topography on tropical glacial extents. I also have projects investigating the deglaciation of the Laurentide Ice Sheet in western North America as well as in New England. These focus on understanding the role of the ice sheet in global climate changes as well as the paleoenvironmental conditions during late glacial time. Ideally students will have some Earth Science background, prior research experience, strong quantitative skills, good writing ability and the willingness to work hard.

Mathieu Morlighem
I am seeking outstanding graduate students who are interested in working on ice sheet modeling to start in Fall 2024. A solid background in continuum mechanics and programming is preferred. If interested, please send me an email with a brief description of your research interests and background.

Erich Osterberg
I am looking for 1-2 MSc or PhD students focused on past and modern climate change to begin in September 2024. Possible projects include: Holocene climate change and wildfire history in the North Pacific from a suite of ice cores; increasing resilience to climate change in rural northern New England through community collaborations and knowledge co-generation; climate drivers of Greenland mass balance; and a funded project focusing on the last 2000 years of climate history from a Taylor Dome, Antarctica ice core. I'm particularly seeking students with skills, experience or strong interest in data analytics and statistics (Matlab/Python/R), polar climatology, chemical climate proxy data analysis, and remotely sensed data, along with strong interpersonal and teamwork skills.

Sarah Slotznick
I am looking for a graduate student (at either PhD or MSc level) to start in the 2024-2025 academic year.  Potential projects would be studying modern weathering processes and goethite through a deep-time lens using paleomagnetism or diving into mineralogy of the renewable energy transition with magnetics, first principles computations and/or laboratory mineral synthesis.  Students should be excited about laboratory research and exploring how magnetism provides a unique window into the natural world! For the second project, prior coursework in physics or material science and experience coding are preferred.

GUIDES FOR CURRENT AND INCOMING GRADUATE STUDENTS

THE GRADUATE STUDENT HANDBOOK

The Academic Policy Handbook (PDF) is a reference to assist current and incoming graduate students in the task of working towards a degree in the Department of Earth Sciences.

The Workplace Policy Handbook (PDF) is a reference to provide current and incoming graduate students with information about the Department of Earth Sciences' organization and policies, as well as guidance about living in the Upper Valley of New Hampshire and Vermont.  

Students should refer to the ORC as the document of record for all academic questions.  Archived copies of the ORC can be found here

TUITION

All admitted graduate students in the Department of Earth Sciences are given a stipend to cover living expenses (approximately $2,900 per month). In addition, all graduate students receive a tuition fellowship to cover the full cost of tuition. MSc students are granted this support for approximately seven terms (two full years) given reasonable progress towards their degree; PhD students are granted support for approximately 17 terms (four years). All graduate students are required to carry health insurance as well, which is provided as single coverage during their enrollment.