Earth Science Education [M.S.]

Location(s): In-person/hybrid

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This program is designed for people interested in better understanding how people teach and learn Earth Science content, develop attitudes and beliefs about the Earth, and develop their identity as an Earth science teacher or professor. It is a thesis-based program in which students develop and explore their research questions with the guidance of an advisor. During this process, students will also expand and enhance their expertise in Earth Science through coursework and field experiences in Earth Sciences and education. Students will develop skills and competencies to evaluate, incorporate, and promote new developments in Earth Science content and pedagogy in secondary, post-secondary, or informal classroom settings as appropriate to their individual goals.

Program Admission

Admit Terms and Deadlines

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis; students may start the program in the Fall or Winter. See Application Deadlines.

Minimum Graduate School Requirements

For full admission, applicants must have 1) Earned a four-year baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or an equivalent degree from a non-U.S. institution, 2) a minimum cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 2.7 on a 4.0 scale, or 3.0 in the last half of the undergraduate program. Conditional admission may be available to applicants not meeting minimum admission requirements.

Program Requirements

Applicants must also meet the following program requirements. Requirements may be more stringent than the minimum graduate school requirements.

The equivalent of an undergraduate major or minor in Earth Science, Geology, or Physical Geography from an accredited university (students can be granted conditional admission requiring additional course work)
Undergraduate GPA of 2.75 or a 3.0 in the second half of the undergraduate degree program (students not meeting these GPA requirements can apply for non-degree admission and can be admitted after 9-12 hours of graduate courses and maintain a 3.0 GPA)
Three Professional Letters of Recommendation
Personal Statement (1-3 pages)
If you are interested in K-12 teaching, you must have or be actively working toward state-level teaching certification.

International Applicants

Must receive a minimum of 213 on the TOEFL, a rating of 4 on the Written English test, and a score of 230 on the Spoken English test. To be considered for a teaching assistantship, a minimum score of 600 on the TOEFL is required.

Application

Your application will be submitted using GradCAS, a Centralized Application Service (CAS) hosted by Liaison. After reviewing the admission requirements, please review the application instructions and select the appropriate application.

- Go to 2023-2024 GradCAS to apply to a program beginning in Summer 2024, Fall 2024, or Winter 2025.

- Go to 2024-2025 GradCAS to apply to a program beginning in Summer 2025, Fall 2025, or Winter 2026.

Domestic Applicants Domestic applicants are required to submit only the transcript from the institution granting their bachelor’s degree if either of the following criteria is met: 1) Lists 30 or more credit hours with an overall GPA of 3.0 or over OR 2) Lists 60 or more credit hours with an overall GPA between 2.7 and 2.99. Within the application, follow the instructions to submit an official transcript. The University may ask applicants to submit additional transcripts after applying.

International Applicants Before applying, applicants must review the international application/process deadlines at emich.edu/international as they may differ from general program requirements.

For additional information regarding the application process, please see Graduate Admissions or International Admissions.

Department Information

Geography & Geology 140D Strong Hall, 734.487.0218

Christine Clark, PhD, Department Head

Advisor Information

Christine Clark, PhD, 140M Strong Hall, 734.487.8590

Degree Requirements: 30 hours

The M.S. in Earth Science Education requires the completion of 30 hours of coursework to be distributed among required courses, elective courses, and cognate courses as follows.

Required Courses: 12 hours

ESSC 565 New Approaches to Teaching Earth Science 3 hrs
Choose six credit hours from the following:
ESSC 554 Field Investigations in Earth Science 1 hr
ESSC 555 Field Investigations in Earth Science 2 hrs
ESSC 556 Field Investigations in Earth Science 3 hrs
ESSC 557 Field Investigations in Earth Science 6 hrs
Choose one course from the following:
ESSC 599 Independent Study 3 hrs
ESSC 665 Professional Paper 3 hrs

Restricted Elective Courses: 18 hours

Choose eighteen hours from the following.

ESSC 501 Environmental Earth Science for Educators 3 hrs
ESSC 506 Nature of Science 1 hr
ESSC 514 Teaching Science with Dinosaurs 3 hrs
ESSC 520 GIS Introduction for Educators 3 hrs
or GEOG 520 GIS Introduction for Educators 3 hrs
ESSC 522 Internet GIS for Educators 3 hrs
or GEOG 522 Internet GIS for Educators 3 hrs
ESSC 524 GIS As an Instructional Tool in Classrooms 3 hrs
or GEOG 524 GIS As an Instructional Tool in Classrooms 3 hrs
ESSC 530 Petroleum Geology 3 hrs
ESSC 562 Weather 3 hrs
ESSC 566 Global Tectonics 3 hrs
ESSC 567 Paleoclimatology 3 hrs
ESSC 569 Principles of Hydrology for Educators 3 hrs
ESSC 592 Special Topics 3 hrs
ESSC 599 Independent Study 3 hrs
ESSC 665 Professional Paper 3 hrs
ESSC 667 School GIS Projects and Lesson Plan Development 3 hrs
or GEOG 667 School GIS Projects and Lesson Plan Development 3 hrs
ESSC 669 GIS Lesson Plan Development 3 hrs
ESSC 681 Special Topics 3 hrs
ESSC 699 Independent Study 3 hrs

Critical Graduation Information

Each graduate student is responsible for fulfilling the requirements or equivalents of the Eastern Michigan University catalog in force at the time of their initial registration or a subsequent catalog, including the one in effect at the time of their graduation.

Master’s degree requirements must be completed within six (6) years of first enrollment in the master’s degree program.

In the event a student does not complete the master’s degree requirements within six years of the date of their original registration, the student may be required to have their credits re-evaluated by the academic department(s) of their degree in keeping with catalog requirements in force during the year of their graduation.

The following are minimum requirements for all master’s degrees awarded by Eastern Michigan University. Some programs require more than the minimum in one or more areas below.

A master’s degree must require a minimum of 30 credit hours.
No more than six credits of independent study courses and no more than 12 credit hours of special topics and independent study courses combined may be applied to a graduate degree.
Residency Requirement:
- For students admitted to master’s degree programs of 36 or fewer required hours, at least 24 new graduate hours beginning the semester of acceptance and enrollment into the degree program must be earned at EMU. The remaining program requirement hours may be met through transfer or prior degree credit (EMU or elsewhere).
- For students admitted to master’s degree programs of 37 or more required hours, at least 30 new graduate hours beginning the semester of acceptance and enrollment into the degree program must be earned at EMU. Minimum degree hours must still be met for graduation. The remaining program requirement hours may be met through transfer or prior degree credit (EMU or elsewhere).
- Residency and enrollment in multiple programs: Students enrolled in multiple master’s/specialist degree programs must have 24 unique credit hours in each degree program.
Only credits from one completed graduate certificate may be applied to a master’s or specialist degree in a relevant field of study, as determined by the Graduate School and with the approval of the degree-granting academic department, and be included in the residency hours above.
Students must maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA in all graduate-level courses taken at EMU and in their program of study to remain in good academic standing and be eligible for graduation. Students do not need to be registered for classes during the semester of graduation.
The Graduate School does not permit the use of undergraduate courses (499 and below) to meet degree requirements on graduate programs of study.
Some master’s programs require a thesis; others require a special project or internship; others require students to pass a final exam. See the Graduate School website for Thesis and Dissertation Manuals, all forms, and information about research and human subject approval. Every completed thesis or dissertation must be submitted to Digital Commons. Any form of graduate student work submitted to Digital Commons must first be approved by a faculty advisor and the Graduate School.