Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Handbook

DEPARTMENT OF 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, first-year students are required to
attend weekly tutorials during fall term given by Earth and Planetary Sciences (EPS)
faculty to learn about their research and laboratories. By 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, two of whom must be
members of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences following GSAS guidelines. One or more
external faculty members may be on the committee. External members must be
approved by the GSC prior to adding them to the committee. As students’ research
interests evolve, the composition of their advisory committee can be adjusted. Students
who change their principal advisor to a non-EPS advisor should consult the EPS Co-
Advisor Guidelines available on the EPS website. 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 students’ principal advisor and
the co-directors of the GSC will review and approve the Plan of Study. Students are
encouraged to check with the GSC at the beginning of their first year to make sure the
courses they plan to take are consistent with the course requirements.

All students are required to take at least eight letter-graded graduate-level four-credit
courses in fulfillment of the PhD degree. Four of these four-credit 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,

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Chemistry, Engineering Sciences, Mathematics, or Physics. These courses should provide
the student with the basis of knowledge required to pursue research.

Two applied math four-credit 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.

Students must earn a grade of C or better in courses taken to satisfy the EPS course
requirements. 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

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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 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.

After meeting the two-course teaching requirement, students are paid a higher rate
when teaching (about an additional one months’ stipend paid over the teaching term).
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 teacher training such as an EPS micro-teaching
workshop or 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.

Students should obtain their faculty advisor’s approval before undertaking outside work.

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. The exam will assess the student’s
originality, capacity for synthesis and critical examination, intensity of intellectual
curiosity, and clarity of communication.

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Research Proposal
• In consultation with their principal advisor, students are required to prepare and
submit a proposal on their research topic.
• The proposal should include an introduction explaining the rational, background,
context, and hypotheses underlying the proposed study; methodological details
of their work plan; and implications for neighboring branches of the Earth
sciences.
• The paper should be up to fifteen pages, including figures but not including
references, in 12 pt. font with 1.5” margins.
• The research paper should be distributed to the committee with a copy to the
graduate coordinator at least two weeks prior to the date of the orals. Failure to
do so may result in rescheduling of the exam.

Oral Exam
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. At a minimum, 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 graduate coordinator. The Request for the Oral
Examination form or a petition to postpone is due by the course registration deadline 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 their principal advisor outlining the reasons for postponement.

Oral examinations are in principle open to all faculty members of the department, but
only the examining committee members will evaluate the student. It is the student’s
responsibility to ensure that the necessary room reservation is arranged, and the audio-
visual equipment is set up. The examination begins with a presentation of the student’s
proposal, lasting approximately twenty to twenty-five minutes if uninterrupted
(approximately 20-25 slides). The presentation should cover the full scope of the
proposal. The student’s presentation will be followed by questions from the examining
committee members and other faculty members present.

Questions will focus on the ability of the student to carry out dissertation research in
their chosen area but will not be limited to a narrow field of specialization or to the
proposed project. Questions that are broad in nature and are intended to test general

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knowledge of Earth sciences will be included. The duration of the examination is
variable, often lasting two to three hours.

Students who do not pass the qualifying oral examination are normally given another
chance with specific guidelines for improvement on their weakness(es). The
examination committee may stipulate further requirements such as further course
work.

Progress Reports
In the third and subsequent years of study, students are required to file an annual
Progress Report consisting of a one-page research summary and a form signed by all
committee members. Students should meet with each member of their advisory
committee and any issues should be noted on the form. The Progress Report is
intended to keep the student, advisors, and the GSC aware of the student’s progress
toward the degree.

Third year students should include 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.

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 graduate coordinator 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

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changes to their dissertation and/or a decision on whether or not the final examination
committee feels the candidates are ready to go forward with a public defense.

It is expected that the dissertation will conform to the requirements described online in
Dissertations.

Parental Support
Following the birth or adoption of a child, EPS graduate students are eligible for the
Parental Accommodation and Financial Support program (PAFS) offered by GSAS. EPS
will supplement the financial component of this program to equal a total of up to six
months of a graduate student’s stipend at the standard EPS rate and corresponding
tuition and health fees. The student and advisor should establish research expectations
during this time. Students should coordinate support with the EPS Graduate Coordinator
and GSAS.

Master of Arts for non-EPS students

PhD candidates in another FAS department who wish to be candidates for the AM
degree in EPS may petition the GSC upon satisfactory completion of the required eight
four-credit courses as outlined in the PhD course requirements section of the graduate
student handbook. The four depth courses must be 200-level EPS courses. The two
breadth courses must be EPS courses at the 100- or 200-level. Under special
circumstances the GSC may approve the breadth courses to be Earth-science related
courses from other departments, provided they are at the 100- or 200-level. Depending
on the student’s area of specialization, the two math courses can be either at the 100-
or 200-level. Students are required to meet with a member of the GSC with respect to
satisfying all course requirements. Courses with grades lower than B- cannot be used for
the AM degree and an overall grade average of B or better is required. Candidates
should petition the GSC six weeks before the appropriate Application for Degree
deadline and with the knowledge and written consent of the director of graduate
studies in their parent department. Other aspects of the student's graduate career at
Harvard remain the province of the parent department.

October 2018