Applying to the Graduate Program

We looking forward to receiving your application to Kent State's Earth Sciences programs!

Admissions Requirements

• Access Ph.D Program Information &  Admissions Requirements
• Access M.S. Program Information & Admissions Requirements

Research Areas

Applicants to the M.S. and Ph.D. programs can focus on one of two research areas:

• Environmental Research (Water, Surface and Subsurface Processes; Geohazards; and Natural Resources)
• Evolution of Earth Systems Research (Climate Change, Paleoecology and Evolution, Crustal Processes)

Other Helpful Information

Financial Support

Funding decisions are made on a separate basis from admission, so it is possible to be admitted, but not funded for graduate study. All applicants who receive unconditional admission are automatically considered for a potential teaching appointment as part of the application process.

Teaching Assistantships include a nine-month stipend of $15,450 for M.S. students, a twelve-month stipend of $22,660 for Ph.D. students, and a waiver of full-time university tuition (up to 10 credit hours per semester). The value of the stipend plus university tuition waiver is currently $24,875 each year for MS students and $32,085 for PhD students. Also included for all TAs is an exemption from all instructional and out-of-state fees. Historically, in addition to the stipend and tuition waiver, the University has been able to provide graduate assistant students with a partial health insurance credit of 70% to be applied toward the health insurance plan for graduate assistant students offered through Kent State University.  

Online Application Upload Utility for Supporting Documents

Applicants can use the links provided in the online application or this secure form to submit a statement of career goals, letters of recommendation, resume or curriculum vitae or other supporting documents. Letters of recommendation can also be submitted by the recommender using this upload utility.  If you submit documents using this utility, please do not mail them as well. You will receive an email notification when your document(s) have been processed.

Optional Admission Materials

• Curriculum Vitae or Resume

  • Applicants are welcome to provide a curriculum Vitae or Resume, in pdf format, which can be uploaded to the online application during the application process. Look for the section that allows you to upload optional material. The naming convention should be your surname, "MS-GEOL", or "PhD-GEOL" and "CV" or "resume". File names should thus look like: "LastName_MSGEOL_CV.pdf", or "LastName_PhDGEOL_CV.pdf".

• ETS Graduate Record Exam (GRE)

  • The Department of Earth Sciences no longer requires the GRE score as part of the application, but applicants who have taken the exam can optionally provide their scores to the University if they so desire. 
  • Contact ETS for more information about the exam or to register if you so desire.
  • The ETS GRE code for Kent State University is as follows: