Apply FAQs | Earth Science - UC Santa Barbara

Apply to Graduate Program

Why UC Santa Barbara?

Our department is a research powerhouse with cutting edge laboratory and field instrumentation. The Times for Higher Education (London), ranked us 7th worldwide in geoscience research based on citations per paper

Our graduate education has modest unit and course requirements. Instead, we are all about research—your research. Our MS and PhD programs are individually tailored to support the research project you will design with your principal advisor. From day one, you will be mentored to make your original contribution to scientific knowledge.

Our local weather is a field scientist’s dream come true, empowering you to explore and study our Earth 365-days a year. With ready access to desert, ocean, mountains, and islands, our tectonically rich and seismically active region is a natural textbook, ready to be studied. Of course, many of our students also travel the globe for their field and laboratory research.

With 50 graduate students and 25 faculty, we are large enough to offer first class research resources, but not so large as to become impersonal.

For more reasons why, see our flyer target="_new".

The deadline to submit applications for the 2025-26 Academic Year is Thursday Jan. 2 2025

Apply Now!

For assistance with your graduate school application, please contact: Quinlan Dougherty, Graduate Program Coordinator, via grad@geol.ucsb.edu

Getting into our Graduate Program

Admission to our program is competitive. We receive many more applications than we have spaces for. It pains us that, every year, we have to pass on many applications from excellent students. Below are our recommendations to maximize your chances of success.

Preparation

Degree. You do not have to hold a degree in Earth Science to join our graduate program. Environmental scientists, geographers, physicists, chemists, biologists, and mathematicians have long crossed the bridge to Earth science. So have philosophers and historians with strong motivation and proper preparation in scientific fundamentals. We welcome curious minds from all disciplines.

Foundation. Build a solid foundation with college-level science courses. Naturally, adequate preparation for a geophysicist is different from that for a paleontologist, and that for a geochemist. For most interests, a year of chemistry, calculus, and physics is desirable.

Research. Before committing several years of your life to research, it is important to know that you truly love research. Pursue whatever opportunities are available to you to engage with and participate in research projects.

Find your Passion. Most successful applicants have focused their scientific interests on a particular sub-discipline, so they can zero in on potential research mentors with matching interests.

Finding a Sponsor

Because our program is highly individualized (unlike professional studies with a fixed curriculum such as a medical school), we aim for a perfect fit between each student’s goals and interests and a particular research group. Accordingly, to be considered for admission in our department, an application must be sponsored by one or more faculty members who have pledged to advise and mentor the applicant. You should not rely on our faculty “discovering” you on the strength of your application. Instead, your chances of admission will be considerably greater if you take an active role in securing a sponsor.

We recommend you use our website to carefully study the scientific interests, past research, and future direction of our faculty and their research groups, looking for individuals who are an excellent match for your own interests. Can you see yourself dedicating several years of your life investigating the very research topics described? If so, we encourage you to contact the faculty member by email to introduce yourself and inquire about opportunities within their research group. Our faculty expect to receive such emails and will respond. Your should indicate:

Your name, the degree you are currently pursuing, and your current institution.
Whether you wish to pursue an MS, a PhD, or whether you would like guidance on which path is best for you (it’s OK to ask for advice)
The scientific topics you are interested in. If you have strong interests, briefly explain what they are, and how you developed them.
Why you concluded that this particular faculty member would be a good match for you (if appropriate, you can bring up details from a paper of theirs you read, a talk you attended, or a conversation you had with a third party).
Attaching a CV or an academic transcript can be helpful, but do not include theses or other long documents in your first email.

Do not be discouraged if you don’t get an answer right away. Our faculty are frequently in the field, away from email. If you do not hear back after 10 days, send a follow up. Answers range from a simple yes/no, to requests for more information, to requests for a telephone call or teleconference meeting. Always keep in mind that faculty hate to say “no” to students, but also can never promise admission, as decisions are made by committee in a holistic process.

Fall 2025 Opportunities

For Fall 2025, our sponsors and opportunities for MS and PhD program projects include the following.

Continental Geochemistry: Prof Roberta Rudnick seeks a PhD student to investigate continental formation and evolution through time.

Geomorphology / Geochemistry: Prof. Gen Li is accepting MS/PhD students. Projects focus on understanding carbon cycling and sediment dynamics in tectonically active mountain ranges and/or in landscape systems experiencing rapid environmental changes.

Geophysics/seismo-acoustics/volcano seismology: Professor Matoza is recruiting MS and PhD students for projects on geophysical (seismo-acoustic) monitoring and environmental sensing for nonproliferation; seismic and acoustic monitoring of volcanic processes; and marine volcanism (hydroacoustics).

Mantle geochemistry, volcanology: One student to join on a seagoing expedition to sample hotspot volcanoes in order to better understand their evolution, magma plumbing systems, and trace their origins into the mantle; please contact Prof Matt Jackson.

Marine Biogeochemistry: Professor Raven is looking to recruit motivated PhD students for two projects: The first will investigate newly-observed patterns in the sulfur isotopes of marine biomass and their implications for our understanding of the global sulfur cycle. The second project investigates the impacts and feasibility of organic carbon addition to the deep (anoxic) ocean as a means of atmospheric CO2 removal. In both cases, the ideal candidate will enjoy creative, hands-on problem solving and have a background that includes chemistry. Academic research or professional work experience are preferred but now required. (See RavenNoise Lab for more information). Students can apply to work with professor Raven through either Earth Science or Marine Science.

Paleoclimate: Professor Weldeab is accepting a MS or PD student to investigate the mechanism, magnitude and pace of past climate changes using marine or terrestrial climate archives.

Paleoclimate/Paleoceanography: Professor Lisiecki is accepting applications for PhD and MS students. Projects focus on statistical analysis of paleoclimate data compilations related to millennial-scale climate change, Cenozoic glacial cycles and orbital forcing, ice sheet-ocean-carbon cycle feedbacks, and/or age models for ocean sediment cores.

Paleontology/Evolution: Prof. Martinez-Gutierrez seeks passionate students (MS/PhD) interested in the origins and evolution of bacterial and archaeal life. Projects involve bioinformatics, genomics, phylogenomics, and field work. Examples of projects include the development of bioinformatic pipelines to reconstruct phylogenomic trees, the recovery of microbial genomes from the environment, and the study of the impact of past geological events on marine microbial life.

Sedimentology/Geomorphology: Professor Alex Simms is looking for a graduate student to study shallow marine sedimentology/geomorphology. Potential projects include examining the response of coastal and shelf deposits and landforms to past changes in sea level, climate, and tectonics. This usually includes field, lab, and numerical methods.

Seismology/Tectonophysics/Geophysics: Prof. Zach Eilon is seeking a PhD student with an interest (and ideally existing expertise) in surface wave seismology to work on upcoming data from two ocean-bottom seismic deployments (the student is welcomed to participate in three funded cruises) on the never-before-instrumented Galapagos Triple junction. This is the largest and densest experiment ever to obtain broadband seismic data from a mid ocean ridge (actually, two ridges!) and the expected data and surface wave imaging will shed new light on how these fundamental plate boundaries work. Experience with coding, geophysics, and seismic imaging is a plus, but the most competitive applicants will have a demonstrated track record of problem solving, math aptitude, and an enthusiasm for learning about Earth dynamics.

Tectonics and Geochronology: Professor Cottle seeks motivated PhD and MS students to study the development of crustal melt systems in collisional orogens, and the significance of Rare Earth Element Mineralization in alkaline igneous provinces.

Tectonic Geomorphology: Kristin Morell seeks motivated MS and PhD students to work on field-based research involving active tectonics, tectonic geomorphology, and/or seismic hazards. Field areas could include the Indian Himalayas, western Costa Rica, coastal Alaska, Chile, or the west coast of the USA (Washington, Oregon, or California).

Submitting your Application

All applications are submitted online through the portal https://www.graddiv.ucsb.edu/eapp We review applications once a year, starting in January, for admission the following Fall quarter. We no longer require (or will accept) GRE scores.

The application fee is $135 for domestic applicants and $155 for international applicants. A limited number of fee waivers are available for qualified US citizens and permanent residents. McNair Scholars and California Alliance for Minority Participation (CAMP) applicants are among those eligible. You can apply within the online application, up to two weeks before the application deadline. Late applications will not be processed. We regret that fee waivers are not available to international applicants.

Include in your application:

A resume or curriculum vitae
Transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended (submitted online). Although you can initially file your application with unofficial transcripts (transcripts you uploaded yourself, rather than provided directly by the institution to UCSB), be aware that final/official transcripts will be required for all applicants who are admitted and have indicated their intent to enroll at UC Santa Barbara. The University reserves the right to require official transcripts at any time during the admissions process, and rescind any offer of admission made if discrepancies between uploaded and official transcript(s) are found.
Three letters of recommendations (submitted online by the recommenders).
A sample of your analytical writing (such as an assignment or term paper from a class you’ve taken)
A Statement of Purpose (500 words max. for the entire statement), which addresses the following questions:
- What are your current research interests and why?
- Which faculty members at UCSB would you like to work with?
- What would you like to do after graduate school?
A Personal Achievements/Contributions Statement (1,250 max. for the entire statement), which addresses the following questions:
- Diversity (optional). If applicable, please describe any experience of economic challenges in achieving higher education, such as being financially responsible for family members or dependents, having to work significant hours during undergraduate schooling or coming from a family background of limited income. Please describe any uncommon or varied life experiences that might contribute to the diversity of the graduate group, such as fluency in other languages, experience living in bi-cultural communities, academic research interests focusing on cultural, societal, or educational problems as they affect under-served segments of society.
- Service (optional). If applicable, please describe any efforts you have made to serve disadvantaged individuals or populations. (250 words max)
- Motivation. Describe how you tackled or overcame a challenge. What was key to your success? What strategies would you use in the future to deal with challenges in graduate school? (250 words max)
- Curiosity, breadth, creativity. Please write about another interest(s) of yours not directly related to your proposed graduate school pursuits. This could include other academic areas or non-academic hobbies. How did you become interested in them? (250 words max)
- Collegiality, collaboration, teamwork. Tell us about a time you worked as part of a team or collaboration. What role did you play? What were the challenges of working together, and how did you overcome them? (250 words max)

International Applicants: Please send a pre-application email to the graduate program coordinator (grad@geol.ucsb.edu), providing the following information: GPA, English Language score, degree objective (i.e. PhD or MS), area(s) of specialization, and name(s) of faculty you would like as principal advisor(s).

Applicants whose native language is not English.
An excellent command of written and spoken English is required prior to enrollment at UCSB.

Applicants whose native language is not English are required to take the TOEFL or the IELTS, or the Duolingo English Test, and provide scores in their application. The following exams are accepted for meeting English Language Examination admissions requirements: TOEFL iBT, TOEFL PBT, TOEFL iBT Home Edition, TOEFL iBT Paper Edition; IELTS (Academic), IELTS Online (Academic), IELTS Indicator; and Duolingo English Test (DET). The following exams are not accepted: TOEFL ITP Plus, TOEFL Essentials, and other exams not specifically noted above. For more information see here.

Exemptions will be considered for students who have completed an undergraduate or graduate degree at an institution whose verified sole official language of instruction is English. Applicants must provide final/official transcripts indicating (1) completion of the degree program and (2) English as the official language of instruction.

Minimum Criteria for Admission

The minimum requirement for admission for a U.S. student is a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution, with a minimum GPA of 3.0 (unless granted a waiver due to exceptional circumstances). However, overall GPA is not what we use to assess academic performance. Instead, we dig down into each application and consider which classes you excelled in, or had trouble with, taking in consideration temporal patterns and events that may be described in your personal statement.

An international student whose post-secondary education is completed outside of the U.S. is expected to hold a degree representing completion of at least four years of study with above average/very good scholarship equivalent to a 3.0 GPA minimum, from a university or university-level institution.

For students subject to the TOEFL/IELTS testing requirement, the university minimum TOEFL score requirement is 550 when taking the paper-based test (PBT) and 80 when taking the internet-based test (IBT). The university minimum IELTS score for consideration is an Overall Band Score of 7. The minimum Duolingo English Test score is 120. Official test score dates must be within two years from the day the applicant submits the online graduate application.

FAQs

Please be sure to read all of the FAQs before contacting the Department.

Gradate Division FAQ

The Graduate Division maintains its own list of Frequently Asked Questions, which covers general issues. The following addresses issues specific to the Department of Earth Science.

Application Deadline

When is the application deadline?: Our application deadline is in January (this year's exact date is shown at the top of this page). All application materials, letters of recommendation, writing samples and scores must be received by this date in order for you to be considered for admission as well as for campus-wide fellowships and departmental financial support. We will consider granting a two-week extension for tests and/or letters of recommendation, if approved. If you wish to request an extension, please contact grad@geol.ucsb.edu.
Can I apply for Spring or early admission?: Admission decisions are only for a Fall Quarter start. Early or late starts have historically been granted, but only in truly exceptional circumstances.

Materials and Processes

Do you read sideways?

We can, but we don't. Please make sure your scanned documents are properly oriented for reading. If necessary, please rotate the scanned imaged before uploading.

What transcripts must I provide?

Please provide transcripts from all post-secondary institutions where you completed at least one full term of coursework (12+ units or equivalent). If you participated in a university-sponsored education abroad program, transcripts are not required from the institution overseas as long as the study-abroad course names, units, and grades are all reflected on the home institution’s transcripts.

Do the transcripts have to be official transcripts?

The transcripts you upload to your online application do not have to be official transcripts. In fact, they could not be official because you can't upload transcripts without opening their envelopes, which renders them unofficial. However, what you upload should be as detailed as an official transcript. It should include the name of the institution, your major, degree pursued, GPA for each term and cumulative, plus the grading scale for the institution. Moreover, it should be legible and right side up. Please note that screen dumps or phone snapshots from your class registration system are not acceptable substitutes for a proper transcript.
Later on, applicants who are admitted and have accepted our offer will have to order official/final transcripts showing degree conferral mailed directly from their institutions to the UCSB Graduate Division in a sealed envelope from the institution with the registrar's seal intact.

On the application, it asks for my Research Interests. How specific should I be?

You may have many interests in Earth Science. But listing every specialty will make you look scattered and not yet ready for graduate research. Conversely, only listing a single interest may convey that you are sharply focused, but may narrow your opportunities within the Department. In other words, it may make you a better candidate for fewer slots. We recommend you choose no more than three Research Interests, and will assume your research interests are listed in order of importance. Please email if you have any questions about your Research Interests.

On the application, it asks for Faculty Interests. Is this important? Whom should I select?

We strongly encourage you to give careful consideration to your choices of Faculty Interests, as they will inform how your application is routed. We strongly recommend you examine our web site, become familiar with the research activities of our faculty, and ponder which are a good match for your own curiosity. As with Research Interests, we recommend you choose no more than three faculty.

Can I contact the Faculty?

Yes! Once you have narrowed your interests to one or two of our faculty, and have familiarized yourself with their recent research, we strongly encourage you to contact them by email, introduce yourself, and ask pertinent questions. In some cases, the faculty may share with you their plans for future projects, which will further inform your decision.

Can I submit more than three letters of recommendation online?

Yes, you may submit up to four letters of recommendation. If you are confident you have four strong recommenders, this can be particularly helpful when applying very close to the deadline. A fourth recommender can help ensure we get the minimum three letters in due time. Alternately, choosing a fourth recommender who knows you from a different perspective (perhaps an employer from outside academia) can complete the picture. However, recommenders should all be people who are professional references.

How will I know if you have received all of my application materials?

After you have completed your online application, you may return and view your application status. To view your status, use the same login and password as when you created the online application. The application status pages provide a live glimpse at the status of your application, including when your application fee and TOEFL/IELTS scores, and supplemental materials were received.

Please keep in mind that it is your responsibility to confirm your application is complete before the deadline

When will I know if I have been accepted to UCSB?

Applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis beginning in mid-December. Some applicants will be notified as early as February. Most will be notified during March. Some late decisions are made in April.

If I am an international applicant, can I apply for an application fee waiver?

UCSB does not provide application fee waivers for international students.

If I am an international applicant, do I need to complete the preapplication?

While applying to graduate school is costly for all applicants, it can be a particular hardship on international students who are not eligible for application fee waivers or Federal Student Aid. To help ensure you only invest in an application with a fair chance of admission, we can offer a preliminary assessment of your chances. If you send abbreviated application information to grad@geol.ucsb.edu, we will do our best to give you our recommendation based on your requirements and opportunities available. Please send us test scores, unofficial transcripts, faculty interests, research interests, and a few sentences on the type of research you would like to engage in.

I am an international student. Should I include an English translation of my transcripts when I upload my transcripts?

Yes, an English translation is required. English translations may be obtained from the Registrar's Office of your home institution. There are also organizations such as International Education Research Foundation, Inc., Academic Credentials Evaluation Institute, Inc., and World Education Services that will provide an official translation for a fee.

English Language Test

How can I get the TOEFL/IELTS waived?: Exceptions to TOEFL or IELTS testing may only be considered for those students who have completed an undergraduate or graduate education at an institution whose primary language of instruction is English. Please contact us well ahead of the deadline if you would like confirmation that you qualify for such an exception.
I took the TOEFL/IELTS exam/s a few years ago. Have they expired?: The TOEFL/IELTS test date/s must be no more than 2 years old at the time of application.

Financial Support

If I am accepted to UCSB, what sort of financial package can I expect to receive?: The Earth Science Department typically provides financial support for two years to students admitted to the MS program, and five years to students admitted to the Ph.D. program, provided they continue to make satisfactory academic progress. Financial support is in the form of a teaching assistant (TA) or a graduate student researcher (GSR) appointment that covers most fees, health insurance and a salary for the 9 month academic year. Some TA and GSR appointments are available during the summer months. In addition, most non-California residents receive a fellowship to cover the Supplemental Nonresident Tuition for the first year, after which they are expected to establish California residence. International students whose first language is not English must pass the oral and written English language evaluation at the start of their first quarter in order to be employed as a TA to receive fee and health insurance fellowships.
Do I need to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)?: All domestic students who are admitted to UCSB must have completed the FAFSA by the early March deadline. Although you may not know your admission status by early March, it would be to your advantage to have already submitted the FAFSA in the event you are admitted to UCSB or another public university. Only students who have completed the FAFSA are eligible to receive UCSB Graduate Division central fellowships. It is not necessary to have completed your federal and state taxes before filling out the FAFSA as you may use estimates from the previous year. Please consult the FAFSA website for deadline information and application downloads. More general information is available on the UCSB Financial Aid Office's FAFSA section.

Statistics

How many applications do you receive each year?: We typically receive about 120 applications and admit less than 20 (mostly doctoral students). Roughly two thirds of admits accept and enroll. Please keep in mind that these are very rough numbers and are variable over the years.
What is the average GPA of applicants you admitted?: Students admitted to our program have an average undergraduate major GPA of 3.8, but we are much more interested in what grades you earned in which classes and when. These are in turn taken in context within a holistic review. No applicant is reduced to the single number of a GPA.
I am an international student... Should I convert my university scores to a 4.0 scale?: No, we do not convert international scores to the 4.0 GPA scale used in the US. The average scores for competitive applicants range between B+ (Very good) and A+ (Excellent) scores.