Concurrent Degrees

Concurrent undergraduate and graduate degree programs in Geology and Meteorology provide the opportunity for well-qualified ISU juniors and seniors to earn both a master’s and bachelor’s degree at the end of a fifth year of study.

To complete the concurrent B.S./M.S. or M.S./MBA within five years, students will begin taking graduate courses their senior year. Students on a thesis track will also begin research in their senior year. Students interested in research may apply for a graduate research assistantship during their fourth and fifth years of study. A maximum of 6 graduate credits can be double counted for both the bachelor’s degree and the graduate degree subject to the Program of Study Committee approval.

Qualified students interested in pursuing the concurrent degrees must complete the necessary paperwork to apply to the graduate program by January 1 of their junior year. The admissions committee of the respective program will review the applications following the same procedure used for all other graduate applicants. Program specific requirements are described below. Individualized concurrent degree programs are available.

Concurrent B.S./M.S. and B.S./MBA in Geology

Admission procedures and requirements

A 3.5 or higher GPA will be required for candidates wishing to pursue a concurrent degree in geology.

Students intending to apply to the B.S./M.S. geology degree will discuss research interests with the undergraduate advisor in their sophomore year, and identify possible graduate advisors with the relevant expertise before applying to the program. The student and graduate advisor will agree between a thesis or creative component option. The student will also be considered for a TA or RA following the procedure currently in use in the geology program.

The application of students interested in pursuing the B.S./MBA degree will be evaluated by the Ivy College of Business.

Requirements of the program

Students pursuing the B.S./M.S. Geology degree will complete 6 credits of geology required (e.g. GEOL 579, 3 cr.) or electives at the 500 level that will count both for the B.S. and M.S. degrees. In addition, the student will complete 6 research credits and 18 credits of 500-level geology electives in the 4th and 5th year. The research component can either be a thesis or a creative component. Sample 5-year plans are available below.

Students pursuing the B.S./MBA geology degree will complete 48 credits for the MBA program in their 4th and 5th year, according to the sample plan below.

For more information, please contact Prof. Cinzia Cervato.

DegreesSemester 1Semester 2Semester 3Semester 4Semester 5
BS Geology
(120 credits
minimum)
Geol 1000
Physical
Geology 3 cr
Geol 1020 Hist.
Geology 3 cr.
Geol 3150
Mineralogy 3 cr.
Geol 3650
Petrology 3 cr.
Geol 3680
Sed/Strat 4 cr
Geol 1000L Lab
1 cr.
Geol 1020L Lab
1 cr.
Geol 3150L Lab
1 cr.
Geol 3560 Struct.
Geology 4 cr.
A&H elective 3
cr.
Engl. 1500 Crit.
Thinking 3 cr.
Math 1660
Calculus II 4 cr.
Geol 3160
Optical Min. 1
cr.
Geol 3570 Lab 1
cr.
Soc. science
elective 3 cr.
Math 1650
Calculus I 4 cr.
Chem 1780 3 cr.Phys 111 5 cr. Engl. 2500 3 cr. Science/Math
choice 3 cr.
Geol 1120 Earth
Wind & Fire LC
1 cr.
Chem 1780L 1 cr.A&H elective 3
cr.
A&H elective 3
cr.
Engl. 3140 3 cr.
Chem 1770 4 cr.A&H
elective/Int.
persp. 3 cr
Soc Science
elective/U.S.
Diversity 3 cr.
Phys 1120 5 cr.
Chem 1770L 1
cr.
Geol 1130 Earth
Wind & Fire LC
1 cr.
Lib. 1600 1 cr.
BS 121 Credits17/17 16/3317/5017/6716/83

DegreesSemester 6Semester 7Semester 8Semester 9Semester 10
BS Geology
(120 credits
minimum)
Geol. elective
3-4 cr.
Foreign
language 3 cr.
Foreign
language 3 cr.
Soc. science
elective 3 cr.
Geol. elective 3
cr.
Geol elective 3-
4 cr.
Science/Math
choice 3 cr
Geol 3020 Field
camp 6 cr.
(summer)
MS 30 Credits (Minimum)Adv. geol.
elective (5000-
level) 3 cr
Geol 5790 Surf.
Processes 3 cr.
Geol 5990 –
research 3 cr.
Geol 5000-level
elective 3-4 cr
Geol 5000-level
elective 3-4 cr.
Geol 5000-level
elective 3-4 cr.
Geol 5000-level
elective 3 cr
Geol 5990 –
research 3 cr.
Geol 5000-level
elective 3-4 cr.
BS 121 Credits23/1066/1123/1153/1183/121
MS 30 Credits3/36/96/157/228/30

DegreesSemester 1Semester 2Semester 3Semester 4Semester 5
BS Geology
(120 credits
minimum)
Geol 1000
Physical
Geology 3 cr
Geol 1020 Hist.
Geology 3 cr.
Geol 3150
Mineralogy 3 cr.
Geol 3650
Petrology 3 cr.
Geol 3680
Sed/Strat 4 cr
Geol 1000L Lab
1 cr.
Geol 1020L Lab
1 cr.
Geol 3150L Lab
1 cr.
Geol 3560 Struct.
Geology 4 cr.
A&H elective 3
cr.
Engl. 1500 Crit.
Thinking 3 cr.
Math 1660
Calculus II 4 cr.
Geol 3160
Optical Min. 1
cr.
Geol 3570 Lab 1
cr.
Soc. science
elective 3 cr.
Math 1650
Calculus I 4 cr.
Chem 1780 3 cr.Phys 111 5 cr. Engl. 2500 3 cr. Science/Math
choice 3 cr.
Geol 1120 Earth
Wind & Fire LC
1 cr.
Chem 1780L 1 cr.A&H elective 3
cr.
A&H elective 3
cr.
Engl. 3140 3 cr.
Chem 1770 4 cr.A&H
elective/Int.
persp. 3 cr
Soc Science
elective/U.S.
Diversity 3 cr.
Phys 1120 5 cr.
Chem 1770L 1
cr.
Geol 1130 Earth
Wind & Fire LC
1 cr.
Lib. 1600 1 cr.
BS 121 Credits17/17 16/3317/5017/6716/83

DegreesSemester 6Semester 7Semester 8Semester 9Semester 10
BS Geology
(120 credits
minimum)
Geol. elective
3-4 cr.
Geol 4790 Surf.
Processes 3 cr.
Foreign
language 3 cr.
Geol/MBA
elective 3 cr.
Geol/MBA
elective 3 cr.
Soc. science
elective 3 cr.
Foreign
language 3 cr.
Geol. elective 3
cr.
Geol elective 3-
4 cr.
Science/Math
choice 3 cr
Geol 302 Field
camp 6 cr.
(summer)
MBA 48 Credits (Minimum)Mgmt 5020
Org Behavior
3 cr
Fin 5010
Finance
3 cr
Mgmt 5030
Bus & Soc 3 cr
(Geol Elective)
MBA
Elective
3 cr
BusAd 5020
Quant Analy
3 cr
Mkt 5010
Marketing
3 cr
Mgmt 5040
Strategy 3 cr
(Geol Elective)
MBA
Elective
3 cr
Acct 5010
Accounting
3 cr
SCM 5010
Supply Chain
3 cr
MBA
Elective
3 cr
MBA
Elective
3 cr
Econ 5320
Economics
3 cr
MIS 5010
MIS
3 cr
BusAd 5920
Prof Skills I
R cr
BusAd 5940
Prof Skills II
R cr
BS 121 Credits23/1066/1123/1153/1183/121
MBA 48 Credits12/1212/2412/3612/48
Shared 12 Credits9/93/12
Total credits: 157

Concurrent B.S./M.S. in Meteorology

Students need to have at least a 3.4 GPA, adequate grades in calculus and physics courses, and evidence of potential to do graduate-level research. Students do not need to take the GRE test. Upon acceptance, the student’s undergraduate advisor will meet with the student to discuss research interests, and the student will be directed toward faculty members having expertise in that area to discuss the ability of those faculty to serve as major professor(s).

Students seeking the concurrent degrees will have the B.S. requirement for 2 credits of Mteor 499 (senior thesis) waived. Instead, students will take 2 credits of Mteor 590 (Special Topics) during spring semester of year 4 to engage in research toward the Master’s thesis, which is required. It is anticipated that it will take a total of 5 years to complete all work needed for the concurrent B.S. and M.S. degrees. If students decide during fall semester or spring semester to drop the pursuit of the concurrent M.S. degree, the 2 credits of Mteor 590 will count instead of Mteor 499 to allow the student to receive the B.S. degree alone at the end of year 4. This is the only change in the normal B.S. requirements. Students will end up with 30 credits applied to the M.S. degree, and as is usual in Meteorology, 18 of the credits will be from structured courses, with 12 or more credits of Mteor 699 taken while the student does research for the Master’s thesis. It is anticipated that these 12 credits of research will come during year 5, and possibly also during summer between years 4 and 5. Students will defend their M.S. research by the end of year 5.

Students will develop their graduate program of study during fall of year 4, which effectively will be much like the first semester of the normal 2-year M.S. program. The student will be assigned a major professor shortly acceptance into the concurrent program, either by the end of year 3, or during fall of year 4.

Graduate assistantships will not be guaranteed, but these students will be considered the same as other graduate students, and following policies in the University catalog, are eligible for available RAs and TAs in their last two years of study.

A sample semester-by-semester plan is shown below (for years 4 and 5 as nothing would be different from the normal B.S. plan in earlier years).

Fall Year 4Spring Year 4Fall Year 5Spring Year 5
Mteor or related (3 credits) graduate courseMteor 4170 (3 credits)Mteor or related (3 credits) graduate courseMteor or related (3 credits) graduate course
Mteor 4110 (3 credits)Mteor or related (3 credits) graduate courseMteor 6990 (6 credits)Mteor 6990 (9 credits)
Elective (3 credits)Mteor Elective (3 credits)Mteor or related (3 credits) graduate course
Mteor Elective (3 credits) at 5000-levelMteor Elective (3 credits) at 5000-level
Gen Ed elective (3 credits)Gen Ed elective (3 credits)
Mteor 5900 (2 credits)
• One of the Mteor or related graduate courses listed in year 4 must be Mteor 4320, Mteor 4350,or Mteor 4890 to fulfill the instrumentation/measurement/remote sensing requirement for the BS degree in Meteorology.
• The two Mteor electives at the 5000-level during year 4 would be the 6 extra credits that are double counted. The other 5000-level course shown in fall of year 4 would count toward the MS requirement only

Students interested in pursuing the concurrent degrees should contact meteorology@iastate.edu<.