⏳Pre-Arrival

Once you receive your official Colorado State University Notice of Graduate Admission, make sure to complete the following steps. A full explanation of each step can be found on the Graduate School Website.   

• Accept your admission in the CSU admissions portal. 
• Submit any remaining documents, including official transcripts. 
• Create your NetID using your CSU ID (found on your application status page). These are two different things. You need your CSU ID to create your NetID. 
• Set up DUO  two-factor authentication. 
• Log in to your CSU email via  Office 365 and check it regularly — all official communications will be sent here. Your username and password are same as the NETID login. 
• Check your CSU email weekly, even before arriving. 
• If international, contact the Office of International Programs  to complete immigration steps.  
• Apply for campus housing  or if you are interested in living off campus, visit Off Campus Life for resources. 
• Sign up for or opt out of Mandatory Health Insurance and  complete CSU health requirements, including immunization records.  
• Note: Health insurance deductible may be covered by the Graduate school. Please review Assistantship Health Insurance Contribution Criteria.

🎓 Academic & Course Planning 

• Meet virtually with your advisor to plan your first semester schedule. 
• Fall registration opens in April. Register via RAMweb and consult Registrar’s course registration guide. 
• A few notes on course registration:
  • There is no set curriculum — your advisor will guide your course selection based on your research area.  
  • We recommend enrolling in GEOL 601: Professional Development for Geoscientists, a 1-credit course ideal for all new M.S. students.
    • This course is specifically designed to make the transition to graduate school at CSU go smoothly. It covers topics like thesis proposal writing and research ethics, and fulfills the federally required ethics training for students supported by grants.
• How to register for more than one credit in a variable credit course (698, 699, 798, 799):
• • • • Add the course to your schedule (just 1 credit) and click “Submit”. 
      • Go to the tab on the top left titled “Schedule and Options”. 
      • There, you can modify the number of credits. 
      • Hit the “submit” button again to save any modifications.

Review timeline, credit and degree requirements for your degree to prepare with an in-person meeting with your advisor when you arrive in Fort Collins. 

• MS Timeline and Degree Requirements 
• PhD Timeline and Degree Requirements 

🏠 Arrival in Fort Collins 

Welcome to Fort Collins! Your first weeks will be busy, so use this list to get settled and organized: 

• Meet with your advisor in person. 
• Get your CSU RamCard (student ID) 
• Request keys (if needed) by visiting the GEO front office 
• Attend Graduate School orientation and other welcome activities. 
• Meet GEO faculty and fellow grad students. 
• Come to GSO and other welcome events 
• If you are working as a teaching assistant, meet with the faculty member teaching your course to gather a teaching plan and schedule and attend GTA training through TILT (only for TAs) 

Parking and Transportation

There are many transportation and parking options for Colorado State University. Please go CSU Transportation to review your options, or for parking permits visit CSU Parking.

🧩 Additional recommended items 

• Subscribe to the Graduate School Event Calendar. 
• For disability accommodations, contact the Student Disability Center. 
• Review the Competencies Road Map  
• Complete your Ram Individual Development Plan and discuss with your advisor or mentor  
• Scan this collection of email list-servs and subscribe to those that are relevant to you to receive announcements. 
• Find your community through Graduate organizations and support hubs. 

🏷️Residency

While Colorado residency is not required for graduate study, it significantly affects your tuition costs. During your first year, most Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) and many Graduate Research Assistants (GRAs) have their tuition covered at the resident rate. However, after the first year, non-resident students will be responsible for paying the difference between resident and non-resident tuition, which is substantial and not covered by the department.

If you are a domestic student (U.S. citizen or permanent resident but not a Colorado resident), it is strongly recommended that you begin the residency process during your first year. Colorado has strict requirements for establishing residency, and the process must begin at least one year in advance of when you plan to claim residency status. In most cases, this means starting the process early in the spring semester of your first year.

📌 What You Need to Know:

• Visit the Student Financial Services Residency page for application instructions, eligibility, and deadlines.
• You may also contact Student Financial Services directly with questions.
• Attend a residency orientation.
• Base tuition amounts are published on the Graduate Tuition and Fees section of the Office of Financial Aid website.

Note: International students receiving assistantships are exempt from the residency process unless they already hold a green card.

What do I need to do to present clear and convincing evidence that I have been a resident for at least a year prior to the fall of my second year? You must: 

• Be a qualified person 23 years or older at the start of your second year (or legally emancipated)
• Establish a fixed and permanent home in Colorado:
  • Lease agreement/rent receipts
  • Colorado address in Ramweb (from August 24, 2025 – August 24, 2026) 
• File Colorado state income taxes as resident in Colorado 
• Obtain two of the following:
  • Colorado driver’s license
  • Car registration
  • Register to vote in Colorado 

The first milestone in your study is the completion of the GS6: Program of Study. This document outlines your planned coursework and assigns members to your graduate committee. It is required by the Graduate School and is typically submitted by the end of your second semester. Failure to submit it on time may result in a registration hold. 

📅 When to Complete It: 

Start planning your GS6 early in your second semester. Schedule a meeting with your advisor to map out your coursework and discuss committee formation.

👥Graduate Committee

The function of the committee is to guide you in the development of your curriculum, research and thesis or dissertation. It is their responsibility to judge whether your work throughout this process warrants the conferral of a graduate degree. Your adviser will help you identify your committee members.

Select members who:

• Understand your content area.
• Have research interests compatible with yours.
• Complement each other in the knowledge you want to attain through your program of study.

If for any reason you wish to change your committee member, do so by submitting a GS9A- Petition for Committee Member Changes.

Graduate Coursework

Your GS6 must list all courses you have completed and those you plan to complete during your degree. We recommend making an outline of your coursework before starting the GS6.

Note: You cannot edit the GS6 once submitted. If your courses change later, you’ll update them using the GS25: Application for Graduation during your final semester. 

🎓 Graduation Checklist

To graduate, you must submit the GS25: Application for Graduation by the deadline for the semester you plan to finish. View current deadlines on the Grad School deadline dates website. If your timeline extends to the next semester, you can re-submit the GS25 form with the new term date. Summer graduates who want to walk and have their name listed in the commencement announcement for spring, must submit the GS25 early in spring semester- refer to the spring deadlines for that specific date.

🎉 Commencement Options 

For information on commencement, please see the CSU Commencement website, and the Grad School Commencement website. In addition, each department will have a small commencement ceremony for their students. You can attend any, all, or none of these ceremonies as you wish. Please plan accordingly and obtain regalia as instructed.

📦Departure

When you are ready to leave the department, please notify the Graduate Coordinator and do the following:

1. Clean out your office space or desk.
2. Remove rock samples or arrange a storage solution with your advisor.
3. Return all keys to the department office.
4. Return all CSU equipment (e.g. laptops, etc) to your Advisor or department office.
5. Send a PDF copy of your Thesis/Dissertation to the graduate coordinator (final version approved by the Grad school).
6. PhD graduates: Complete the NSF PhD Survey.

Master’s students in Geosciences are expected to complete a thesis-based degree (“Plan A” in CSU terminology). This requires completion of coursework and a thesis presented in a thesis defense to your committee members.

Master of Science

Pre-arrival

• Meet with advisor to plan your first semester courses
• Review the MS requirements
• Register for your courses

1^st Semester

• Learn the expectations of your graduate teaching assistantship or research assistantship
• Meet with advisor to establish and outline research
• Form advisory committee
• Hold first committee meeting to introduce project and discuss program of study

2^nd Semester

• Potentially work with your advisor to write proposals for student grant opportunities
• Work with your advisor to submit your GS6: Program of Study
• (If applicable) Submit your residency petition if you’re an out-of-state student. (Petition Process and Deadlines | Office of Financial Aid | Colorado State University)
• Research summer funding or research opportunities

3^rd Semester

• Complete your coursework, meet with advisor to review coursework/credit hours earned to make sure they meet the graduation requirements.
• Be well into writing your thesis, building on a clear outline developed with your advisor’s guidance.
• Be actively analyzing your datasets and working through your research.

4^th Semester

• Plan your graduation timeline and submit your GS25 Application for Graduation
• Review commencement information in advance
• Schedule and complete your thesis defense
• Submit the following:
  • GS24: Report of Final Examination (within 2 days of defense)
  • GS30: Thesis Submission Approval Form
  • See Forms FAQ for more information
• Attend commencement (optional)

Coursework

• A minimum of 30 credit hours, consisting of:
• Base Coursework (Minimum: 16 Credits)
  • At least 16 credits must be graduate-level (500 or above).
  • Of those, at least 15 credits must be “regular” courses (see definition below).
  • “Regular” courses are numbered 500–581 or 600–681.
• The remaining credits of additional coursework to reach 30 may include:
  • Additional regular or non-regular courses
  • Approved 300–400 level courses. With the permission of the advisor and committee, graduate students may apply 300- or 400-level course credits to their minimum 30 credit hour degree total. These courses are considered non-regular and are outside of the Base Coursework 15-credit-hour (500-level or higher) course requirement.
  • Research (GEOL 69x) or Thesis (GEOL 699) – maximum of 6 thesis credits can apply to the total 30 and are typically taken in your last semester when you are writing your thesis. Research credits are taken when you are performing research. 
  • Transfer Credits – maximum of 9 credits total, only 500+ regular courses can be transferred. Only three of these credits can be applied to the Base Coursework section.
  • 100-200 level courses can be taken but will not apply to the degree 

🔎 Note: Regular courses are those numbered between 500-581, or 600-681; non–regular courses are those numbered between 582-599, or 682-699. These include seminar courses (692), research (698), and thesis (699). 100–200 level courses cannot count toward your degree.

Tools to Help You Plan

To help you and your advisor plan your courses, the department has created the graphic and table below as a quick overview of the M.S. coursework requirements.

Credit Type	Max Allowed	Counts Toward Base Coursework?
Regular 500+ courses	No limit	✅ Yes
GEOL 699: Thesis	6 credits	❌ No
Non-regular 500+/600+	No limit	❌ No
Transfer credits	9 credits	✅ 3 credits max
300/400-level (approved)	Varies	❌ No
100/200-level	0	❌ No

Masters Research

During your first semester at CSU, you should start groundwork for your thesis (literature review, proposal) and begin identifying potential graduate committee members. By the beginning of your third semester you should have started your research and be at a point where you can analyze the data. At this point, you should meet with your advisor to plan your remaining research and thesis.  

Masters Thesis

The thesis will be an in-depth paper written using your own or shared research. An outline and perhaps a first draft of your thesis should be completed during the third semester. Utilize your advisor and committee for help and guidance in the analysis of your data, structure of the thesis, and writing style. Discuss the structure and content of your thesis with your advisor early, and early and ask for examples of previous students to guide your work. You can review previous student theses on Mountain Scholar to get an idea of what a thesis looks like. 

Understanding Research vs. Thesis Credits

You will register for both research credits (GEOL 698) and thesis credits (GEOL 699) as you progress: 

GEOL 698: Research 

• Typically taken earlier in your program.
• Used while you are actively conducting research, collecting data, or doing background work. 
• These credits do not count toward the thesis credit requirement but may count toward total degree credits. 

GEOL 699: Thesis 

• Taken when you are actively writing your thesis. 
• These credits fulfill the Graduate School’s Plan A thesis requirement (a minimum of 6 credits). 
• Should be taken closer to your defense semester 

Planning Your Defense & Graduation

• Decide your intended graduation semester and consult Graduate School deadlines.
• Submit the GS25: Application for Graduation (due early February for spring, early September for fall). 

Your thesis will be examined in an oral presentation before your advisor, committee members, and other colleagues. 

Before scheduling your defense:

• Review your committee in RamWeb.
  • Make sure all members are listed correctly and hold active CSU faculty appointments.
  • If you need to make changes, submit a GS9A Committee Change Form. 
  • External members must have current affiliate status — check with the department office to make sure affiliate status is current.
• Verify your GS25-Application for Graduation
  • This form needs to reflect the correct semester you are graduating. Confirm the graduation semester listed is accurate. If you’re graduating later than expected, update your GS25 accordingly.
• Choose a defense date
  • Coordinate with your committee.
  • Check the Grad School deadlines, some of these come early in the semester.
  • Submit a GS25-Application for Graduation. These are due in early February for spring graduation or early September for fall graduation. The GS25 is a plan to graduate, however, if circumstances happen in which you need to delay, you can revise this plan as needed.
  • Work with your graduate coordinator to schedule a room and advertise the event. 
• Check the deadline dates for forms GS24 and GS30.
  • Will you have enough time to complete your Thesis and upload it to ProQuest? The deadline dates are:
    • Spring graduation: mid-March
    • Fall graduation: mid-October

If not, you may defend in one semester and graduate in the next. In that case:

• • Update your GS25 to reflect the new graduation term
  • Register for Continuous Registration (CR) during the term you are officially graduating

🗓️ Defense Day + What’s Next

Immediately following the defense:

1. Submit a GS24-Report of Final Examination. The form, signed by your entire committee, must arrive to the graduate school within two days of the completion of our defense.
2. Celebrate, because that was hard.

After your oral defense is completed:

1. Make any final edits to your thesis and circle back with your committee (if needed) and your advisor for final approval. 
2. Theses must follow specific formatting guidelines. The Graduate School offers guides, sample pages, and publishing resources on its Electronic Thesis and Dissertation (ETD) Resources website. The Graduate School will review your thesis for formatting; once all formatting is correct your thesis will be cleared for publishing
3. Submit your GS30-Thesis and Dissertation Submission form
4. Uploading your thesis to ProQuest/UMI though the CSU Libraries ETD Submission Website

PhD Program (with transfer of master’s from another institution prior to start of PhD at CSU) 

1st Semester  

• Learn the expectations of your graduate teaching assistantship or research assistantship 
• Meet with your advisor to discuss 2nd semester courses and identify potential committee members 

2nd Semester 

• Work with your advisor to submit your GS6 
• Submit residency documents (out-of-state students) 
• Research summer funding opportunities 

3rd Semester 

• Complete your coursework, meet with advisor to review coursework/credit hours earned to make sure they meet the graduation requirements. 
• Start research and create outline of dissertation 
• Begin writing your dissertation with guidance from your advisor 

4th Semester 

• Complete any additional coursework 
• Work with advisor on research and dissertation planning 
• Research summer funding opportunities 

5th Semester

• Move to PhD candidate status 
• Proposal meeting to present research to committee for approval 
• Complete Preliminary Examination (oral) 
• Continue dissertation work 

6th Semester 

• Complete work on dissertation 
• Plan your graduation timeline and submit your GS25 Application for Graduation 
• Review commencement information in advance 
• Schedule and complete your dissertation defense 
• Submit your GS24 (within 2 days of defense) 
• Submit your GS30 and upload your thesis 
• PhD graduates please complete NSF PhD Survey. 
• Attend commencement 

Continuous Masters/PhD Program (complete a MS at CSU and then complete PhD) 

1st Semester (MS portion) 

• Learn the expectations of your graduate teaching assistantship or research assistantship 
• Meet with your advisor to discuss 2nd semester courses and identify potential committee members 

2nd Semester 

• Work with your advisor to submit your GS6 
• Submit residency documents (out-of-state students) 
• Research summer funding opportunities 

3rd Semester 

• Complete your coursework, meet with advisor to review coursework/credit hours earned to make sure they meet the graduation requirements. 
• Complete research and create outline of thesis 
• Begin writing your thesis with guidance from your advisor 

4th Semester 

• Plan your thesis graduation timeline and submit your GS25 Application for Graduation 
• Review commencement information in advance if you plan on attending 
• Submit GS7 Request for Change of Department and/or Degree Program to change from Master’s to PhD program.  
• PhD program will not begin until the GS30 is complete (within semester timeline). 
• Schedule and complete your thesis defense 
• Submit your GS24 (within 2 days of defense) 
• Submit your GS30 and upload your thesis 
• Attend commencement if desired 

5th Semester (PhD) portion 

• Complete any additional coursework 
• Work with advisor on research and dissertation planning 

6th Semester 

• Continue coursework, research, and dissertation work 

7th Semester 

• Move to PhD candidate status 
• Proposal meeting to present research to committee for approval 
• Complete Preliminary Examination (oral) 
• Continue dissertation work 

8th Semester 

• Complete work on dissertation 
• Plan your graduation timeline and submit your GS25 Application for Graduation 
• Review commencement information in advance 
• Schedule and complete your dissertation defense 
• Submit your GS24 (within 2 days of defense) 
• Submit your GS30 and upload your thesis 
• PhD graduates please complete NSF PhD Survey 
• Attend commencement 

Below is listed details of requirements for both PhD with a previous MS degree (from a different institution) and PhD without a previous MS degree. If you are a continuous MS/PhD student at CSU, follow the “without a previous MS degree” requirements. Any coursework taken after completing your MS counts toward your PhD—there is no limit to transferring credits from CSU to CSU.

PhD with prior MS degree

Credit Requirements

• A Master’s Degree transfer (max 30 credit hours), plus a minimum of 42 credit hours beyond the M.S. Degree
• Base Coursework:
  • At least 21 of the 42 credit hours must be at the graduate level (500-level or higher).
  • At least 10 credits beyond the M.S. degree must be earned in regular* courses at the 500-level or above (i.e., courses numbered 500-581, 600-681, and 700-781).
• Additional Coursework:
  • May include regular or non-regular courses beyond the 21-credit hour Basic Coursework listed above.
  • Breadth requirement: 6 credits of upper-division (300- or 400-level) or graduate-level (500-level or higher) courses outside of the student’s discipline.
  • Courses may include dissertation, research, group study, independent study, supervised college teaching, and seminar credits, as well as credits earned in regular courses
  • Transfer limit after M.S.: up to 10 credits (500+ regular courses only), applicable only toward additional coursework.
  • At least 32 credits must be earned at CSU after admission to the PhD program.
  • Courses at the 100- or 200-level may be taken but do not count toward graduate credit requirements.

*Regular courses are numbered 500–581, 600–681, 700–781. Non-regular courses are numbered 582–599, 682–699, 782–799 (includes seminar 692, research 798, dissertation 799).

PhD without prior MS degree

• A minimum of 72 credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree, consisting of:
• Base Coursework:
  • At least 37 of the 72 credit hours must be at the graduate level (500-level or higher).
  • At least 10 credits beyond the M.S. degree must be earned in regular* courses at the 500-level or above (i.e., courses numbered 500-581, 600-681, and 700-781).
• Additional Coursework:
  • Regular or non-regular courses beyond the 37-credit hour Basic Coursework listed above.
  • Breadth requirement – 6 credits of upper-division (300- or 400-level) or graduate-level (500-level or higher) courses outside of the student’s discipline.
  • Courses may include dissertation, research, group study, independent study, supervised college teaching, and seminar credits, as well as credits earned in regular courses
  • Maximum of 10 transfer credits of courses, only 500+ regular courses can be transferred, and can only be applied to the Additional Coursework. A minimum of 62 credits must be earned at CSU after admission to a doctoral program.
  • Graduate students may take courses at the 100- and 200-level, but such courses cannot be applied to the credits required to earn a graduate degree.
• No Master’s degree is earned during this program

*Regular courses are those numbered between 500-581, 600-681; non–regular courses are those numbered between 582-599, 682-699, 782-799. These include seminar courses (692), research (798), and dissertation (799).

To assist you and your advisor in planning your courses, the department has developed the graphic below and a spreadsheet to track plan and track your progress.

Getting Started

Begin developing your research focus as early as your second or third semester. Discuss potential topics with your advisor well before reaching candidacy—ideally as soon as you begin the program.

Preliminary Examination

You will take a preliminary comprehensive or general examination once you have completed the majority of your doctoral coursework, typically in the 3rd year of your doctoral program.

Format: Varies by advisor; may include a written paper and oral defense. 

Purpose:

• Assess readiness for dissertation proposal and final dissertation work. 
• Demonstrate ability to: 
  • Integrate and synthesize knowledge from coursework and academic experiences. 
  • Define and demonstrate knowledge of theoretical constructs, extant research, and research methods relevant to the domain of inquiry in which you will conduct your dissertation research 
  • Demonstrate depth and breadth of knowledge in your area of study 

Process:

• Work closely with your advisor to determine readiness and prepare. 
• Committee reviews your written and oral exam. 
• Passing the preliminary exam advances you to doctoral candidate status. 

Dissertation Proposal

Once you have reached candidate status, it is time to begin your dissertation proposal. You should think about the topic of your research and discuss it with your adviser as early in your program as possible.

Ideally, you will have explored research subject ideas when you were first admitted to the doctoral program. It is important that you thoroughly discuss potential research topics with your adviser.

Once you have completed your dissertation proposal and your adviser has confirmed it is ready for committee review, you will need to schedule a dissertation proposal defense with your graduate committee. To allow committee members adequate time to read and evaluate your proposal, you must provide each committee member with a copy of your proposal no later than two weeks prior to the meeting.

The dissertation is a formal written document in which you present original research and analysis of your data. Once you, with the help of your adviser, determine your dissertation is complete and ready to be presented, your dissertation oral defense can be scheduled. The defense is designed to show your ability to fully and coherently discuss the meaning of your findings.

Before scheduling your defense:

1. Review your committee in RamWeb.Is there anyone on the committee that should be added or deleted? Do they all have a current faculty assignment? External members need to be a current affiliate with the department, check with the department office to make sure their affiliate status is current.
2. Is your GS25-Application for Graduation up-to-date?This form needs to reflect the correct semester you are graduating.
3. Select a date for your oral defense with your committee. Work with your  graduate coordinator to schedule a room and advertise the event.
4. Dissertation drafts are sent to your committee. These must be completed ~6 weeks prior to your defense to allow time for revisions and 2 weeks lead time to your committee for their review.
5. Check the deadlines dates for forms GS24 and GS30. Will you have enough time to complete your Thesis and upload it to ProQuest? The deadline dates are mid-March for spring graduation and mid-October for fall graduation. If these date won’t give you enough time, you can complete all of the work in one semester, but officially graduate in the next semester. To do this, you will need to change your GS25 graduation semester, and you will need to register for CR for the semester you are officially graduating.

Immediately following the defense:

1. Submit a GS24-Report of Final Examination.The form, signed by your entire committee, must arrive to the graduate school within two days of the completion of our defense.
2. Celebrate, because that was hard.

After your oral defense is completed:

1. Make any final edits to your dissertation.
2. Dissertations must follow specific formatting guidelines. The Graduate School offers guides, sample pages, and publishing resources on its Electronic Thesis and Dissertation (ETD) Resources website. The Graduate School will review your thesis for formatting; once all formatting is correct your thesis will be cleared for publishing
3. Submit your GS30-Thesis and Dissertation Submission form
4. Uploading your thesis to ProQuest/UMI though the CSU Libraries ETD Submission Website
5. Competing the Survey of Earned Doctorates Certificate

Lastly:

1. Competing the Survey of Earned Doctorates Certificate
2. Return any keys you have to the front office
3. If you have rock samples, arrange for long term storage or disposal with your advisor. Please do not leave important samples at your desk, they will be disposed of.
4. Clean out your desk
5. Please leave a forwarding email address with the Grad Coordinator.