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​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​EARTH SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING PROGRAM - ACADEMICS:

In the Earth Science and Engineering (ErSE) program at KAUST, faculty and their students engage in interdisciplinary research to understand and model geophysical and geological processes in the complex and changing nature of our planet. The ErSE curriculum provides graduate-level education in earth sciences and their applications in four distinct specializations represented by four tracks:

 

Geophysical Fluids and Climate System Science

Geophysics

Geology

Machine Learning in Geosciences

 

The program is rich with opportunities, for both M.Sc. and Ph.D. students, with a focus on modern computational and advanced data-analysis as well as laboratory and field methods to study geoscience problems. Depending on the chosen track, students in this program receive broad training in numerical methods, mathematical modelling, geophysics and/or geology. M.Sc. students have an option to participate in scientific research activities that include computational and mathematical modelling or field- and/or lab study projects (M.Sc. with thesis). Ph.D. candidates in the program conduct original research publishable in international high-ranking peer-reviewed journals.

 

SUMMARY OF M.S. AND PH.D. REQUIREMENTS:

 

Erse

View Online Program Guide

Course List & Syllabi

​M.S. DEGREE REQUIREMENTS:

  • Core courses (12 credits) designed to provide students with the background needed to establish a solid foundation in the program area
  • Elective courses (12 credits) designed to allow students to tailor their educational experience to meet individual research and educational objectives, with the permission of the academic advisor
  • M.Sc. thesis research or research/capstone experience (12 credits) designed to provide students with the research experience

     

  • Graduate seminar 398 (non-credit) – all students are required to register and receive a satisfactory grade for every semester of the program they attend
  • Completion of one Winter Enrichment Program (WEP)

     

    Geophysical Fluids and Climate System Science Track Requirements

    Core Courses (12 credits). Choose at least 4 - at least 2 from ErSE and at least one from AMCS:

     

    ErSE 201Geophysical Fluid Dynamics I3
    ErSE 211Global Geophysics3
    ErSE 213Inverse Problems3
    ErSE 253Data Analysis in Geosciences3
    AMCS 206Applied Numerical Methods3
    AMCS 231Applied Partial Differential Equations I3
    AMCS 251Numerical Linear Algebra3
    AMCS 252Numerical Analysis of Differential Equations3

     

    Elective Courses (12 credits). Choose at least 4 courses:

     

    ErSE 202Computational Groundwater Hydrology3
    ErSE 294Contemporary Topics in Earth Sciences3
    ErSE 301Geophysical Fluid Dynamics II3
    ErSE 303Numerical Methods of Geophysics3
    ErSE 304Geophysical Continuum Mechanics3
    ErSE 305Multiphase Flows in Porous Media3
    ErSE 307Atmospheric Chemistry and Transport3
    ErSE 309Thermodynamics of Subsurface Reservoirs3
    ErSE 330Pore-Scale Modeling of Subsurface Flow3
    ErSE 353Data Assimilation3
    ErSE 394Contemporary Topics in Earth Science3

     

    AMCS 312High Performance Computing3
    AMCS 350Spectral Methods for Uncertainty Quantification3
    CE 202Advanced Transport Phenomena3
    CS 207Programming Methodology and Abstractions3
    CS 229Machine Learning3
    ME 200AFluid Mechanics3
    MSE 200Engineering Mathematics3

     

    Geophysics Track Requirements

    Core Courses (12 credits). Choose at least 4 - at least 2 from ErSE and at least one from AMCS:

     

    ErSE 210Seismology3
    ErSE 211Global Geophysics3
    ErSE 213Inverse Problems3
    ErSE 253Data Analysis in Geosciences3
    AMCS 206Applied Numerical Methods3
    AMCS 231Applied Partial Differential Equations I3
    AMCS 251Numerical Linear Algebra3
    AMCS 252Numerical Analysis of Differential Equations3

     

    Elective Courses (12 credits). Choose at least 4 courses:

     

    ErSE 201Geophysical Fluid Dynamics I3
    ErSE 212Geophysical Geodesy and Geodynamics3
    ErSE 214Seismic Exploration3
    ErSE 215Geomechanics I3
    ErSE 217Structural Geology3
    ErSE 218Geophysical Field Methods3
    ErSE 221Magmatic Systems3
    ErSE 222Machine Learning in Geoscience3
    ErSE 260Seismic Imaging3
    ErSE 294Contemporary Topics in Earth Science3
    ErSE 304Geophysical Continuum Mechanics3
    ErSE 315Geomechanics ll3
    ErSE 323Igneous Geochemistry3
    ErSE 327Multiscale Modeling of Geological Reservoirs3
    ErSE 328Advanced Seismic Inversion3
    ErSE 331Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) in Earth Sciences3
    ErSE 360Mathematical Methods for Seismic Imaging3
    ErSE 394Contemporary Topics in Earth Science3

     

    AMCS 312High Performance Computing3
    AMCS 350Spectral Methods for Uncertainty Quantification3
    CE 202Advanced Transport Phenomena3
    CS 207Programming Methodology and Abstractions3
    CS 229Machine Learning3
    ERPE 310Stratigraphy3
    ERPE 311Carbonate Diagenesis3
    ERPE 315Energy Geoscience3
    ERPE 370Experimental Methods in Research - DSP3
    ME 305Advanced MEMS Devices and Technologies3
    MSE 200Engineering Mathematics3

    Geology Track Requirements

    Core Courses (12 credits). Choose at least 4 courses:

     

    ErSE 211             Global Geophysics3
    ErSE 217             Structural Geology3
    ErSE 221             Magmatic Processes3
    ErSE 223             Geological Systems of Arabia3
    ErSE 253             Data Analysis in Geosciences3
    ERPE 210            Fundamentals of Carbonate Geology3
    ERPE 211            Data integration for Geomodelling3
    ERPE 221           Geoscience Fundamentals (only for non-geologists)3

     

    Elective Courses (12 credits). Choose at least 4 courses.

     

    ErSE 210Seismology3
    ErSE 212Geophysical Geodesy and Geodynamics3
    ErSE 214Seismic Exploration3
    ErSE 218Geophysical Field Methods 3
    ErSE 219Field geology3
    ErSE 226Marine Geology – The Oceanic Crust3
    ErSE 294Contemporary Topics in Earth Sciences3
    ErSE 323Igneous Geochemistry3
    ErSE 331Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) in Earth Sciences3
    ErSE 394Contemporary Topics in Earth Science3

     

    ERPE 200Energy and the Environment3
    ERPE 220Sediments: Properties and Processes3
    ERPE 230Rock Mechanics for Energy Geo-Engineering3
    ERPE 310Stratigraphy3
    ERPE 311Carbonate diagenesis3
    ERPE 315Energy Geoscience3
    ERPE 370Experimental Methods in Research – DSP3
    MarS 326Coral Reef Ecology3
    MarS 335Oceanography3

    Machine Learning in Geosciences Track Requirements

    Core Courses (12 credits). Choose at least 4 courses.

     

    ErSE 213Inverse Problems3
    ErSE 222Machine Learning in Geosciences3
    ErSE 253Data Analysis in Geosciences3
    AMCS 251Numerical Linear Algebra3
    CS 229Fundamentals of Machine Learning3
    STAT 220Fundamentals of Statistic3

     

    Elective Courses (12 credits). Choose at least 4 courses.

     

    ErSE 201Geophysical Fluid Dynamics I3
    ErSE 211Global Geophysics3
    ErSE 301Geophysical Fluid Dynamics II3
    ErSE 303Numerical Methods of Geophysics3
    ErSE 305Multiphase Flows in Porous Media3
    ErSE 353Data Assimilation3
    ErSE 210Seismology3
    ErSE 214Seismic Exploration3
    ErSE 260Seismic Imaging3
    ErSE 294Contemporary Topics in Earth Science3
    ErSE 328Advanced Seismic Inversion3
    ErSE 331Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar3
    ErSE 360Mathematical Methods for Seismic Imaging3
    ErSE 394Contemporary Topics in Earth Science3

     

    AMCS 241Stochastic Processes3
    AMCS 211Numerical Optimization3
    AMCS 308Stochastic Num.: Simulation & Data Sci.3
    AMCS 312High Performance Computing3
    AMCS 350Uncertainty Quantification3
    CS 204Data Structure and Algorithms3
    CS 201Introduction to Programming with Python3
    CS 207Programming Methodology and Abstractions3
    CS 220Data Analytics3
    CS 323Deep learning for Visual Computing3
    CS 331Stochastic Descent3
    CS 340Computational Methods in Data Mining3
    CS 341Advanced Topics in Data Management3
    ERPE 221Geoscience Fundamentals3
    ME 200AFluid Mechanics3
    MSE 200Engineering Mathematics3

     

    Research/Capstone Experience (12 credits)

    The details of this portion of the degree are uniquely determined by students with the permission of the academic advisor and will involve a combination of research and other capstone experiences. Students are expected to work weekly a minimum of 3 hours/week per each research credit they are registered for. MLG track students are strongly encouraged to include a summer internship at a high-tech company that requires machine learning applications.

     

    ErSE 295Master's Internship3-12
    ErSE 297Master's Thesis Research3-12
    ErSE 299Master's Directed Research3-12

     

 

Masters Non-Thesis

Students wishing to pursue the non-thesis option must complete a total of 12 capstone credits, with a minimum of 6 credits of directed research (299).

Students must complete the remaining credits through one or a combination of the options listed below:

  • Broadening experience courses: courses that broaden a student’s M.Sc. experience
  • Internship: research-based summer internship (295) – students are only allowed to take one internship
  • Ph.D. courses: courses numbered at the 300 level
  • Graduate seminar 398 (non-credit) – all students are required to register and receive a satisfactory grade for every semester of the program they attend
  • Completion of one Winter Enrichment Program (WEP)

 


       

    Masters with Thesis

    Students wishing to pursue the thesis option must have at least a 3.2 cumulative GPA[MLM1] . A minimum of 12 credits of thesis research (297) is required. Students are permitted to register for more than 12 credits of M.Sc. thesis research with the permission of the academic advisor. The selected academic advisor must be a fulltime program-affiliated assistant, associate or full professor at KAUST. The faculty not affiliated with ErSE can become project-affiliated for the only specific thesis project upon program-level approval. Project-affiliation approval must be completed prior to commencing research.

    A written thesis and an oral defense of the M.Sc. thesis are required. The students have to submit a final copy of the thesis to the thesis committee members at least two weeks prior to the defense date.[MLM2] 

    The thesis defense committee, which must be approved by the dean, consists of three KAUST faculty. If additional expertise is needed the committee could be extended, subject to dean’s approval. At least two committee members must be affiliated with the program. The chair may be any KAUST faculty familiar with the program rules. This membership can be summarized as:

     

    MemberRoleProgram Status
    1ChairWithin or outside program
    2FacultyWithin program
    3FacultyWithin or outside program
    4Additional faculty or research scientistWithin or outside program

    Notes:

    • Members 1, 2, and one of 3 or 4 are required
    • Co-chairs may serve as member 2 or 3
    • Adjunct professors and professors emeriti may retain their roles on current committees, but may not serve as chair on any new committees
    • Professors of practice and research professors may serve as members 2 or 3 depending upon their affiliation with the student’s program, they may also serve as co-chairs
    • Visiting professors may serve as member 3

       

      View a list of faculty and their affiliations here.

    Program Courses and Descriptions
    Master's Assessment Test

    Students are admitted to KAUST from a wide variety of programs and backgrounds. In order to facilitate the design of an appropriate study plan, all admitted students without a master’s degree are required to take a written assessment exam when they arrive on campus. The purpose of the assessment is to determine whether students have the prerequisites for undertaking graduate-level courses taught in the program. The academic advisor works with admitted students to develop a study plan. Students are encouraged to prepare for the assessment by refreshing the general knowledge gained from their undergraduate education before arriving to KAUST. The study plan requirements must be satisfactorily completed, in addition to the University degree requirements.


    ​PH.D. DEGREE REQUIREMENTS:

     

    The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree is designed to prepare students for research careers in academia and industry.

     

    There is a minimum residency requirement at KAUST of three and a half years for students entering with a bachelor’s degree and two and a half years for students entering with a master’s degree. A minimum GPA of 3.0 must be achieved to graduate. Individual courses require a minimum of a B- for course credit.

     

    The Ph.D. degree includes the following steps:

     

    • Securing an academic advisor 
    • Successful completion of program coursework 
    • Passing the qualifying examination 
    • Passing the dissertation proposal defense to obtain candidacy status 
    • Preparing, submitting and successfully defending a doctoral dissertation 

     

    PH.D. DEGREE TIMELINE:

    MSE PHD Timeline 2019


    Ph.D. Course Requirements

    The required coursework varies for students entering the Ph.D. degree with a bachelor’s degree or a relevant master’s degree. Students holding a bachelor’s degree must complete all program core/mandatory courses and elective courses outlined in the master’s degree section and are also required to complete the Ph.D. courses below. Students entering with a bachelor’s degree will qualify to earn a master’s degree by satisfying the master’s degree requirements.

    Students entering the Ph.D. degree with a relevant M.Sc. degree must complete the requirements below, though additional courses may be required by the academic advisor. Upon approval of the advisor, Ph.D. students are allowed to choose the relevant courses from the entire ErSE curriculum, as well as from the curriculums of other KAUST programs.

     

    Ph.D. Courses

    • At least three courses that comprise at least two 300-level courses, at least two courses should be from the ErSE curriculum for students coming with a master’s from another university or a different KAUST program and at least one 300-level course from ErSE curriculum for students with M.Sc. from KAUST ErSE 
    • Graduate seminar 398 (non-credit) – all students are required to register and receive a satisfactory grade for every semester of the program they attend
    Winter Enrichment Program (WEP) – students who completed WEP while earning the M.Sc. are not required to enroll in a full WEP for a second time during the Ph.D. 
    Ph.D. Qualifying Exam
    UNDER MAINTENANCE
    Designation of Dissertation Advisor

    ​The selected academic advisor must be a full-time program-affiliated professor at KAUST. Students may also select an academic advisor from another program at KAUST. The academic advisor can only become project affiliated for the specific dissertation project with program level approval. Project affiliation approval must be completed prior to commencing research.

    View a list of faculty and their affiliations here.

    Ph.D. Dissertation Proposal Defense

    The dissertation proposal defense is the second part of the qualification milestones that must be completed within one year after passing the qualifying exam to become a Ph.D. candidate. Students have to submit to the Ph.D. dissertation proposal committee a written research proposal and pass an oral research proposal defense.

    The Ph.D. dissertation proposal defense committee, which must be approved by the dean, consists of three members. If additional expertise is required the committee could be extended, subject to dean’s approval. The chair can be any KAUST faculty member familiar with the program rules. Two committee members must be KAUST faculty affiliated with the program and one must be a KAUST faculty outside the program.

     

    MemberRoleProgram Status
    1ChairWithin or outside program
    2FacultyWithin or outside program
    3FacultyOutside program

     

    Notes:

    • Co-chairs may serve as members 2 or 3 
    • Adjunct professors and professors emeriti may retain their roles on current committees, but may not serve as chair on any new committees 
    • Professors of practice and research professors may serve as members 2 or 3 depending upon their affiliation with the student’s program, they may also serve as co-chairs 

      Once constituted, the composition of the proposal committee can only be changed with the approval of both the academic advisor and the dean.

      This committee should also make itself available for subsequent periodic review meetings with students. The composition of the committee could change over time.

      View a list of faculty and their affiliations here.

    Dissertation Committee Formation

    To graduate, Ph.D. candidates have to finalize the Ph.D. dissertation, form a Ph.D. dissertation defense committee, and successfully defend a Ph.D. dissertation.

    The Ph.D. dissertation defense committee, which must be approved by the dean, consists of four mandatory members. If additional expertise is required the committee could be extended, subject to the dean’s approval. Three of the mandatory members must be KAUST faculty and one must be an external examiner who is external to KAUST. The chair can be any KAUST faculty familiar with the program rules. At least two committee members must be KAUST faculty affiliated with the program, and one must be a KAUST faculty outside the program. The external examiner must write a report on the dissertation and attend the dissertation defense either in person or remotely.

     

    MemberRoleProgram Status
    1ChairWithin or outside program
    2FacultyWithin program
    3FacultyWithin or outside program
    4External ExaminerOutside KAUST

     

    Notes:

    • The chair cannot be the academic advisor
    • Co-chairs may serve as either members 2 or 3 
    • Adjunct professors and professors emeriti may retain their roles on current committees, but may not serve as chair on any new committees 
    • Professors of practice and research professors may serve as members 2 or 3 upon their affiliation with the student’s program, they may also serve as cochairs 

    Visiting professors may serve as member 2 or 3 depending upon their affiliation 

    The only requirement with commonality with the proposal committee is the academic advisor, although it is expected that other members will carry forward to this committee.

    If students have a co-supervisor, this person can be considered one of the four mandatory members required, provided they come under the categories listed (i.e. meets the requirements of the position).

    View a list of faculty and their affiliations here

    https://www.kaust.edu.sa/en/study/faculty

     

    Oral Defense and Result Submission

    The Ph.D. requires the passing of the defense and acceptance of the dissertation. The final defense is a public presentation that consists of an oral defense followed by questions and may last a maximum of three hours.

     

    Students must determine the defense date with agreement of all the members of the dissertation committee, meet deadlines for submitting graduation forms and inform the committee of their progress. It is the students’ responsibility to submit the required documents to the graduate program coordinator (GPC) at the beginning of the semester they intend to defend. The required documents include (i) the list of proposed committee members, including the external examiner (and a CV of the external examiner, (ii) a current CV of the student, (iii) a current transcript, (iv) a list of publications, and (v) a final draft of the Ph.D. dissertation.

    Students must submit the written dissertation to the committee one month prior to the defense date in order to receive feedback.

     

    There are four possible outcomes from the dissertation final defense:

     

    • Pass
    • Pass with conditions
    • Retake
    • Fail without retake

      A pass is achieved when the committee agrees with no more than one dissenting vote. In the instance of a pass with conditions, the entire committee must agree on the required conditions, and if they cannot, the dean decides. The deadline to meet conditions is three months after the defense date, unless the committee unanimously agrees to reduce it. If the conditions will take three months or more, or more than one member casts a negative vote, one retake of the defense is permitted. The deadline to complete the retake is as decided by the defense committee with a maximum of six months after the defense date, unless the committee unanimously agrees to change it. Students who fail without retake or who fail the retake will be dismissed from the University.

       

      Evaluation of the Ph.D. dissertation defense is recorded by submitting the result of the Ph.D. dissertation defense examination form within three days after the defense to the Office of the Registrar. 

       

    Submission of Dissertation and final approval form

    All graduation candidates will submit the final thesis/dissertation directly to the KAUST Repository .Formatting review will be done in the repository workflow. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the Registrar HelpDesk registrarhelpdesk@kaust.edu.sa and your GPC.  Please use the step-by-step user guide HERE.

     Q&A

    Q: How do I know if I am ready to archive?

    A: You will have the final PDF file of your thesis complete (along with all supplementary files)

     

    Q: How do I get my advisor’s final approval for archiving?

    A: After you send the Turnitin report to your advisor, you can initiate their final approval for you to archive HERE.

     

    Q: What’s the first thing I do to start the archiving process?

    A: go to the KAUST Repository and “submit an item”: https://repository.kaust.edu.sa/

     

    Q: Do I have to have an ORCID before archiving? 

    A: Yes, you do.   http://orcid.kaust.edu.sa

                 

    Q: I want to hold making my thesis public for up to a year (embargo).  How do I do this?

    A: This is part of the repository submission process (see user guide for screenshots).

    FREQUENTLY USED FORMS

    Student Forms - Registrar's Office

    Completing In Absentia

    Withdrawal from KAUST

    Credits Add-Drop Form

    Change of Program - Academic Advisor

    Application for Master with Thesis

    M.Sc. Thesis and Ph.D. Defense Final Approval Form

    M.Sc. Thesis/Ph.D. Dissertation Defense Petition Form

    M.Sc. Thesis and Ph.D. Result Form

    Request for Time Extension to Complete Degree

    Transfer Credit

    Application for Travelling Scholar Status

    Student Forms - Physical Science and Engineering Division

    Dissertation Committee Formation

    PhD Dissertation Proposal Evaluation

    PhD Research Data Presentation

    Waiver of 100 Level Courses

    MSE Qualifying Exam Evaluation Form

    Online Petition for Ph.D. Dissertation Defense Form

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