Students visit a wind farm on a class field trip

Choosing to deepen your training by earning an MS degree is an important decision. The process of gaining mastery in your chosen field is absolutely improved and enriched through steady communication with your MS advisor (Earth Systems Committee of the Whole Member). Stanford’s coterminal MS program is a great opportunity. We urge you to make the most of it by building a challenging curriculum and working closely with your MS advisor.

How Do I Apply to the Earth Systems Coterm?

The Stanford coterminal degree plan enables an undergraduate to embark on an integrated program of study leading to the Master’s degree before requirements for the Bachelor’s degree have been completed. An undergraduate majoring in Earth Systems may apply to work simultaneously toward Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. The Master’s degree in Earth Systems provides the student with enhanced tools to evaluate the primary literature of the discipline most closely associated with the student’s track, and it allows an increased specialization through additional course work that may include nine credits of thesis research. 

How to apply*:
1. Complete an application which includes an application cover page, a statement of purpose, and a resume.
2. Request a Stanford transcript on Axess (NOT an e-transcript, please) and send it to Deana Fabbro-Johnston, Earth Systems Program, MC 4215.
3. Secure two letters of recommendation, one of which must be from the Master’s Advisor (Earth Systems Committee of the Whole Member).
4. In collaboration with your Master’s Advisor, develop a list of courses in which you intend to enroll to fulfill degree requirements.
5. Meet with Julie Kennedy, Katie Phillips, or Rob Dunbar (with your application package in hand) prior to the final meeting with your Master’s Advisor.
6. Arrange a follow-up meeting with your faculty Master's Advisor to incorporate suggested changes and obtain a final signature on the curriculum proposal.
7. Obtain final approval from Julie Kennedy, Katie Phillips, or Rob Dunbar.
8. Deliver the final application package to Deana Fabbro-Johnston in the Earth Systems office.

*Please note: A $50 application fee is assessed by the Registrar’s Office for coterminal applications

Students applying to the coterm program must: 1) have completed a minimum of 105 units toward graduation with a minimum 3.4 Stanford GPA, and 2) submit their application no later than the quarter prior to the expected completion of the Bachelor’s degree. The student has the option of receiving the B.S. degree upon completion of that degree’s requirements, or of receiving two degrees concurrently at the end of the Master’s program.

This specific requirement must be fulfilled to receive a M.S. degree:
1. A minimum of 45 units of course work and/or research credit (upon approval). It is expected that the majority of the student’s course work will be at the 200-level or above. 

Prior to formal application, the student must devise a program of study that shows a level of specialization appropriate to the Master’s level, as determined in consultation with and approval by the advisor and Julie Kennedy, Katie Phillips, or Rob Dunbar. Students applying from an undergraduate major other than Earth Systems or students applying for a coterminal M.S. in Environmental Earth System Science should meet with Julie Kennedy, Deana Fabbro-Johnston, Katie Phillips, or Emily Burns for clarification.

With the Advisor’s approval, nine of the required 45 units may be in the form of directed research (EARTHSYS 250). This research may culminate in a Master’s thesis; however, a thesis is not required for the degree.