Current Status on Accepting Students
I am not accepting graduate students for Fall 2025. Please email [email protected] if you have further questions.
Information for Students Seeking Research Experience
Who is well suited for scientific research?
Any and all. As long as you are interested in the topic, enthusiastic to learn, and willing to put in time and hard work.
What's the difference between doing research and taking a class?
Research does not have structured lectures, exams, or homework assignments. Instead, you will seek out and synthesize information independently using available resources and techniques. You will read literature, learn new skills (e.g., sample preparation, sample analysis, analytical techniques, new software, modeling, etc.), and write scientifically. Scientific writing is very different from creative writing that we are taught in school (i.e., K-12). If you are interested in research, I recommend checking out some CWU geology student theses as examples.
What are the expectations of a student researcher?
What's the difference between an undergraduate and graduate thesis?
Undergraduate Thesis
M.S. Thesis
What are the next steps to pursuing research?
Is there a faculty member in your department whose research interests you? Inquiring about doing research with a faculty member can be as simple as an email. Below are some elements to include when approaching them.
Undergraduate
Send a short and concise email (<200 words) introducing yourself and include the following:
Graduate
Send a succinct email (<400 words) introducing yourself and include the following:
NOTE: Be mindful of everyone's busy schedule; advisors may not respond immediately. When they do respond, it may not be favorable (e.g., no funding for new students, lack of time for new students, they make seek certain skills/background for current projects that you may not have). These are normal responses; do not take them personally or let that discourage you from contacting other potential advisors.
General Timeline for M.S. Thesis
The graduate application process takes about a year, so plan accordingly. Below is a recommended timeline:
Summer to early Fall (1 year before start of grad school)
This post was last updated Dec. 2021.
Inspired by Mai Sas
Any and all. As long as you are interested in the topic, enthusiastic to learn, and willing to put in time and hard work.
What's the difference between doing research and taking a class?
Research does not have structured lectures, exams, or homework assignments. Instead, you will seek out and synthesize information independently using available resources and techniques. You will read literature, learn new skills (e.g., sample preparation, sample analysis, analytical techniques, new software, modeling, etc.), and write scientifically. Scientific writing is very different from creative writing that we are taught in school (i.e., K-12). If you are interested in research, I recommend checking out some CWU geology student theses as examples.
What are the expectations of a student researcher?
- Communicate and be present. Regular communication between an advisee and an advisor is crucial to success. Don’t feel shy to share any concerns or roadblocks you are facing with your advisor; it is their job to mentor you through these.
- Put in the effort and produce quality work. There is no 'cramming' in research. You will need to understand and apply what you learn.
- Be open to feedback. You will be provided with constructive criticism that is meant to help you learn and improve.
- Contribute to the geology community. Participating in scientific conferences, lab group events, department socials, etc. is a great way to meet other student and professional researchers, talk through problems, give and receive support, and form a network of colleagues and friends.
What's the difference between an undergraduate and graduate thesis?
Undergraduate Thesis
- Enroll in research credits with permission from advisor. At CWU:
- GEOL 495 research credits; GEOL 495 credits are not just for seniors and can be used for any type of individual research, from a small 1-credit project in a single quarter, to longer research projects over multiple quarters.
- GEOL 497 Honors research credits; a more in-depth undergraduate thesis.
- Projects will include data collection, synthesis, and some form of writing/presentation of results.
M.S. Thesis
- Graduate degree over the span of 2 years. This typically follows this timeline:
- In your first year you will take classes, read literature, write a thesis proposal (where you will flesh out your project and plan a timeline for completion of your project), potentially apply for grants to fund your research, and get started on your project and/or data collection. Most students also work as teaching assistants (TAs) during their degree (20 hours/week), unless their advisor has funding available to hire them as a research assistant (RA).
- In your second year you will focus on acquiring data, making sense of your data, and writing your thesis and presenting your results to the department.
What are the next steps to pursuing research?
Is there a faculty member in your department whose research interests you? Inquiring about doing research with a faculty member can be as simple as an email. Below are some elements to include when approaching them.
Undergraduate
Send a short and concise email (<200 words) introducing yourself and include the following:
- Your major and class standing (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior).
- Which geology courses you have taken.
- What your research interests are.
- Attach your current resume or curriculum vitae (CV). If you do not have one, this would be a good time to develop one (see an example here).
- Attach a writing sample (term paper from another class is a good example).
- NOTE: Feel free to ask if there is opportunity for you to be funded or partially funded for your work. It may feel awkward to ask about money, but the worst the advisor can say is ‘no’, and you can assess what is best for you accordingly.
Graduate
Send a succinct email (<400 words) introducing yourself and include the following:
- Your current institution, graduation timeline, etc.
- Explain any research experience you have had to date. Make this description succinct and in 1-3 sentences. This is your time to demonstrate your science communication skills.
- Why you want to go to grad school/Why you're interested in pursuing the advisor's type of research (this is your opportunity to communicate that you understand what the research is).
- Inquire about the advisor's current funding situation. It may feel awkward to ask about money, but this is essential for you to inform your decision on applying to their program.
- Attach your curriculum vitae (CV). Provide a link to any conference presentations you may have given.
NOTE: Be mindful of everyone's busy schedule; advisors may not respond immediately. When they do respond, it may not be favorable (e.g., no funding for new students, lack of time for new students, they make seek certain skills/background for current projects that you may not have). These are normal responses; do not take them personally or let that discourage you from contacting other potential advisors.
General Timeline for M.S. Thesis
The graduate application process takes about a year, so plan accordingly. Below is a recommended timeline:
Summer to early Fall (1 year before start of grad school)
- Consider your interests and which skills you want to learn.
- Ask professors/other students for advisor recommendations based on your interests.
- Research advisor recommendations + other potential advisors (check out websites, read their papers).
- Contact potential advisors (see email template below).
- Based on responses from potential advisors, research application requirements and deadlines on institutions’ websites. Ask the advisor if they can share former/current student emails with you. Reach out to these students to get a better sense of advising style, the geology program, living in their respective town, etc.
- Write and submit applications (deadlines range anywhere from December to February; make sure you have this deadline recorded in your calendar!)
- If you are applying to multiple graduate programs, consider making a table to keep requirements, deadlines, and contact information organized.
- Note: The CWU Geology M.S. program no longer requires GRE scores.
- Note: Some schools (e.g., international) accept students year-round, so read through the application for each school thoroughly.
This post was last updated Dec. 2021.
Inspired by Mai Sas