The Master of Science (MS) curriculum is designed to develop new understanding through research and creativity. Students have the option to pursue a thesis or non-thesis Master of Science degree. Skills obtained by graduates from this degree program include knowing how to: place geological information into a context that is meaningful to land and environment stewardship and civil infrastructure stakeholders, assess risk and vulnerability from geological hazards and make realistic evaluations about quality and quantity of Earth resources, determine whether geological data could be indicative of a potential subsurface target of interest, recommend the suitability of a given type of geological data to address a given geoscience problem, suggest generalizations about fundamental Earth structures and processes from incomplete and possibly inaccurate geological information, combine geological and geophysical data to build an integrative model whose value exceed the sum of its components, prepare an oral presentation, and respond to questions, in which geological information is motivated, described, interpreted, and from which conclusions are drawn, prepare a well-written and well-structured written document that contains sound reasoning and defensible conclusions based on geological principles, access and learn to use commercial software packages that process, display and manipulate geological data, access and learn to use basic geological field and laboratory equipment, execute a test of a geological research hypothesis using basic principles, data, and techniques, understand the basic principles of scientific uncertainty as it relates to geological hypothesis testing.