Graduate Admissions
I have almost no background in the sciences. I have a double bachelor of arts in mathematics and English from Lafayette College. As an undergraduate, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my future, so I thought that English would make me articulate and mathematics would help me with problem solving, and that between the two of them I would be prepared for most anything. The English certainly helps me now with all of the papers I’m writing and working on publishing, and of course with my thesis. The mathematics was probably the main factor that got me into this program. Having a leg up in mathematics has been invaluable in many of my classes, and really helps with the data processing portion of my thesis.
How would you describe your academic program and the areas of study it focuses on?
My program has been a blend of classes, some tailored to helping me fill in the science that I didn’t learn as an undergrad, and some geared toward letting me apply the skills of that particular class toward my own interests. My particular interests lie in seismology and geographic analysis, and thus far I have been able to create projects around these interests in many of my classes. Because I am a Geoscience student though, I also have a good mix of hard rock and environmental
geology as well, with a concentration in GIS (Geographic Information Systems) studies.
Thus far, what has been your favorite aspect of your graduate program? What are you currently working on?
My favorite part of my program is my thesis. I really like being able to guide my studies to exactly what I’m interested in. I’m currently doing a seismic tomography study of the structure of Kilauea Volcano, and I like getting to learn about seismology, data analysis, scripting, and a bit of coding. In this way, I’m getting practical skills for my future career, and also getting to study what I’ve always wanted to study.
Looking forward, how do you anticipate this program will assist you in your career?
I have already been offered a job! During my interview, my now boss was most interested in the scripting and data analysis I had done with my thesis, as that was very practical skills that will be very similar to my work. Besides that, the other interviewers were interested in the research I had done for some of my independent studies classes, since this research was similar to what they, too, are studying.
Montclair State University offers a Master of Science program in Earth and Environmental Science. For more information on these programs, contact The Graduate School at Montclair State University at gradschool@mail.montclair.edu or 973.655.5147.
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