The Earth Observatory of Singapore and the newly established Division of Earth Sciences invite their first intake of PhD students to start August 2010.

Our Goal

The goal of the EOS/DES PhD program is to nurture scholars who:

• are able to identify, formulate and solve scientific and technological problems in the earth sciences.
• can contribute original ideas that advance the earth sciences.
• have potential for post-doctoral research in the field.
• have developed a broad knowledge for the earth-sciences relevant to related jobs in industry, educational institutions, and government agencies.

Admission Requirements and Application Procedure

There are two intakes of graduate students every year. The deadline for the submission of applications is the 31st of January for the August intake of that year and the 30th of June for the January intake of the following year. All applications must go through the online system of the Graduate Studies Office.

How to Apply

Applicants are strongly encouraged to visit the projects site of the EOS and contact Principal Investigators (PIs) to discuss possible PhD topics. Applicants who do not contact PIs before applying are unlikely to be admitted to the program.

Click here to apply on-line for graduate programs by research. Please note the following selections when completing your online application form:

• Under Program Applied For > Program Applied – Select "[159] Doctor of Philosophy (SPMS)"
• Under Program Applied For > Special Program – Select "Earth Observatory of Singapore" 

Entry Requirements

The minimum requirement for admission is a Bachelor’s degree with 2nd Class Honours Upper (or equivalent eg CGPA >4.0/5.0). All applicants are required to submit their GRE test scores for the general test (GATE in lieu of GRE for applicants from India) in support of their applications. International applicants for whom English is not their first language are required to submit their TOEFL test scores as well. More details are available from the Graduate Studies Office (GSO).

All duly completed application forms must be submitted via the NTU online application system.  

Questions or queries on the PhD program in EOS/DES should be directed to Christina Tee at SKTEE@ntu.edu.sg

Candidature

Only full-time candidatures will be considered. All students are expected to complete the program within 5 years. However, in special circumstances, pending the recommendation of the Academic Committee and the approval of the Division Head, extensions of up to 2 years may be granted.

Program Requirements

For successful completion of the program, the student must; pass the Qualifying Examination (QE); satisfy the course requirements, submit a PhD thesis and pass the Thesis Examination.

After a student has passed the QE and satisfied the course requirements the student will be confirmed in his/her PhD candidacy.

Course Requirements

All students are required to finish course work that totals at least 24 Academic Units (AUs) during the period of candidature. Of these courses, at least 18 AUs should be from courses offered within the DES. Therefore students may use only 6 AUs from outside the DES to meet the course requirement. For applicants with a Master’s degree in related fields, up to half of the course requirements may be waived, subject to the approval of the Academic Committee.

A list and brief description of postgraduate course offerings in the DES is provided here.

DES students must take at least two introductory courses in research specialties other than their own.

Scholarships

• NTU Research Scholarship
  Graduate students of the DES will be able to obtain NTU Research Scholarships following the current regulations of these scholarships.

• EOS Graduate Scholarship
  Since the EOS will work closely with the DES, many graduate students of the DES will be awarded EOS Graduate Scholarships, which will be funded through the EOS annual budgeting process.

• Both the NTU and EOS Graduate Scholarship will be for an initial period of 4 years, subject to the student’s satisfactory progress, as judged by the student’s Thesis Advisory Committee (TAC). After that, subject to a yearly recommendation of the Academic Committee and the approval of the Director of EOS, a student will be granted the EOS Graduate Scholarship for the rest of the program.

• Tuition Fees
  Tuition fees will be in accordance with the fees set by the Ministry of Education and are subject to change.