FAQ

The Lowell Program in Economic Geology is a new post-graduate education and training program for geologists in the mineral industry. The new degree program is a Master's degree that can be completed in one year. It is designed to provide geologists with the technical and leadership skills required to meet the mineral industry's increasing demands. The Lowell Program will also offer continuing education, via modules and short courses, to geologists in the industry who are not interested in earning an additional degree.

The Lowell Program in Economic Geology is located at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona, USA. Tucson lies within a cordilleran setting endowed with great geologic exposures and mineral deposits.

The Lowell Program originated from a gift to the University of Arizona by J. David Lowell. His endowment established a new faculty position, and charged the holder of this position, currently held by Eric Seedorff, with the creation and maintenance of a new professional Masters Degree program in economic geology.

This degree program is presently going through the University's approval process. An advisory board composed of industry geologists and executives will direct it, and a faculty committee formed by members from the Geosciences Department and other departments at the University of Arizona will support and monitor it.

The Department of Geosciences at the University of Arizona offers traditional B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in Geosciences. These will continue to be offered without change. The Lowell Program in Economic Geology is different, in that the department will offer a new degree called a Master of Applied Science (M.A.S.) with a specialty in economic geology. The M.A.S. degree will demand the same number of credits as the traditional M.S. degree (30 credit units), but it will not include a formal thesis. However, a final project will be required.

The format of the M.A.S. degree in Economic Geology is designed to be flexible. In addition to offering courses on a semester basis, it will deliver some of the instruction as modules (material compressed into 10 to 15 intensive days) and short courses (2-4 days). These modules and short courses will also be available to students seeking traditional Master's and Ph.D. degrees, as well as other members of the industry who are interested in taking a course, but who are not necessarily pursuing an official degree at the University of Arizona.

Furthermore, the curriculum contemplates including elements of distance learning. However, course materials offered via the Internet will only be intended as a supplement or as a lead-in to modules or short courses. For instance, if students are to take an ore reserves estimation course, they may take lessons on the theory and fundamentals of geostatistics on the web ahead of traveling to Tucson. In Tucson, they would then complete the course, which would consist of hands-on applications of geostatistical principles to ore reserve estimation. This structure gives students the opportunity to interact and learn from fellow classmates and instructors, and provides them with a practical and field-based learning experience.

Another distinctive aspect of the M.A.S. Degree in Economic Geology is that it will have an international orientation. It will provide optional English language training on the front end of the program, through the Center of English as a Second Language (CESL) at the University of Arizona. Training in other languages may also be arranged.

The M.A.S. degree in Economic Geology further distinguishes itself from a traditional Master's degree in that it is specifically geared toward the mineral industry. It will cover the spectrum of mining-related activities, from discovery to production to mine closure. The curriculum will emphasize technical aspects, but will also include essential business and management components.

The M.A.S. degree in Economic Geology is designed to be completed within one year of residence at the University of Arizona.This aggressive schedule assumes that students are fully committed to their schoolwork and not distracted with other work- or family-related occupations. It further presumes full support and funding from their employer (or scholarship). The duration of the Lowell Program in Economic Geology contrasts with the traditional masters program, which lasts two to three years, because students can concentrate on their class- and project-related work and do not have to support themselves through quarter- or half-time teaching or research assistant positions.

The admissions process for the Lowell Program in Economic Geology has not been finalized. Thus, we suggest that prospective students and employers interested in the program remain in contact with us. When the process is finalized, we encourage prospective students to work directly with us to facilitate the admissions process and make it more personalized. Admissions will remain selective, however, to insure that each admitted student experiences a positive learning environment.

An assessment of a candidate's geological or engineering background, as well as proficiency in the English language will form part of the admissions process. This will allow us to identify possible deficiencies and recommend solutions, ahead of making an admissions decision. We expect the admissions criteria to be further influenced by a candidate's letters of recommendation. We presume that employers will only sponsor the best and most promising employees.

Part of the admissions process includes assessing a candidate's knowledge of mathematical principles and skills in communication, as well as his or her familiarity with English. Prospective students should prepare and take the general GRE (Graduate Record Examination) and TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language). These tests are offered periodically in major cities around the world.

We estimate that the cost of the Lowell Program, including residence in Tucson for about one year, will be on the order of US$20,000 per student. This estimate includes non-resident tuition for two semesters (˜US$9000), fees and medical insurance (˜US$2000 per year), and living expenses for one person in low-cost accommodations (˜US$9000 per year). Non-resident (or "out of state") tuition applies to students that come from anywhere outside of the State of Arizona. Furthermore, foreign nationals who do not have adequate international medical insurance coverage are required to enroll in the University's health and medical insurance plan.

On-campus living quarters (residence halls and apartments) are available by application. Off-campus apartments close to the University are readily available, particularly before the start of the fall and spring semesters. Living expenses vary widely depending on the level of comfort sought by students and whether they plan to bring additional family members along (e.g., spouse, children). If so, the cost estimate will be higher.

We are working to create scholarships. We anticipate that the Lowell Program will be able to provide additional funding options in the future.

The Lowell Program in Economic Geology is designed for students following one of four career paths. The courses taken in the Lowell Program can be further tailored to the individual interests of the student. We envision that the Master of Applied Science in Economic Geology will have four different areas of emphasis, one tract for each of four career paths: (1) exploration geology, (2) development geology, (3) mining geology, and (4) environmental geology.

The first area of interest is for those students interested in pursuing a career in discovering new ore deposits. The second area of interest is for geologists who will be testing the feasibility of deposits, bringing newly discovered deposits into production, and expanding existing operations. The third area of emphasis, mining geology, is designed for geologists who will be contributing to the efficient mining and processing of ore at operating mines. The fourth area of interest, environmental geology, is designed for geologists who will be applying geologic science to the environmental aspects of the mining industry, such as monitoring and controlling water quality and supply in the vicinity of active and closed mining operations.

The mining industry relies on contributions from a variety of areas of expertise, which can subjectively be assigned to four broad subject areas. The subject areas are exploration and development; mining and processing; economics, business, and people; and health, environment, and safety. These four subject areas can be thought of as encompassing the entire mining cycle.

Regardless of which area of emphasis a student chooses, we expect him or her to sample courses from at least three of the four subject areas. The balance of courses in each subject area varies according to his or her desired career path (area of emphasis) and personal interests. This flexible structure is intended to provide the student with a richer inter-disciplinary education, which we believe is essential to shaping a more successful professional.

In order to give prospective students a flavor of the subjects that the Lowell Program in Economic Geology will offer, a sampling of selected semester-long courses that are already available can be found by following the links to any of four areas of emphasis.

• Exploration and Development
• Mining and Processing
• Economics, Business, and People
• Health, Safety, and Enviornment

Modules and short courses, some of which are based on previously offered courses, are being developed for the Lowell Program. These courses include:

• Field Mapping of Mineral Deposits: This 10-day module takes place in the Yerington district of Nevada. It is usually scheduled during the third week of March (Spring Break) and has integrated students from several universities, including Stanford University, Oregon State University, Colorado School of Mines, and the University of British Columbia. Industry geologists also have participated. Students learn the "Anaconda method" of detailed geologic mapping with exercises in porphyry and skarn environments. One of the benefits of this method is that it can be adapted to any geologic environment and can be used any scale.
• Project Stages and Best Practices: We are creating this new semester-long course for the Lowell Program. This course comes out of our commitment to give geologists a better understanding of the breath of the mining industry, and how the geologic components interact with other scientific, engineering, financial, and social aspects of the business. Thus, we analyze the exploration, concept, scoping, prefeasibility, feasibility, construction, operation, and eventual closure stages of a mining project, and we examine not only the geologic components of each stage, but also their relationship to the goals of other functional areas of a company. This course is an inquiry into best practices and their implementation, with the objective of improving the performance of a team. Part of this course will be an industry colloquium in which guests from industry give presentations and interact informally with students. The guests speakers might, for example, be people who specialize in safety, environmental permitting, organizational development, or community relations, explorationists that have participated in the discovery of an economic ore deposit, renowned mining executives, or engineers that have contributed to the creation of innovative process.
• Mineral Deposits Seminar: Seminars are periodically offered on the latest developments in ore deposit research. Seminars commonly are focused on a certain deposit type, such as porphyry, epithermal, or iron oxide-copper-gold systems. In the spring semester of 2004, for example, we offered a seminar on porphyry deposits, which developed materials used for a forthcoming review paper to be published in the 100th Anniversary Volume of Economic Geology.
• Leached Capping and Outcrop Interpretation: This three-day short course has been offered by Professor Spencer Titley and usually takes place in the Silverbell or Morenci districts. The course reviews the foundations of oxidation, leaching, and enrichment processes. It focuses on field mapping of secondary copper minerals and limonites and the interpretation of textures after hypogene sulfides.

We are able to offer a variety of courses that reflect the breath of the mining industry because we are part of a large educational institution. Thus, we can draw resources from a number of colleges at The University of Arizona.

For example, the Lowell Program in Economic Geology also forms part of the Professional Masters Program of the College of Science. The Professional Masters Program was designed to incorporate interdisciplinary instruction at the University of Arizona to prepare students in sciences for careers in industry. The Lowell Program is also able to facilitate optional intensive English instruction through the university's renowned Center for English as a Second Language (CESL).

The Lowell Program in Economic Geology is situated in a cordilleran setting with varied geologic exposures. Its location in the midst of a famous porphyry copper province provides a wealth of opportunities to visit mineral deposits and active mines. Furthermore, Tucson is within a day's drive of other important mineral districts such as Carlin, Round Mountain, Tonopah, and Goldfield in Nevada, and the volcanogenic massive sulfide and sandstone-type uranium deposits in Arizona. Excluding the very hot summer, the climate during the nine months spanning September to May is ideal for the field-based courses of the Lowell Program.

The Department of Geosciences at the University of Arizona is a top-ranked institution with modern analytical facilities and approximately 25 faculty members. As one might expect based on its proximity to mines and the international border with Mexico, the department has longstanding ties to the mining industry and to Latin America. Four professors teach and conduct research in economic geology and related fields. The Dean of the College of Science, Joaquin Ruiz, and his students are engaged in the direct dating of ore minerals with the Re-Os isotope system. Drs. Mark Barton and Spencer Titley and their students are conducting research into the genesis of iron oxide-copper-gold and porphyry copper deposits. The Chair of the Lowell Program in Economic Geology, Eric Seedorff conducts research in porphyry molybdenum and copper deposits, and structural controls on ore deposits.

The Department of Geosciences, headed by Professor Susan Beck, is a large department. Graduates of the department go on to careers in academia, government, and the mineral, petroleum, and environmental industries. Geosciences currently has approximately 70 undergraduate students, as well as 75 graduate students pursuing traditional Masters and Ph.D. degrees. Students come from many countries, and have research projects scattered around the globe, including East Africa, the Andes, and the Himalayas. As a result, an added appeal of the Lowell Program is that its participants will be taking classes and interacting with a large number of colleagues, who will get them exposed to their research.

Collaborative efforts in economic geology research are embodied by the Center for Mineral Resources (CMR), which is led by Mark Barton. The Center is a collaborative effort between the University of Arizona, the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the Arizona Geological Survey (AZGS), and several mining companies. Among other things, the CMR is currently preparing district-scale geology maps of the Ray and Globe-Miami districts in Arizona, with overlays for rock types, structure, and alteration.

The Tucson field office of the USGS is located on campus, one block south of the Department of Geosciences, and it is expanding rapidly. The AZGS is located in downtown Tucson, only a few miles from campus. Several members of the USGS and AZGS have adjunct faculty appointments at the University of Arizona in the Department of Geosciences.

The Arizona Geological Society (AGS), which has members from industry, academia, and government, has its monthly dinner meetings in downtown Tucson. The Tucson Gem and Mineral show, the world's largest mineral show, convenes each year in early February. The Arizona Conference of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration (SME) and the annual awards banquet of the American Mining Hall of Fame are always held in Tucson in early December.

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