Martin Schoell attended University of Munich for his undergraduate career in 1961 and in 1964 attended the University Clausthal, Germany for graduate school where he obtained a PhD in geochemistry. While at the University Clausthal, in 1966 Schoell delivered his Diplomarbeit (Masters Thesis) on the geochemistry of strontium in a deposit of barite. Later, in 1981, Schoell continued his education in Germany by obtaining his Habilitation (the highest possible academic degree offered in German academia). Schoell was mentored by Wolfgang Stahl, who inspired Schoells interest in hydrogen isotope geochemistry with respect to natural gas research.