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MS in Environmental Science

Chapter 6 Graduate Program Reguations/Course Description
College of Sciences

DEPARTMENT OF EARTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

Master of Science Degree in Environmental Science

The Department of Earth and Environmental Science offers opportunities for advanced study and research leading to the Master of Science degree in Environmental Science. The Master of Science degree is awarded to candidates who have displayed an in-depth understanding of the subject matter and demonstrated the ability to make an original contribution to knowledge in their field of specialty.

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The regulations for this degree comply with the general University regulations as outlined in this catalog and indicated below. Program Admission Requirements. In addition to satisfying the university-wide graduate admission requirements, all prospective students must have a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree from an accredited university and a minimum grade point average of 3.0 in upper-division and graduate work. The degree should be in biology, ecology, environmental science, chemistry, geology, geography, engineering, or some other related scientific discipline. Applicants whose native language is not English must score at least 550 on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Two or more letters of recommendation from persons familiar with the applicant’s academic record are required and should be sent to the Department Chair. Incomplete applications will not be considered until all required items are in an applicant’s file. The Graduate Studies Committee, comprised of members selected from the graduate faculty, will be responsible for recommending acceptance into the program and will take the lead in advising students. Some teaching assistantships, research assistantships, or research fellowships are available, but require separate application. When Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores are used to determine an admission, applicants will be compared to applicants with similar socioeconomic backgrounds.

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Degree Requirements. The Master of Science degree requires a minimum of 36 semester credit hours beyond the baccalaureate degree (exclusive of coursework or other study required to remove deficiencies). There are five areas of specialization or emphases for the Master of Science degree in Environmental Science. The areas include water resources, environmental management, ecology and environmental conservation, environmental quality and protection, and environmental spatial analysis. A thesis option is recommended to students who want an opportunity to develop expertise in research, including experimental design, data collection, and data analyses. A nonthesis option is available for those who want the opportunity to earn the Master of Science degree primarily through organized coursework. The thesis option is recommended for students who are planning a career in environmental education, research, or who are planning to go on and earn a doctorate degree.

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Research interests of the graduate faculty include the areas indicated above. However, specific information about research in progress is available from the Department office or from individual faculty members. The broad nature of the environmental science program allows students the opportunity to broaden their scientific background at the graduate level. Individual programs are organized around each student’s interests in consultation with the student’s graduate advisor and graduate committee.

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Degree candidates are required to complete a minimum of 36 semester credit hours approved by the student’s Graduate Advisor of Record. These credit hours are subject to the following conditions

  1. A minimum of 18 semester hours of graduate credit in organized classes must be earned within the Environmental Science program. This may include up to 6 semester credit hours of approved upper-division undergraduate coursework and a maximum of 3 semester credit hours in a graduate seminar or 3 semester credit hours in colloquium (ES 5991 or ES 6941).
  2. An additional 18 semester hours of graduate credit as approved by the Graduate Advisor of Record is required. This may include 6 hours of ES 6953, Independent Study. Students electing the thesis option must complete 6 semester hours of ES 6983, Master’s Thesis as part of this total.
  3. Comprehensive Examination, ES 6961, if taken, may not be applied to the 36-semester-hour-minimum required of students.
  4. Students are expected to participate in graduate seminars and colloquia while in the program.
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Graduate Committee. As specified by University regulations, candidates for the Master of Science degree must have a Graduate Committee. The Committee will be chaired by the student’s graduate advisor and will consist of a minimum of two other members. The Committee should be appointed in the first semester of the student’s graduate program. Each student must decide if he or she is going to complete the thesis or nonthesis option because that will determine the type of committee appointed. Certain rules must be adhered to concerning the composition of the Master’s Thesis Committee and the Master’s Comprehensive Examination Committee. Only tenured or tenure-track faculty members can chair these committees, and no more than one member of either committee can be a nontenured or a nontenure-track faculty member or be from another university or be from another department.

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Nonthesis Option. Nonthesis students should consult the Graduate Advisor of Record on their Program of Study.

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Comprehensive Examination. Candidates for the Master of Science degree must pass a comprehensive examination administered by their Graduate Committee. The student should normally schedule this examination the semester before the degree requirements are to be completed. The examination for nonthesis students will be written; will cover at least four major areas of environmental science; and will take three to four hours to complete. The student’s Graduate Committee will determine the content of the examination. Normally, the examination will consist of academic material that the student is expected to have mastered during his or her course of study. The examination may only be taken twice. If it is not passed the first time it may be scheduled again in the following semester. Passing the examination will indicate successful mastery of the material in the student’s area of specialization.

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Thesis Option. Candidates for the Master of Science degree electing the thesis option must also pass a comprehensive examination. The examination for thesis students will be oral; will cover the thesis proposal prepared by the student in one of the areas of environmental science; and will take one to two hours to complete. Candidates must successfully defend the thesis research before their Graduate Committee. The thesis defense will be done in an open, publicly advertised forum. The thesis defense is usually the last thing the student does before submission of the thesis to the Dean of Graduate Studies for approval.

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Thesis Option Program of Study. Candidates should choose one of the following programs of study

Water Resources

27 semester credit hours of required coursework

ES 5023 Environmental Statistics
ES 5603 Hydrogeology
ES 5703 Advanced Hydrogeology
ES 6013 Instrumental Environmental Methods for Environmental Analysis
ES 6123 Environmental Quality

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or

ES 6223 Aqueous Geochemistry
ES 6953x2 Independent Study
ES 6983x2 Master’s Thesis

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9 semester credit hours minimum, selected from graduate course offering in civil engineering and environmental science with approval of the Graduate Advisor of Record.

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Environmental Management

27 semester credit hours of required coursework

ES 5023 Environmental Statistics
ES 5033 Geographical Information Systems
ES 5103 Applied Ecology
ES 5233 Experimental Design and Analysis
ES 5503 Environmental Regulations
ES 6013 Instrumental Environmental Methods for Environmental Analysis
ES 6953 Independent Study
ES 6983x2 Master’s Thesis

9 semester credit hours minimum, selected from graduate course offerings in environmental science with approval of the Graduate Advisor of Record.

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Ecology and Environmental Conservation

27 semester credit hours of required coursework

ES 5023 Environmental Statistics
ES 5233 Experimental Design and Analysis
ES 5243 Advanced Plant Ecology
ES 6133 Methods in Field Ecology
ES 6213 Advanced Ecology
ES 6953x2 Independent Study
ES 6983x2 Master’s Thesis

9 semester credit hours minimum, selected from graduate course offerings in environmental science with approval of the Graduate Advisor of Record.

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Environmental Quality and Protection

30 semester credit hours of required coursework

ES 5023 Environmental Statistics
ES 5033 Geographical Information Systems
ES 5493 Water Pollution Control
ES 5603 Hydrogeology
ES 6123 Environmental Quality

or

GEO 6203 Aqueous Geochemistry
ES 6941x3 Environmental Science Colloquium

or

ES 5991x3 Graduate Seminar in Environmental Science
ES 6953x2 Independent Study
ES 6983x2 Master’s Thesis

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6 semester credit hours minimum, selected from graduate course offerings in environmental science with approval of the Graduate Advisor of Record.

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Environmental Spatial Analysis

30 semester credit hours of required coursework

ES 5033 Geographical Information Systems
ES 5053 Remote Sensing
ES 5103 Applied Ecology
ES 5233 Experimental Design and Analysis
ES 5503 Environmental Regulations
ES 6503 GPS Mapping
ES 6513 Advanced GIS
ES 6543 Internet Served GIS
ES 6983x2 Master’s Thesis

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6 semester credit hours minimum, selected from graduate course offerings in environmental science with approval of the Graduate Advisor of Record.

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