Environmental Science, MS

The environmental science master’s degree program consists of 30 course hours of graduate study for a thesis and 36 course hours of graduate study for a non-thesis. Students in the thesis option use six hours of ENVR 5190 to complete original research. A thesis proposal is expected to be completed during the student’s first year in the program. Students pursuing the non-thesis option are expected to complete a comprehensive examination in the final semester of their coursework.

Common Core Courses (9 hours):

Thesis and non-thesis options will require nine hours from the following courses:

ENVR 5325 - Environmental Policy and Regulation Credit(s): 3
ENVR 5170 - Graduate Seminar Credit(s): 1
GISC 5351 - Introduction to GIS and Geospatial Analysis Credit(s): 3
ENVR 5204 - Advanced Environmental Health and Safety Credit(s): 2

Statistics Option

Three hours from the following:

FORS 5317 - Biometrics Credit(s): 3
or
STAT 5340 - Statistical Analysis I Credit(s): 3

Additional Requirements

The additional requirements include nine hours of prescibed electives and nine hours of general electives from other graduate programs.

Nonthesis Option

ENVR 5303 - Remediation/Reclamation of Disturb Land Credit(s): 3
ENVR 5312 - Environmental Hydrology Credit(s): 3
ENVR 5350 - Air Quality Assessment Credit(s): 3
ENVR 5371 - Topics in Environmental Science Credit(s): 3
ENVR 5160 - Internship Credit(s): 1 To 3

Thesis Option

ENVR 5190 - Thesis Credit(s): 1 To 6
ENVR 5303 - Remediation/Reclamation of Disturb Land Credit(s): 3
ENVR 5312 - Environmental Hydrology Credit(s): 3
ENVR 5350 - Air Quality Assessment Credit(s): 3

Electives:

Select nine hours from the following:

AGRI 5344 - Soil-Plant Relationships Credit(s): 3
BIOL 5364 - Aquatic Vascular Plants (lecture) Credit(s): 3
BIOL 5367 - Advanced Terrestrial Plant Ecology (lecture) Credit(s): 3
BIOL 5327 - Microbial Ecology (lecture) Credit(s): 3
BIOL 5442 - Advanced Ichthyology Credit(s): 4
BIOL 5484 - Advanced Limnology (lecture) Credit(s): 4
BIOL 5412 - Scanning Electron Microscopy (lecture) Credit(s): 4
BIOL 5383 - Aquatic Ecology (lecture) Credit(s): 3
CHEM 5321 - Advanced Analytical Chemistry Credit(s): 3
CHEM 5326 - Topics in Analytical Chemistry Credit(s): 3
CHEM 5372 - Advanced Environmental Chemistry I Credit(s): 3
ENVR 5302 - Environmental Contaminant Management Credit(s): 3
ENVR 5303 - Remediation/Reclamation of Disturb Land Credit(s): 3
ENVR 5307 - Water Resources Management Credit(s): 3
ENVR 5314 - Wetland Delineation and Functional Assessment Credit(s): 3
ENVR 5350 - Air Quality Assessment Credit(s): 3
ENVR 5160 - Internship Credit(s): 1 To 3
ENVR 5371 - Topics in Environmental Science Credit(s): 3
ENVR 5175 - Advanced Graduate Studies Credit(s): 1 To 3
ERTH 5308 - Clastic Depositional Systems Credit(s): 3
ERTH 5320 - Geochemistry Credit(s): 3
ERTH 5349 - Applied Hydrogeology Credit(s): 3
ERTH 5350 - Cave and Karst Systems Credit(s): 3
ERTH 5359 - Contaminant Hydrology Credit(s): 3
FORS 5210 - Research Methods in Natural Resources Credit(s): 2
FORS 5321 - Landscape Ecology Credit(s): 3
FORS 5323 - Plant Water Relations Credit(s): 3
FORS 5335 - Forest Soils Credit(s): 0 or 3
FORS 5345 - Forest and Range Ecological Concepts Credit(s): 3
GISC 5300 - GIS Programming Credit(s): 3
GISC 5352 - Introduction to Digital Remote Sensing Credit(s): 3
GISC 5353 - GIS and Geospatial Applications Credit(s): 3

Admission Requirements

To be admitted to the graduate program in environmental science, a student must have completed a bachelor’s degree, preferably in a science-related area with a minimum of six hours of biology (one laboratory course minimum), eight hours of chemistry, and college algebra or higher mathematics. Students without all of the prerequisites may be considered for admission and have the deficiencies removed after arrival by taking applicable courses. Students without an undergraduate degree in environmental science may be required to take one to three undergraduate background courses. In addition, students must meet the other general admission requirements of the Office of Research and Graduate Studies.