Environmental Resource Science, MS

Admission and Prerequisites

In addition to the general admission requirements of the Graduate School, admission to the M.S. program in Environmental Resource Science requires:

• a Bachelor’s degree in a related science, technology, or engineering field (such as geology, environmental science, computer science, agriculture, biology, chemistry, physics, or civil engineering)

Course Requirements

The usual program requires 30 semester hours of graduate credit work, which comprises 6 hours of thesis credit and 24 hours of course credit. The 24 hours of course credit must include a minimum of 15 hours of graduate credit courses in environmental sciences. In addition, course level requirements for graduate work require 12 hours of 500-level courses, at least 9 of which must be in environmental sciences. Supportive graduate courses in a related field such as biology, chemistry, computer science, mathematics, physics, or statistics are encouraged. Except under special circumstances, a thesis is required.

The non-thesis track requires permission of the Director of the School of Geosciences.

Required Coursework

All students must complete the following 18 credit hours of coursework:

• 9 credit hours in ENVS 5XX or EESC 62X (excluding ENVS 599)
• 8 credit hours in ENVS 4XXG, ENVS 5XX, EESC 6XX, CHEM 4XXG, CHEM 5XX, GEOL 4XXG, GEOL 5XX, PHYS 4XX(G), PHYS 5XX, ANTH 4XX(G), INFX 4XX(G), ANTH 5XX, and INFX 5XX
• 1 credit hour in ENVS 559, EESC 691, or EESC 692

Additional Requirements

In addition to the required coursework above, students must choose a track and complete the requirements as described below.

Thesis Track

Students pursuing the thesis track must complete 30 graduate credit hours as follows:

• 18 credit hours of required coursework
• 6 credit hours in Graduate Level (4XXG, 5XX, 6XX) courses in the following disciplines: GEOL, EESC, ENVS, PHYS, CHEM, BIOL, MATH, ANTH, INFX, or Engineering (except thesis/dissertation hours)
• 6 credit hours in ENVS 599  - Thesis Research and Thesis

Non-Thesis Track

Students pursuing the non-thesis track with Director approval must complete 36 graduate credit hours as follows:

• 18 credit hours of required coursework
• 18 credit hours in Graduate Level (4XXG, 5XX, 6XX) courses in the following disciplines: GEOL, EESC, ENVS, PHYS, CHEM, BIOL, MATH, ANTH, INFX, or Engineering (except thesis/dissertation hours)

Comprehensive Examination

Each candidate for a Master’s degree is required to demonstrate a general, comprehensive knowledge of their field of study. Towards this, students in the Environmental Resource Science Master’s program are required to achieve a grade of A or B on a minimum of three 500-level courses. Each of these classes must be taken for 3 or more credits.

Notes

Students enrolled in the Earth and Energy Sciences, PhD degree program have the opportunity to obtain a M.S. degree in Environmental Resource Science as they work toward the completion of the doctoral degree. Either thesis or non-thesis track may be pursued. EESC 699 may be used as a substitute for ENVS 599.