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Master's in Environmental Resource Science Courses

The Master of Science in Environmental Resource Science program requires 30 semester hours of graduate credit work.

Of these 30 hours, 6 credits in water course, 6 credits in soil credits, and 3 credits in environmental method courses are required from the list of the courses provided below. In addition, you are required to choose 9 credits of elective courses with no more than 6 hours from the biophysical relationships category.

Thesis Option

If you choose to pursue a thesis option, you will be required to take six credit hours to complete your written thesis. The thesis track emphasizes research, and is probably the best choice for you if you want to eventually pursue a doctorate or a career in research.

The required course for your thesis is ENVS 599: Thesis Research and Thesis.

Students are encouraged to talk with faculty members and the graduate coordinator about research possibilities and thesis topics as soon as possible. Students in the MS in Environmental Resource Science program must formally choose a thesis advisor and thesis committee members. 
      
The thesis option also requires that you complete a successful oral defense of your thesis research for your thesis committee.

Non-Thesis - Internship or Capstone Option

If you choose the non-thesis option (Interniship or Capstone), you’ll be required to take 6 internship credit hours for your degree (interniship option) or take an extra 3 credit elective course and complete a 3 credit capstone project. The non-thesis option may be preferable if you’re planning for a career applying research and working in the field.

As a non-thesis student, you will need to complete one of the following courses to demonstrate a general, comprehensive knowledge of the environmental science field:

  • ENVS 589: Capstone Project
  • ENVS 579: Internship

To earn MS in Environamental Resource Science, you are required to have at least 15 credit hours of 500-level course for the thesis option and 18 credit hours of 500-level courses for the non-thesis option (internship and capstone) in addition to your ENVS 5779, 589, or 599 courses

Electives

In the MS in Environmental Resource Science program, you can choose 12 credit hours from the following list to complete your curriculum (with no more than 9 credit hours from the biophysical relationships category).

Electives

  • ENVS 545(G):  Coastal Restoration Methods, 3 credit hours
  •  ENVS 569:  Topics in Environmental Resource Science, 3 credit hours
  •  ENVS 570:  Biogeochemical Cycles, 3 credit hours
  •  ENVS 590:  Advanced Environmental Modeling, 3 credit hours
  •  ENVS 597:  Directed Individual Study, 1-3 credit hours
  •  GEOL 450(G):  Landscape Evolution, 3 credit hours
  •  GEOL 502:  Advanced Sedimentation, 3 credit hours
  •  GEOL 515:  Stable Isotope Biogeochemistry, 3 credit hours
  •  INFX 502: Systematic Methods in Informatics, 3 credit hours
  •  STAT 427(G):  Statistical Methods for Researchers I, 3 credit hours
  •  CIVE 504:  Mechanics of Sediment Transport, 3 credit hours
  •  CIVE 544:  Open Channel Flow, 3 credit hours
  •  EESC 601:  Introduction to Earth Systems, 3 credit hours
  •  EESC 603:  Energy Systems, 3 credit hours
  •  EESC 604:  Research Challenges in EESC, 3 credit hours
  •  EESC 612:  Atmospheric Chemistry, 3 credit hours
  •  EESC 633:  Evolution of Continental Shelf Environments, 3 credit hours

Water Resources courses

  • ENVS 445(G): Coastal Sciences, 3 credit hours
  • ENVS 484(G): Watershed Science, 3 credit hours
  • ENVS 486(G): Water Quality, 3 credits
  • GEOL 431(G): Introduction to Geochemistry, 3 credit hours
  • GEOL 440(G): Oceanography, 3 credit hours
  • GEOL 470(G): Ground Water, 3 credit hours
  • GEOL 509: Advanced Ground Water Hydrology, 3 credit hours
  • GEOL 510: Advanced Environmental Geology, 3 credit hours
  • GEOL 532: Petroleum Geochemistry, 3 credit hours
  • BIOL 407(G): Environmental Toxicology, 4 credit hours
  • BIOL 441(G): Limnology and Oceanography, 4 credit hours
  • CIVE 506: Advanced Hydrology, 3 credit hours
  • CIVE 546: Probabilistic Methods in Hydroscience, 3 credit hours
  • CIVE 561: Water Treatment, 3 credit hours

Soil Resources courses

  • ENVS 490(G): Environmental Pedology, 3 credit hours
  • ENVS 493(G): Soil-Plant Relationships, 3 credit hours
  • ENVS 495(G): Soil Genesis and Survey, 3 credit hours
  • ENVS 498(G): Soil Biology, 3 credit hours
  • ENVS 580: Fate of Pollutants in Soils and Natural Waters, 3 credit hours
  • GEOL 433(G): Clay Mineralogy, 3 credit hours
  • CIVE 563: Solid and Hazardous Waste Management, 3 credit hours

Environmental Methods courses

  • ENVS 455(G): Geographic Information Science I, 3 credit hours
  • ENVS 464(G): Geographic Information Science II, 3 credit hours
  • ENVS 473(G): Remote Sensing in GIS, 3 credit hours
  • ENVS 487(G): Advanced GIS Analysis and Applications, 3 credit hours
  • ENVS 460(G): Site Assessment and Remediation, 3 credit hours
    • Prereq or Coreq: GEOL 470
  • GEOL 420(G): Geophysics I, 4 credit hours
  • GEOL 432(G): Instrumental Examination of Earth Materials, 3 credits
  • GEOL 437(G): Computer Applications in Geology, 3 credit hours
  • BIOL 504: Microscopy, 3 credit hours
  • BIOL 427(G): Experimental Design and Analysis, 3 credit hours
  • BIOL 502: Quantitative Ecology, 3 credit hours
  • BIOL 503: Ecological Models and Data, 3 credit hours
  • BIOL 575: Statistical Ecology, 4 credit hours
  • BIOL 590: analytical Techniques, 3-6 credit hours
  • CIVE 567: Experimental Analysis for Environmental Engineers, 3 credit hours
  • CHEM 430(G): Instrumental Analysis, 3 credit hours.

Biophysical Relationships courses

  • BIOL 412(G): Conservation Biology and Biodiversity, 3 credit hours
  • BIOL 414(G): Ornithology, 4 credit hours
  • BIOL 415(G): Biogeography, 3 credit hours
  • BIOL 445(G): Ichthyology, 4 credit hours
  • BIOL 461(G): Aquatic and Wetland Vascular Plants, 4 credit hours
  • BIOL 542: Evolutionary Ecology, 3 credit hours
  • BIOL 580: Marine Ecology, 3 credit hours

Additional 500-level courses with content that fits these categories may be taken for credit with approval from the graduate committee.