Master in Watershed Science - Thesis Track

Course Requirements

Core Classes

  • BIO/GSC 642: Watershed Ecology (3 hours)
  • BIO 696: Understanding Scientific Communication (2 hours)
  • CHE 613: Environmental Chemistry (3 hours)
  • GSC 665: Physical/Chemical Limnology (3 hours)
  • WSC 690: Seminar (1 hour)
  • WSC 698-699: Thesis (6 hours)

Total Course Requirements: 18 hours

Tracks

Graduate courses in related fields (18 hrs, as determined by the advisory committee; at least eight hours must be at the 600 level). Students will select remaining courses based on their specialization in the following four tracks: Aquatic Ecology, Environmental Chemistry, Hydrological Spatial Analysis or Watershed Conservation. Accepted courses of study for each area are outlined below.

Aquatic Ecology

Courses should include two of the following:

  • BIO 646: Stream Ecology
  • BIO 648: Wetland Ecology
  • BIO 686: Limnology
  • BIO 688: Reservoir Ecology
  • BIO 669: Biological Limnology
  • BIO 670: Limnological Analysis Laboratory
  • CHE 665: Biogeochemistry
  • GSC 662: Hydrogeology

and one of the following: 

  • BIO 661: Freshwater Invertebrates
  • BIO 663: Aquatic Entomology
  • BIO 670: Ichthyology
  • BIO 672: Herpetology

and one of the following:

  • BIO 630: Animal Ecology
  • BIO 631: Plant Ecology
  • BIO 632: Quantitative Ecology
  • BIO 682: Waterfowl Management
  • BIO 683: Fisheries Management

Environmental Chemistry

Courses should include the following:

  • CHE 617: Advanced Organic Chemistry
  • CHE 627: Chemical Separations
  • CHE 628: Mass Spectrometry
  • CHE 665: Biogeochemistry

Hydrological Spatial Analysis

Courses should include at least one of the following:

  • BIO 669: Biological Limnology
  • BIO 670: Limnological Analysis Laboratory
  • GSC 662: Hydrogeology

and at least three of the following:

  • CET 685: Remediation Technology
  • GSC 612: Remote Sensing
  • GSC 621: Geographic Information Systems
  • GSC 640: Advanced Remote Sensing
  • GSC 641: Digital Image Processing Research
  • GSC 680: Advanced Geographic Information Systems

Watershed Conservation

Courses should include two of the following:

  • BIO 646: Stream Ecology
  • BIO 648: Wetland Ecology
  • BIO 669: Biological Limnology
  • BIO 670: Limnological Analysis Laboratory
  • BIO 686: Limnology
  • BIO 688: Reservoir Ecology
  • CHE 665: Biogeochemistry
  • GSC 662: Hydrogeology

and three of the following:

  • AGR 674: Agricultural Irrigation and Water Systems
  • BIO 678: Conservation Biology
  • BIO 682: Waterfowl Management
  • BIO 683: Fisheries Management
  • CET 655: Environmental Regulatory Affairs
  • CET 681: Pollution Assessment and Control
  • CET 685: Remediation Technology

Total Course Requirements: 36 hours

Other Degree Requirements

  • Successful completion of MAT 665: Applied Statistics I.
  • Written and oral comprehensive examination, as specified by the advisory committee in broad aspects of watershed science and area of concentration (usually taken in 3rd semester of residence).
  • Defense of thesis.

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