Program Overview

Overview

The Hydrology Certificate program is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the study of water storage and movement in the Earth system, including the effects of hydrologic fluxes on the distribution of energy, chemicals, and sediments.

Requirements

The certificate is composed of two core courses aimed at providing students with a solid foundation on hydrologic sciences and their water management implications, as well as in quantitative analysis. Students will also need to complete elective courses to round up their training and obtain the knowledge and skills deemed as fundamental for students to have upon graduation in order to be competitive in water management, consulting, and other water-related jobs.

Prerequisites

Two prerequisite courses are required for admission into the certificate program:

• GEOG 3511: The Water Cycle (4 credit hours)
• GEOG 3023: Statistics and Geographic Data (4 credit hours) Total Credit Hours: 8

Required Courses

Some of the classes listed below have co-requisite or prerequisite courses. Students should check to see if they meet these requisites.

• Choose three of the following:
  • GEOG 3601: Principles of Climate
  • GEOG 4201: Biometeorology
  • GEOG 4241: Earth Surface Processes
  • GEOG 4251: River Processes and Forms: Fluvial Geomorphology
  • GEOG 4321: Snow Hydrology
  • GEOG 4501: Water Issues in the American West
• Choose three of the following from outside the Department of Geography:
  • GEOL 3030: Introduction to Hydrogeology
  • EBIO 4030: Limnology
  • EBIO 4100: Advanced Ecology (Lake and Stream Ecology)
  • EBIO 4155: Ecosystem Ecology
  • EBIO 4160: Introduction to Biogeochemistry
  • CVEN 3434: Introduction to Applied Ecology
  • CVEN 4122: The Colorado River Water Crisis: Water Policy, Hydrological Variability, and Climate Change Total Credit Hours: 18-21

Learning Outcomes

By the completion of the program, students will be able to:

• Demonstrate a holistic approach to understanding the hydrologic spatial connections and interactions between the physical and human environment.
• Demonstrate sound, defensible, and rigorous quantitative and qualitative methods to analyze and interpret hydrologic data in a meaningful way.
• Explain analytical and interpretive findings to various audiences in a respectful and professional manner.