Program Overview

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Hydrologic Science and Engineering Program

The Hydrologic Science and Engineering (HSE) program at the Colorado School of Mines offers interdisciplinary graduate degrees in hydrology. The program encompasses various areas of study, including groundwater hydrology, surface-water hydrology, vadose-zone hydrology, watershed hydrology, contaminant transport and fate, contaminant remediation, hydrogeophysics, and water policy/law.

Degrees Offered

• Master of Science (Hydrology), non-thesis
• Master of Science (Hydrology), thesis
• Doctor of Philosophy (Hydrology)

Program Description

The HSE program is comprised of faculty from several different departments and offers programs of study in fundamental hydrologic science and applied hydrology with engineering applications. A core study of formal graduate courses is required for all degrees, and programs of study are interdisciplinary in nature. Coursework is obtained from multiple departments and is approved for each student by the student's advisor and thesis committee.

Program Requirements

MS Non-Thesis

• 30 credits total, including a design course or independent study

MS Thesis

• 30 credits total, consisting of 24 credits of coursework and 6 credits of thesis credit
• Students must write and orally defend a research thesis

PhD

• 72 total credits, consisting of coursework (at least 36 hours) and research (at least 24 hours)
• Students must successfully complete qualifying examinations, write and defend a dissertation proposal, write and defend a doctoral dissertation, and are expected to submit the dissertation work for publication in scholarly journals

Thesis and Dissertation Committee Requirements

• The student's advisor or co-advisor must be an HSE faculty member
• For MS thesis students, at least two committee members must be members of the HSE faculty
• For doctoral students, at least two faculty on the committee must be a member of the HSE faculty
• For PhD committee, the required at-large member must be from a Mines department outside the student's home department, and where applicable, outside the student's minor department

Prerequisites

• Baccalaureate degree in a science or engineering discipline
• College calculus: two semesters required
• Differential equations: one semester required
• College physics: one semester required
• College chemistry: two semesters required
• College statistics: one semester required
• Fluid mechanics

Combined Undergraduate/Graduate Degree Program

Students enrolled in Mines' combined undergraduate/graduate program may double count up to 6 credits of graduate coursework to fulfill requirements of both their undergraduate and graduate degree programs. These courses must have been passed with B- or better, not be substitutes for required coursework, and meet all other university, department, and program requirements for graduate credit.

Required Curriculum

Students will work with their academic advisors and graduate thesis committees to establish plans of study that best fit their individual interests and goals. Each student will develop and submit a plan of study to their advisor during the first semester of enrollment. Doctoral students may transfer in credits from an earned MS graduate program according to requirements listed in the Graduate Degrees and Requirements section of the graduate bulletin, and after approval by the student's thesis committee.

Core Curriculum

Curriculum areas of emphasis consist of core courses, design/thesis, and electives. Core courses cover four areas of knowledge: Groundwater, Surface Water, Chemistry, and Contaminant Fate and Transport. Students can elect to take 9 or 12 credits of core curriculum.

Core Courses

• Option #1 (9 credit hrs.):
  • GEGN566: GROUNDWATER ENGINEERING (3.0)
  • GEGN582: INTEGRATED SURFACE WATER HYDROLOGY (3.0)
  • CEEN/GEGN587: HYDROCHEMICAL AND TRANSPORT PROCESSES (3.0)
• Option #2 (12 credit hrs.):
  • GEGN566: GROUNDWATER ENGINEERING (3.0)
  • GEGN582: INTEGRATED SURFACE WATER HYDROLOGY (3.0)
  • CEEN550: PRINCIPLES OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY (3.0)
  • And choose one of the following:
    • CEEN584: SUBSURFACE CONTAMINANT TRANSPORT (3.0)
    • CEEN580: CHEMICAL FATE AND TRANSPORT IN THE ENVIRONMENT (3.0)

A grade of B- or better is required in all core courses for graduation.

Design Courses

For non-thesis MS students, the following is a list of Design Courses that may be completed in lieu of an Independent Study:

• CEEN515: HILLSLOPE HYDROLOGY AND STABILITY (3.0)
• CEEN581: WATERSHED SYSTEMS MODELING (3.0)
• CEEN575: HAZARDOUS WASTE SITE REMEDIATION (3.0)
• CEEN584: SUBSURFACE CONTAMINANT TRANSPORT (3.0)
• GEGN532: GEOLOGICAL DATA ANALYSIS (3.0)
• GEGN575: APPLICATIONS OF GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS (3.0)
• GEGN583: MATHEMATICAL MODELING OF GROUNDWATER SYSTEMS (3.0)
• GEGN584: FIELD METHODS IN HYDROLOGY (3.0)
• GEGN586: NUMERICAL MODELING OF GEOCHEMICAL SYSTEMS (3.0)

Elective Courses

Electives may be chosen from the approved list below or as approved by your advisor or thesis committee:

• CEEN511: UNSATURATED SOIL MECHANICS (3.0)
• CEEN512: SOIL BEHAVIOR (3.0)
• CEEN515: HILLSLOPE HYDROLOGY AND STABILITY (3.0)
• CEEN560: MOLECULAR MICROBIAL ECOLOGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT (3.0)
• CEEN562: ENVIRONMENTAL GEOMICROBIOLOGY (3.0)
• CEEN570: WATER AND WASTEWATER TREATMENT (3.0)
• CEEN571: ADVANCED WATER TREATMENT ENGINEERING AND WATER REUSE (3.0)
• CEEN575: HAZARDOUS WASTE SITE REMEDIATION (3.0)
• CEEN581: WATERSHED SYSTEMS MODELING (3.0)
• CEEN582: VADOSE ZONE HYDROLOGY (3.0)
• GEGN532: GEOLOGICAL DATA ANALYSIS (3.0)
• GEGN573: GEOLOGICAL ENGINEERING SITE INVESTIGATION (3.0)
• GEGN575: APPLICATIONS OF GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS (3.0)
• GEGN581: ANALYTICAL HYDROLOGY (3.0)
• GEGN584: FIELD METHODS IN HYDROLOGY (3.0)
• GEGN586: NUMERICAL MODELING OF GEOCHEMICAL SYSTEMS (3.0)
• GEOL540: ISOTOPE GEOCHEMISTRY AND GEOCHRONOLOGY (3.0)
• MATH530: INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICAL METHODS (3.0)
• MATH531: THEORY OF LINEAR MODELS (3.0)
• MATH532: SPATIAL STATISTICS (3.0)
• EBGN510: NATURAL RESOURCE ECONOMICS (3.0)
• HASS588: GLOBAL WATER POLITICS AND POLICY (3.0)
• GEGN585: FLUID MECHANICS FOR HYDROLOGY (2.0)

Areas of Specialization

Students may choose to complete an area of specialization within the MS in Hydrology degrees by taking additional defined courses. These areas of specialization are:

1. Hydrogeophysics

• GPGN574: ADVANCED HYDROGEOPHYSICS (3.0)
• GPGN533: GEOPHYSICAL DATA INTEGRATION & GEOSTATISTICS (3.0)
• GPGN570: APPLICATIONS OF SATELLITE REMOTE SENSING (3.0)
• or GPGN520: ELECTRICAL AND ELECTROMAGNETIC EXPLORATION

2. Hydrobiogeochemistry

Students choose three of the following courses with at least one from each of microbiology-focused and geochemistry-focused courses.

• Microbiology Focus:
  • CEEN562: ENVIRONMENTAL GEOMICROBIOLOGY (3.0)
  • CEEN560: MOLECULAR MICROBIAL ECOLOGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT (3.0)
• Geochemistry Focus:
  • CEEN550: PRINCIPLES OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY (3.0)
  • GEGN586: NUMERICAL MODELING OF GEOCHEMICAL SYSTEMS (3.0)
  • CEEN551: ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANIC CHEMISTRY (3.0)

3. Hydrology, Policy, and Management

Students pursuing the Hydrology, Policy, and Management specialty track will choose two of the following three courses focused on water policy and management:

• EBGN537: ECONOMICS OF WATER (3.0)
• HASS588: GLOBAL WATER POLITICS AND POLICY (3.0)
• HASS584: US WATER POLITICS AND POLICY (3.0) In addition, students will choose a third course from a broader list that also includes courses in complementary areas of communication, economics, law, philosophy, and policy.