Field of Study: Environmental and Water Resources Engineering

The Environmental and Water Resources Engineering (EWRE) masters degree program emphasizes four areas of core competency: quantitative methods; decision support & optimization; environmental mechanics; and environmental chemistry. Working in consultation with their advisors, students select courses from each of the four areas as well as elective courses that allow them to achieve their individual educational goals. To complete the requirements for the EWRE masters degree, students must earn a total of 30 semester hour units (SHUs) with at least 3.0 SHUs in each of the four cores areas. The list of courses in each area is shown below.

1. Core Areas and Courses*

Quantitative Methods. Possible courses include:
- CEE 201 – Applied Probability and Statistics
- CEE 132 – Data Science for Sustainability
Decision Support and Optimization. Possible courses include:
- CEE 214 – EWRE Systems
- ES 100 – Actionable Engineering Diplomacy
Environmental Mechanics. Possible courses include:
- CEE 211 – Physical Hydrology
- CEE 113 – Groundwater
Environmental Chemistry. Possible courses include:
- CEE 136 – Air Pollution and Control
- CEE 212 – Chemical Principles in EWRE

* Other core courses may be substituted by petition.

2. Electives
The remainder of the 30 credits required for the degree are electives. Possible electives include those listed below.

CEE 101 – The Energy Transition
CEE 103 – Climate Change Science and Engineering
CEE 104 – Sustainable Transportation
CEE 111 – Hydrology of the Built Environment
CEE 112 – River Hydraulics and Stream Restoration
CEE 133 – Sustainable Water Engineering
CEE 143 – Site Remediation
CEE 184 – Resilient and Equitable Infrastructure

The EWRE program offers three options: coursework only, coursework + project, and coursework + research thesis. Requirements for each option are described below.

Coursework-Only Option
Students wishing to complete this option must complete coursework conferring 30 SHUs (typically ten 3.0-SHU courses) with at least 3.0 SHUs in each of the four core areas and the remainder from elective courses.

Project Option
Students wishing to complete the project option must have the scope of work approved by the chair of the CEE Graduate Programs Committee, identify a faculty advisor for the project, and complete 3 SHUs of CEE 290 Master’s Project. Projects may be research or practice oriented. The 3 SHUs of CEE 290 count toward the elective requirements.

Thesis Option
Students wishing to complete the research thesis option must complete 3 SHUs of CEE 295 Master’s Thesis and 3 SHUs of CEE 296 Master’s Thesis II, and successfully complete the master’s Thesis requirements established by the University and School of Engineering. The 6-credit total of CEE 295 and CEE 296 counts toward the elective requirement. Students must identify a faculty advisor before enrolling in CEE 295 and CEE 296. Students pursuing the thesis option typically complete their degree and thesis requirements over two years of full-time study.

Notes:

For all three program options, at least 30 SHUs of core and elective coursework must be completed with a grade of B- or better in all courses.
Program faculty strongly encourage students to register for and complete the departmental seminar course (CEE 292), which is typically offered biweekly throughout the fall and spring semesters. The seminar affords students the opportunity to learn about research and practice in broad areas of civil and environmental engineering – often from the perspective of thought leaders and practitioners – and to socialize with fellow graduate students and faculty.
It is expected that students admitted to the program with deficiencies (as noted in their departmental acceptance letters) will address those deficiencies – in consultation with their advisor – as they complete the requirements for the program. Deficiencies may include insufficient preparation in fluids mechanics, hydraulics, probability and statistics, and/or differential equations.