Environmental Science M.S.
The graduate plan in Environmental Science leads to the Master of Science (M.S.) degree. The plan seeks, through an interdisciplinary approach, to prepare students for opportunities in government and the private sector. Graduates of the plan may also be prepared to pursue further academic training in environmental sciences. Students must specialize in one of the following areas:
- Environmental Biology
- Environmental Chemistry
- Environmental Geology
All graduate students are required to produce a major paper and present a public seminar via ENSC 5530 and ENSC 6838, 6731 or 6939. Prior to enrolling in ENSC 5530 (proposal), students must have a faculty adviser and an approved research topic. Following completion of ENSC 5530, the student will be advised into ENSC 6731 (seminar) or ENSC 6838 (project)or ENSC 6939 (thesis).
Students pursuing the research project option may be advised to complete hours in independent study or internship in addition to ENSC 6838. Before enrolling in thesis, students must have a faculty thesis adviser and an approved research proposal.
Degree Requirements
Environmental Science Basic Requirements
Students seeking a master's degree must have course work preparation appropriate to their area of specialization. At least 34 hours of natural science and six hours of mathematics are required prior to admission. Candidates should have a B average (GPA) 3.0 on the last 60 hours of credit. GRE scores are required by all students applying for the graduate program. Scores will be evaluated by the college's admissions committee.
Students should submit a written statement to the Science and Computer Engineering Academic Advising Office (sceadvising@uhcl.edu) specifying their educational goals and objectives as well as their intended areas of specialization, i.e., Environmental Biology, Environmental Chemistry or Environmental Geology. Applicants are also encouraged to submit letter(s) of recommendation as supporting documents. Basic requirement courses do not count toward the degree. These courses do, however, count toward the total hours required above.
The following must be completed prior to admission into the graduate plan:
- General Chemistry I and II with labs
- General Physics I and II with labs
- Calculus I
The following must be completed prior to or within the first year of study:
- Organic Chemistry I with lab
- Statistics
The master's degree requires completion of a minimum of 36 hours.
Environmental Science Thesis Option (36 hours)
Environmental Science Thesis Option (36 hours) | |
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Designated electives 24 hours (maximum of six hours of 4000-level credit) and 6 hours
of thesis. Select one of the following Statistics courses. |
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STAT 5135 | Applied Statistical Methods Credit Hours: 3 |
EDUC 6032 | Applied Statistics Credit Hours: 3 |
ENSC 5530 | Research Methods: Environmental Science Credit Hours: 3 |
ENSC 6939 | Master's Thesis Research Credit Hours: 3 |
Additional Information
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Environmental Science Research Project Course Option (36 hours)
Environmental Science Research Project Course Option (36 hours) | |
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Designated electives 27 hours (maximum 6 hours of 4000-level credit). Select one of the following two Statistics courses. | |
STAT 5135 | Applied Statistical Methods Credit Hours: 3 |
EDUC 6032 | Applied Statistics Credit Hours: 3 |
ENSC 5530 | Research Methods: Environmental Science Credit Hours: 3 |
ENSC 6838 | Research Project Credit Hours: 3 |
ENSC 6731 | Graduate Seminar Credit Hours: 3 |
Additional Information
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Environmental Science Specializations
Environmental Biology Specialization Electives:
Environmental Biology Specialization Electives: | |
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Selected in consultation with adviser (24-27 hours).
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ENSC 5233 | Ecotoxicology Credit Hours: 3 |
ENSC 5333 | Fundamentals of Environmental Engineering Credit Hours: 3 |
ENSC 5533 | Environmental Biotechnology Credit Hours: 3 |
BIOL 5234 | Population and Community Dynamics Credit Hours: 3 |
BIOL 5235 | Ichthyology Credit Hours: 3 |
BIOL 5215 | Laboratory for Ichthyology Credit Hours: 1 |
ENSC 5332 | Toxicology Credit Hours: 3 |
ENSC 5431 | Contaminant Fate and Transport Credit Hours: 3 |
ENSC 5531 | Aquatic Toxicity Testing Credit Hours: 3 |
BIOL 5532 | Coastal and Estuarine Ecology Credit Hours: 3 |
BIOL 5533 | Ecological Methods Credit Hours: 3 |
BIOL 5534 | Conservation Biology |
BIOL 5535 | Neotropical Rainforest Ecology |
BIOL 5537 | Limnology and Aquatic Biology |
BIOL 5931 | Research Topics in Biology Credit Hours: 3 |
ENSC 5532 | Hydrology of Surface Water Credit Hours: 3 |
ENSC 5536 | Environmental Remediation Credit Hours: 3 |
ENSC 5535 | Sampling & Analysis of Environmental Contaminants Credit Hours: 3 |
ENSC 5537 | Hydrology of Groundwater Credit Hours: 3 |
ENSC 5931 | Research Topics in Environmental Science Credit Hours: 3 |
ENSC 5939 | Independent Study in Environmental Science Credit Hours: 3 |
Additional InformationBIOL 5235 and BIOL 5215 are co-requisites. |
Environmental Chemistry Specialization Electives:
Environmental Chemistry Specialization Electives: | |
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Selected in consultation with adviser (24-27 hours).
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CHEM 4251 | Laboratory for Environmental Analysis Credit Hours: 2 |
ENSC 5333 | Fundamentals of Environmental Engineering Credit Hours: 3 |
ENSC 5431 | Contaminant Fate and Transport Credit Hours: 3 |
ENSC 5531 | Aquatic Toxicity Testing Credit Hours: 3 |
ENSC 5533 | Environmental Biotechnology Credit Hours: 3 |
ENSC 5536 | Environmental Remediation Credit Hours: 3 |
ENSC 5731 | Environmental Organic Chemistry Credit Hours: 3 |
ENSC 5535 | Sampling & Analysis of Environmental Contaminants Credit Hours: 3 |
ENSC 5633 | Environmental Chemodynamics Credit Hours: 3 |
ENSC 5931 | Research Topics in Environmental Science Credit Hours: 3 |
ENSC 5939 | Independent Study in Environmental Science Credit Hours: 3 |
Environmental Geology Specialization Electives:
Environmental Geology Specialization Electives: | |
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GEOL 4323 | Soils in the Environment Credit Hours: 3 |
GEOL 4356 | Soil and Groundwater Remediation Credit Hours: 3 |
GEOL 5331 | Advanced Environmental Geology Credit Hours: 3 |
GEOL 5233 | Environmental Geochemistry Credit Hours: 3 |
GEOL 5931 | Research Topics in Geology Credit Hours: 3 |
ENSC 5332 | Toxicology Credit Hours: 3 |
ENSC 5333 | Fundamentals of Environmental Engineering Credit Hours: 3 |
ENSC 5431 | Contaminant Fate and Transport Credit Hours: 3 |
ENSC 5535 | Sampling & Analysis of Environmental Contaminants Credit Hours: 3 |
ENSC 5537 | Hydrology of Groundwater Credit Hours: 3 |
ENSC 5532 | Hydrology of Surface Water Credit Hours: 3 |
ENSC 5632 | Hazardous Materials in Geological Environment Credit Hours: 3 |
Environmental Science M.S. Online Option
All graduate students are required to produce a major paper and present an online public seminar. Prior to enrolling in ENSC 5530, students must have a faculty adviser and an approved research topic. Following completion of ENSC 5530, and in consultation with their faculty adviser, on-line students will enroll in ENSC 6731 or ENSC 6838 and prepare their major capstone research paper.
Degree Requirements
Environmental Science General Online Option Core Courses (9 hours) | |
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EDUC 6032 | Applied Statistics Credit Hours: 3 |
ENSC 5530 | Research Methods: Environmental Science Credit Hours: 3 |
ENSC 6731 | Graduate Seminar Credit Hours: 3 |
ENSC 6838 | Research Project Credit Hours: 3 |
Additional InformationStudents are advised to take ENSC 6838 or ENSC 6731. |
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Environmental Science General Online Course Electives (27 hours) | |
Selected in consultation with adviser. Must include at least 18 hours of ENSC courses. | |
BIOL 5534 | Conservation Biology |
ENSC 5233 | Ecotoxicology Credit Hours: 3 |
ENSC 5332 | Toxicology Credit Hours: 3 |
ENSC 5532 | Hydrology of Surface Water Credit Hours: 3 |
ENSC 5535 | Sampling & Analysis of Environmental Contaminants Credit Hours: 3 |
ENSC 5536 | Environmental Remediation Credit Hours: 3 |
ENSC 5537 | Hydrology of Groundwater Credit Hours: 3 |
ENSC 5333 | Fundamentals of Environmental Engineering Credit Hours: 3 |
ENVR 5332 | Environmental Law Credit Hours: 3 |
ENVR 6133 | Environmental Risk Management Credit Hours: 3 |
ENSC 5631 | Remote Sensing: Applications in Geology Credit Hours: 3 |
OSHE 5131 | Control of Occupational and Environmental Hazards Credit Hours: 3 |
OSHE 5333 | Air Pollution Credit Hours: 3 |
Additional Information
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