Environmental Sciences — Degree Requirements

The PhD in Environmental Sciences/ Environmental, Coastal, and Ocean Sciences (ECOS) Track

Please see the general statement of degree requirements for doctoral programs in the “Regulations, Procedures, and Degree Requirements” section of this publication.

For the PhD in Environmental Sciences/ECOS Track, sixty credits are required. These credits are earned through a combination of course work and research. Formal course work includes a required core curriculum and a specialty area. Core courses include a course in statistics, two courses in the area of environmental law/policy/ administration/management/economics, and any two of the following three courses: Biological Oceanographic Processes (ECOS 630); Chemistry of Natural Waters (ECOS 640); Physical Oceanography (ECOS 650). In addition, thirty hours of course work are generally necessary to provide a thorough grounding in the student’s area of specialization as well as satisfy the interdisciplinary program of study requirements. At present, these areas of concentration include the chemistry of aquatic systems, zooplankton ecology, benthic ecology, environmental microbiology, environmental physiology/toxicology, environmental policy and administration, environmental education, and estuarine physics.

Each student’s program of study and dissertation research is guided by a graduate committee. The student must select a major professor (or two major professors), who will serve as chair (or co-chairs) of this committee by the end of his or her second semester. The major professor and the student together select at least two additional ECOS faculty members to complete the graduate committee.

By the end of the third semester, the student meets with the committee to formulate his or her program of study. This plan will include the specification of areas for which the student will be responsible on the comprehensive examination; a written dissertation proposal; and, if considered necessary by the committee, a scientific communication, computer language, or foreign language requirement.

No later than the sixth semester, the graduate committee administers the comprehensive written and oral examination, which tests intellectual maturity and competence both in the broad area of environmental sciences and in the student’s area of specialization. In order to advance to the oral portion of the examination, the student must perform satisfactorily on the written portion. A student who fails the comprehensive examination may, at the committee’s discretion, be permitted a second and final examination.

The student who successfully completes the comprehensive examination becomes a candidate for the PhD degree, and is thus required to present and defend a scholarly dissertation based on original research. The student’s dissertation committee consists of at least four members, one of whom will be from outside the faculty of the ECOS Track. The student’s major professor will chair the committee.

Dissertation research may be done in the laboratory or in the field, or may be carried out in part during residency with an appropriate private business or governmental agency.

If the presentation and successful defense of the dissertation do not take place within five years of admission to candidacy, the candidate must repeat the comprehensive examination. Please see the general statement on time limits and leaves of absence.

The adequacy of each student’s progress toward the degree will be assessed at least once a year. Until the student’s graduate committee is formed, this assessment is made by the graduate program director in consultation with the faculty. The student’s committee, when selected, assumes the responsibility for the ongoing assessment of the student’s progress.

Criteria for adequate progress include performance in courses and seminar presentations (starting in the second year, each student presents one departmental seminar per year); and substantive progress in selecting/conducting doctoral dissertation research. Students are expected to maintain a B average in courses and, normally, two grades of C or one grade of F will result in dismissal from the program. The student must have a B (3.0) average, or better, at the time of the comprehensive examination.

The PhD in Environmental Sciences/Environmental Biology Track

Please see the general statement of degree requirements for doctoral programs in the “Regulations, Procedures, and Degree Requirements” section of this publication. Complete information on the Environmental Biology track may be found in the “Biology” section of this publication.

The PhD in Environmental Sciences/Green Chemistry Track

Please see the general statement of degree requirements for doctoral programs in the “Regulations, Procedures, and Degree Requirements” section of this publication. Complete information on the Green Chemistry track may be found in the “Chemistry” section of this publication.

The PhD in Environmental Sciences/Molecular, Cellular, and Organismal Biology Track

Please see the general statement of degree requirements for doctoral programs in the “Regulations, Procedures, and Degree Requirements” section of this publication. Complete information on the Molecular, Cellular, and Organismal Biology (MCOB) track may be found in the “Biology” section of this publication.

The MS in Environmental Sciences

Please see the general statement of degree requirements for master’s degree programs in the “Regulations, Procedures, and Degree Requirements” section of this publication. The MS program requires 30 credit hours. All students take a core course in environmental policy, any two of the following three courses: Biological Oceanographic Processes (ECOS 630); Chemistry of Natural Waters (ECOS 640); Physical Oceanography (ECOS 650); and additional courses specific to their individual areas of concentration.

By the end of his or her first semester in the program, the student selects a major professor. No later than the second semester, the major professor and student choose one (non-thesis) or two (thesis) additional members to form the graduate committee which is responsible for insuring that he or she fulfills the requirements of the program and those of the Office of Graduate Studies.

Students choosing to write a thesis enroll in ECOS 699 (Thesis Research). Students choosing the non-thesis option enroll in ECOS 698 (Projects in Environmental Sciences).

Students choosing the thesis option must present and defend a thesis based on their research. Students selecting the non-thesis option must present the results of their project to the committee.

Criteria for adequate progress include performance in courses and seminar presentations (starting in the second year, each student presents one departmental seminar per year). Students are expected to maintain a B average in courses and, normally, two grades of C or one grade of F will result in dismissal from the program.