The Environmental Geosciences Option (EGS) for the M.S. Degree in Geological Sciences, prepares students seeking employment with private environmental consulting firms, NGOs, and government agencies. These employers have expressed a preference for hiring graduates with a solid training in geological sciences, but a bend toward and additional training in applying geologic knowledge to solving environmental problems (e.g., fate and transport of contaminants in the subsurface). It is a shorter, non-thesis program, normally completed within 1.5 years with full-time enrollment, or 2-3 years as a part-time student.
Requirements
The M.S. degree requires 27 credits of course work and 3 credits of a capstone paper on an internship project. Students without a B.S. degree in the Earth and planetary sciences are expected to take up to 12 credits of undergraduate foundation courses.
Core Courses:
- Introduction to Geophysics 01:460:306 (4 credit), or Applied Geophysics 26:380:406 (3) (Newark)
- Environmental Geochemistry 01:460:417 (3), or Applications of Aquatic Chemistry 16:375:517 (3)
- Hydrogeology 01:460:428 (3), or Groundwater Modeling 16:460:528 (3)
- Professional Science Writing and Presentation 16:712:561 (3)
Elective Courses:
Depending on the background, interests and needs of individual students, a wide range of related subjects can be selected from the Departments of Earth & Planetary Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Marine & Coastal Sciences, and others.
Internship:
Students are required to conduct an internship with a firm, organization, or government agency. The program will help students make contacts with potential hosts and participate in a real-world project, involving students in data collection, analysis and technical reporting. A capstone paper of the internship project must be submitted to the graduate program, publically defended, and approved by a three-member committee of the graduate faculty.
Financial Support
Because this option does not involve academic research and is on a fast-track, no financial support will be offered by the department.
Contact Information
Please direct inquiries to Professor Ying Fan Reinfelder (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) or Professor Nathan Yee (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).
Wright-Rieman Laboratories