Environmental Engineering (MS) – Environmental Engineering Sciences

The Environmental Engineering Sciences track in the Environmental Engineering MS program is for students with science, math, or a similar background, and usually requires a number of undergraduate engineering courses as articulation to become fully prepared for graduate work in environmental engineering.

Applicants to the program are expected to be knowledgeable in topics including chemistry, process design, water resources, and air pollution. The program focuses on pollution control, pollution prevention, and the correction of pollution effects on natural and man-made environments.

The program is noted for its strong faculty research interests, and areas of study include drinking water treatment, wastewater treatment, solid and hazardous waste management, atmospheric pollution control and modeling, environmental water resources, and stormwater management. The program's overall mission is to prepare students for careers in environmental engineering with consulting firms; with industry; within federal, state, and local governments; and/or in higher education.

Other key objectives include:

• Producing graduates who have technical knowledge in critical areas of environmental engineering
• Providing a professional engineering education that challenges our graduates to think critically
• Forming and maintaining partnerships with industry, government agencies, and professional organizations
• Developing awareness of the changing environmental needs of society and the global environment.

The Environmental Engineering Sciences track offers both thesis and nonthesis options with each requiring 30 credit hours of courses beyond the baccalaureate degree. Students choosing the thesis option must take 12 credit hours of required courses, 12 credit hours of electives, and 6 thesis credit hours. Students choosing the nonthesis option must take 12 credit hours of required courses, 18 credit hours of electives, and submit an end-of-program portfolio. Students develop an individualized program of study with a faculty adviser.

Total Credit Hours Required: 30 Credit Hours Minimum beyond the Bachelor's Degree

Please Note: Environmental Engineering MS may be completed fully online, although not all elective options or program prerequisites may be offered online. Newly admitted students choosing to complete this program exclusively via UCF online classes may enroll with a reduction in campus-based fees.

International students (F or J visa) are required to enroll in a full-time course load of 9 credit hours during the fall and spring semesters. Only 3 of the 9 credit hours may be taken in a completely online format. For a detailed listing of enrollment requirements for international students, please visit http://global.ucf.edu/. If you have questions, please consult UCF Global at (407) 823-2337.

UCF is not authorized to provide online courses or instruction to students in some states. Refer to State Restrictions for current information.

Track Prerequisites

Those applying to the programs without a directly related undergraduate degree should closely check the prerequisites. For students with nontechnical undergraduate degrees, it is recommended that a second undergraduate degree in Environmental Engineering be completed before applying to graduate school.

Articulation requirements will be determined by the department as part of the admission process and may be modified after discussion with the student and the advisor.

Prerequisites (Articulation)

The completion of prerequisite courses may be required before students can begin the program's graduate coursework.

The following mathematics prerequisite requirement is for all students.

Calculus and Differential Equations should ideally be passed prior to applying to our Graduate Programs

1. MAC 2311 Calculus with Analytical Geometry 1
2. MAC 2312 Calculus with Analytical Geometry 2
3. MAC 2313 Calculus with Analytical Geometry 3
4. MAP 2302 Ordinary Differential Equations 1

The following prerequisites (or equivalent courses) may be required for students with appropriate science or math undergraduate degrees.

• ENV 4531 Environmental Engineering Operations and Processes (3 hrs) Taught all 3 semesters
• ENV 4561 Advanced Environmental Engineering Operations and Processes (3 hrs) Taught in Summer and Spring
• ENV 4120 Air Pollution and Hazardous Waste Control (3 hrs) Taught in Fall only
• CWR 4202C Hydraulics (3 hrs) Taught all 3 semesters
• CWR 4120 Hydrology (3 hrs) Taught in Fall and Spring

Degree Requirements

Required Courses

• Complete all of the following
  • Complete the following:
    • ENV6016 - Biological Treatment Systems in Environmental Engineering (3)
    • ENV6015 - Physical/Chemical Treatment Systems in Environmental Engineering (3)
  • Complete at least 1 of the following:
    • ENV6519 - Aquatic Chemical Processes (3)
    • ENV6616 - Ecological Engineering and Receiving Water Impacts (3)
    • ENV5410 - Water Treatment (3)
    • EES5318 - Industrial Ecology (3)
    • ENV6558 - Industrial Waste Treatment (3)
  • Earn at least 3 credits from the following types of courses: Any CWR course at the 5000 or 6000 level 3 Credit Hours. See "Courses" on the left-hand menu.

Elective Courses

• Earn at least 12 credits from the following types of courses: All students, both thesis and nonthesis, must take 12 credit hours of elective courses. Elective courses can also be from Engineering and Computer Science courses, where XXX is EAS, EEE, EEL, COP, CEN, CIS, COT, CDA, CNT, CAP, EGM, ESI, BME, EML, EIN, CGN, CWR, TTE, CEG, CES, CCE, ENV, EES, EMA, or OSE; or from course prefixes outside the College, where XXX can be CHM, CHS, PHY, PHZ, GIS, ANG, POS, SYA, CCJ, BCH, BSC, HMG, HSC, MAA, MAD, MAP, MAS, MAT, MCB, MTG, PAD, PCB, STA, or ZOO. Elective courses beyond those listed in the graduate catalog, and others outside the department and/or program, are permitted at the discretion of the student’s advisor and/or graduate program director in the form of a signed and approved Program of Study. At least half of the credit hours used to meet program requirements must be at the 6000 level.

Thesis/Nonthesis Option

• Complete 1 of the following
  Thesis Option
  • Earn at least 6 credits from the following types of courses: XXX 6971 - Thesis The thesis option requires that students conduct an approved research study, write and successfully defend a thesis. The College of Engineering and Computer Science requires that all thesis defense announcements are approved by the student's adviser and posted on the college's website and on the Events Calendar at the College of Graduate Studies website at least two weeks before the defense date
  Nonthesis Option
  • Complete all of the following
    • Earn at least 6 credits from the following types of courses: The nonthesis option requires 6 more credit hours of electives in addition to the 12 credit hours of electives described above.
    • Nonthesis students are required to take at least one course that provides an independent learning experience for students, consisting of a research or design project. This is covered by the required ENV 6016 course. This requirement is fulfilled in the required course ENV 6016 above and is also fulfilled by the elective course ENV 6126 Design of Air Pollution Controls (3 credit hours) and the elective course ENV 6106 Theory and Practice of Atmospheric Dispersion Modeling (3 credit hours). Students are required to complete a culminating experience. The culminating experience for nonthesis MS students is submission of an end-of-program portfolio. The portfolio requirements are listed on the CECE website. Make sure and contact your program’s coordinator early in your graduating semester to find out when the portfolios are to be turned in for evaluation. The Graduate Student Services Coordinator should be able to tell you who the coordinator is for your degree program if you do not already know.

Grand Total Credits: 30

Application Requirements

Financial Information

Graduate students may receive financial assistance through fellowships, assistantships, tuition support, or loans. For more information, see the College of Graduate Studies Funding website, which describes the types of financial assistance available at UCF and provides general guidance in planning your graduate finances. The Financial Information section of the Graduate Catalog is another key resource.

Fellowship Information

Fellowships are awarded based on academic merit to highly qualified students. They are paid to students through the Office of Student Financial Assistance, based on instructions provided by the College of Graduate Studies. Fellowships are given to support a student's graduate study and do not have a work obligation. For more information, see UCF Graduate Fellowships, which includes descriptions of university fellowships and what you should do to be considered for a fellowship.

At least 24 credit hours of the course work must be exclusive of thesis and research, and Directed Research (XXX 6918) is not permitted in MS program of study.

The thesis option is primarily for students who can devote a full-time effort to their research and is required for all students supported on contracts and grants, as well as any student receiving department financial support. The nonthesis option is strongly recommended for part-time students and requires an end-of-program portfolio as a requirement for graduation.

Research studies or projects are required in one or more courses. The research study or project will focus on reviewing and analyzing contemporary research or engineering issues in a student's particular specialization within the profession. They are intended to help students acquire knowledge and skills pertaining to best practices in that specialization area.

Students in the Environmental Engineering MS program pay a $16 equipment fee each semester that they are enrolled. Part-time students pay $8 per semester.

A research or design project serves as the independent learning experience for thesis students. Nonthesis students are required to take at least one of the courses marked with an asterisk (*), denoting an independent learning experience, and an end-of-program portfolio.