Students admitted as prospective candidates for the Master of Science Degree in Environmental Science must satisfactorily complete a planned program of study and minimum of 36 semester hours as indicated below:
|
Program Core (20 semester hours) |
Hours |
|
ENVS 6105 Environmental Issues |
3 |
|
ENVS 6106 Environmental Law and Regulations |
3 |
|
ENVS 6207 Ecological Methodology (incl. Lab) |
4 |
| ENVS 5165 Hydrology | 3 |
| ENVS 5256 Environmental Geology (incl. Lab) | 4 |
| ENVS 7115 Environmental Chemistry | 3 |
|
Program Electives (10 semester hours) |
Hours |
|
BIOL 5215 Topics in Cell and Molecular Biology |
3 |
|
BIOL 5225 Topics in Organismic Biology |
3 |
|
BIOL 5235 Topics in Ecological and Evolutionary Biology |
3 |
|
BIOL 5895 Independent Study |
1-3 |
|
CHEM 7185 Aquatic Chemistry |
3 |
|
CHEM 7175 Atmospheric Physics and Chemistry |
3 |
|
CHEM 7165 Environmental Organic Chemistry |
3 |
|
CHEM 7555 Special Topics in Environmental Chemistry |
1-4 |
|
ENVS 5225 Natural Environments of Georgia |
4 |
|
ENVS 6109 Environmental Air Quality |
3 |
|
ENVS 7145 Land Use and Waste Management |
3 |
|
ENVS 6206 Water Resources Management |
4 |
|
ENVS 6235 GIS/GPS Applications |
4 |
|
ENVS 7555 Special Topics in Environmental Science |
1-4 |
|
GEOL 5115 Geochemistry |
4 |
|
GEOL 5135 Introduction to Oceanography |
3 |
|
GEOL 5215 Geomorphology |
4 |
|
GEOL 5275 Vertebrate Paleontology |
4 |
|
GEOL 7565 Special Topics in Environmental Geology |
1-4 |
|
MATH 5175 Mathematical Statistics |
3 |
|
MATH 5176 Statistical Design and Analysis of Experiments |
3 |
|
Thesis Research (6 semester hours) |
Hours |
|
ENVS 7000 Thesis Defense |
0 |
|
ENVS 7999 Research in Environmental Science |
1-10 |
The required thesis is to be a significant original contribution in environmental science. The topic must be approved by the student's advisory committee in advance of the beginning of the thesis research. At least one member of the committee will provide advice and guidance in the student's research and in development of the thesis. The full committee will evaluate the defense of the thesis upon its completion. Candidates must choose an advisor and committee members by the end of the first semester of enrollment in the program.
Approval of an application for the Master of Science in Environmental Science is contingent upon the successful completion of an approved program and recommendation for the degree by the School of Science. Applications for degree conferral must be submitted to the Registrar's Office at least three months prior to completion of the degree requirements.
The following requirements must be met for the completion of the degree program:
 | Students must earn a 3.0 grade point average calculated on all graduate work attempted for which letter grades are awarded and cannot include more than five hours with grades of C. At least 30 of the hours required for the degree, including the program core, must be earned in residence. A maximum of 6 semester hours with no grade lower than B may be accepted for transfer. Transfer credit will not be used in computing the student's grade point average. |
| An Evaluation Examination must be satisfactorily completed before graduation. This examination will be based upon the content of the program core and, normally, will be taken within two semesters after completion of the core courses. The Evaluation Exam may be in written or oral format, at the discretion of the Environmental Science Advisory Committee. The exam contains material covered in the core courses as well as a selection of critical topics that a student should have studied in his/her undergraduate career. A candidate who does not perform satisfactorily may be required to enroll in additional courses or, through a special topics class, review critical literature and techniques. In any case, a student who has unsatisfactory results will not be eligible for re-examination before the following quarter. In such instances, it will not be necessary for the student to be enrolled in order to be re-examined. |
| Each student must successfully defend the thesis as determined by the advisory committee. |
| All degree requirements must be completed within seven (7) years of first enrollment. |
The maximum recommended course load for a graduate student in the School of Science in a given semester is 12 semester hours, except that the maximum course load for a student holding a graduate assistantship is 9 semester hours.