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One-year Professional Masters program in Applied Geohydrology in the Department of Earth, Geographic, and Climate Sciences at UMass-Amherst

Contact Information

Dr. David Boutt
[email protected]

Introduction:


The Professional Masters in Geohydrology is intended to provide:

  1. additional education for working professionals in the area of geohydrology as it applies to problems relating to water and the environment
  2. and an opportunity for UMass-Amherst or Five-college undergraduates to obtain, as part of a fifth year of study, a Master degree in addition to the Bachelor degree.

This is a non-thesis Master degree program administered by the Department of Earth, Geographic, and Climate Sciences, and is intended to be completed by individuals already holding undergraduate or advanced degrees and who are interested in a graduate program that does not have the traditional research requirement. The program consists primarily of coursework in geohydrology and allied fields with an emphasis on environmental applications. No research is required though the program does allow for independent study, professional development, internship, and cooperative experience.



Application:


Applicants who are applying for this non-thesis Master degree program must follow the same procedures that all prospective graduate students follow ( found at this website), including providing the university with results of the Graduate Record Exam (GRE). When applying to the program please make your intentions known to the graduate program director that you are applying for the Professional Master degree as a non-thesis MS student.

Cost:

The 2018-2019 costs for the two-semester program were: $16,524 (Massachusetts Resident); $33,625 (Out of State). Current costs can be found here: http://www.umass.edu/bursar/tuition/graduate-tuition-rates



Prerequisites:




Each entering student will have an entrance interview with members of the Department of Earth, Geographic, and Climate Sciences faculty. The pre-requisite coursework required is that of a minor in geosciences. The department recognizes that entering students may not be at same level of proficiency concerning basic geosciences requisite coursework.

Requirements:

A minimum of 30 credit hours are required, with an overall GPA of at least 3.0. The overall course requirements will depend on the background of the individual, but may be tailored to professional objectives. These courses will be chosen in consultation with the entrance committee. GEO-SCI 701 (Professional seminar) is required for all semesters of residence. A final exit examination must be scheduled for the last semester of residence and will consist of a short series of questions pulled from the courses taken and professional licensure examinations (PG/LSP/LEP, etc.).

Twelve (12) credits must be at 600-800 level
Twenty-One (21) credits must be in the Department of Earth, Geographic, and Climate Sciences

Physical Hydrology (3 courses total)

  • At least 2 must be in Geosciences


  • GEOSCI 587 Hydrogeology (Spring)
  • GEOSCII 591F Fluids in Geologic Processes (Fall - Odd
  • GEOSCI 687 Advanced Hydrogeology (Fall - Even
  • GEOSCI 597C Groundwater/Surface Water Interactions (Spring –Even
  • GEOSCI 597CE Ecohydrology (Spring – Odd

Applicable Courses in other department

  • ECO 528 Forest and Wetland Hydrology (Fall - Odd)
  • ECO 597R Watershed Science and Management (Spring - Odd)
  • ECO 597WR Water Resources Management and Policy (Fall – Even)
  • CEE 662 Water Resource Systems Analysis (Spring)
  • CEE 661 Subsurface Pollution (Spring – Even)
  • CEE 560 Hydrology (Fall - Even)
  • CEE 670 Transport Processes in Water Resources (Fall)
  • CEE 625 In-Situ Testin
  • ECO 697LU Land Use and Watershed Management (Fall – Even)

Geochemistry (2 courses)

  • GEOSCI 519 Aq. Environmental Geochemistry (Spring –Odd)
  • GEOSCI 597I Isotope Geochemistry (Spring - Even)
  • GEOSCI 615 Organic Geochemistry (Fall – Odd)
  • GEOSCI 517 Sedimentary Geochemistry (Fall – Even)
  • CEE 680 Water Chemistry (Fall – Even)
  • CEE 577 Surface Water Quality Monitoring (Spring – Even)

Geological Sciences (2 courses)

  • GEOSCI 563 Glacial Geology (Every Fall)
  • GEO-SCI 623 Coastal Processes (Spring - Even)
  • GEOSCI 560 Geomorphology (Every Spring)
  • GEO-SCI 571 Geophysics (Fall – Odd)
  • GEO-SCI 631 Brittle Fracture Analysis (Spring – Even)
  • GEO_SCI 510 Geologic Hazards (Spring –Odd)

Tools and Techniques (1 course)

  • GEO-SCI 591D Spatial Data Analysis
  • GEO-SCI 568 Geographical Information Systems and Spatial Analysis
  • GEO-SCI 426 Remote Sensing and Image Interpretation
  • ECO 597W Wetlands Assessment
  • ENVIRSCI 452 Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response
  • ENVIRSCI 465 Principles of Environmental Site Assessment

An additional 3-6 credit-hours of free electives may be selected to complete the 30 credit-hour requirement. Free electives may be selected from any of the courses listed above, and may also be independent study credits (GEOSCI 697) taken to fulfill a research cooperative, or other professional development experience.

Affiliated Earth, Geographic, and Climate Sciences Faculty

 

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