Facilities & Field Research Sites
Degree Requirements
Hydrologic Sciences Graduate Program
The degree of Master of Science in Hydrologic Sciences requires completion of 24 credits of graduate coursework and completion of a thesis equivalent to a minimum of 6 credits. Credit requirements are specified on a semester basis. Courses applied to meet the credit requirements must be taken for a letter grade (A-F) except for thesis credits which are graded pass/fail (P/F). The Hydrologic Science curriculum is designed to meet the educational requirements for certification by the American Institute of Hydrology (AIH).
Courses are grouped as follows:
Category I (10 Credits): Primary Courses defined as courses in which hydrology, hydrogeology, or water quality constitute a majority of the coursework.
Category II (9 Credits): Allied Courses defined as courses in which hydrology, hydrogeology, or water quality constitute more than 10 percent of the course work.
Category III (6 Credits): Supplemental Courses.
Prerequisites
Completion of a full course of study leading to a bachelor's
degree at an accredited college or university with a major in physical or
natural science or engineering. The study must have included a minimum of:
8 semester hours in Chemistry
8 semester hours in Physics
8 semester hours in Differential and Integral Calculus
3 semester hours or 6 quarter hours in Statistics
A Supervisory Committee may prescribe additional perquisite courses for an individual student, subject to approval of the Graduate Program Committee. Prospective students should demonstrate basic training in Geoscience and Engineering. Students may be admitted provisionally if their background lacks some prerequisites. Prerequisite courses may be taken during the early phases of graduate study, but credits earned in this way will not apply to the graduate program. Completion of prerequisites at BSU or elsewhere fulfill AIH Category III requirements.
Course Requirements
The proposed
curriculum requires 24 credits of courses in hydrologic sciences and allied
fields as outlined below. At least twelve credits must be earned in
Category I. Nine credits must be earned in Category II. Three
additional credits can be earned in any category. Category
I credits beyond 12 credits may be used to fulfill Category II or III
requirements. Courses are chosen by the
student and approved by a Supervisory Committee.
Category I (12 credits)
Hydrologic Science Core
Number Name Credits
GEOL 512 Hydrogeology 3
GEOL 516 Hydrology 3
GEOL 526 Aqueous Geochemistry 3
Elective Courses
3
Examples include, but are not limited to:
Number Name Credits
CE/geos 530 Vadose Zone Hydrology 3
CE/GEOS 533 Contaminant Transport 3
CE 538 Water Resources Engineering 3
GEOS 518 Hydrologic Analysis 3
GEOS 580 Selected Topics in Watershed Hydrology 1-3
GEOS/CE 623 Advanced Hydrogeology 3
GEOS/CE 624 Applied Hydrogeology 3
Category II (9 credits)
Examples include, but are not limited to:
Number Name Credits
BIOL 527 Stream Ecology 4
BIOL 561 Adv Topics in Aquatic Biology 1
CE 526 Environmental Process Chemistry 3
GEOS 451G Principles of Soil Science 3
GEOS 517 Watershed Processes 3GEOS 570 Earth System Science/Global Warming 3
GEOS 636 Stable Isotope Geochemistry 3
GEOPH 598 Hydrogeophysics Seminar 1
ME 533 Dynamic Meteorology 3
Category I, II, or III Elective (3 Credits)
Students are encouraged to take a course in Geographic Information Systems, Remote Sensing, or another computer analysis course. In addition to courses offered at Boise State University, the University of Idaho-Boise offers courses in hydrology, hydrogeology, geomorphology, and civil engineering that may be applied to the program.
Thesis (6 credits minimum of GEOS/CE/BIOL 593)
The thesis must be the result of independent and original research by the student. The style and format of the thesis are to conform to the standards of the Department of Geosciences and the Graduate College. Thesis credits are initially graded IP (In Progress) and later graded P (Pass) or F (Fail) depending on the outcome of the thesis defense. A public defense of the thesis (final oral examination) is scheduled after the Supervisory Committee has reviewed a draft that is considered to be nearly a final version. The date of the defense is determined jointly by the Supervisory Committee and the student and must be consistent with any guidelines provided by the Graduate College. The chair of the Supervisory Committee conducts the defense according to the procedure established for the Department of Geosciences by the Graduate Program Committee and consistent with the requirements of the Graduate College. A majority vote is used to decide the outcome (Pass or Fail). A student who fails a defense may be permitted to try again within one year, but a second failure will result in dismissal from the program.
