TRACK DESCRIPTION
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.
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, community noise abatement, 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.
The program’s overall mission is to prepare students for Environmental Engineering careers in federal, state, and local governments; higher education; consulting; and industry.
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.
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
www.intl.ucf.edu. If you have any questions, please consult the International Services Center at 407-823-2337.
CURRICULUM
| Total Credit Hours Required: |
| 30
Credit Hours Minimum beyond the Bachelor's Degree |
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 pass a comprehensive examination. Students develop an individualized program of study with a faculty adviser.
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 a comprehensive final oral and written examination as a requirement for graduation.
Research studies and their accompanying reports are required in one or more courses, and are focused on reviewing and analyzing contemporary research in a student’s particular specialization within the profession. They are intended to help students acquire knowledge and skills pertaining to research-based best practices in that specialization area. In addition, students may engage in directed independent studies, directed research or a research report during their studies.
Prerequisites
The completion of prerequisite courses may be required before students can begin the program graduate course work.
The following mathematics prerequisite requirement is for all students.
The following prerequisites may be required for students with engineering undergraduate degrees in Civil, Environmental, Mechanical, or Chemical Engineering. Equivalent courses may be acceptable.
- CWR 4101C Hydrology (3 credit hours)
- EES 4111C Biological Process Control (3 credit hours)
- EES 4202C Chemical Process Control (3 credit hours)
- ENV 4120 Air Pollution Control (3 credit hours)
- ENV 4561 Environmental Engineering—Process Design (4 credit hours)
The following prerequisites may be required for students with undergraduate degrees in other engineering disciplines.
- ENV 3001 Introduction to Environmental Engineering (3 credit hours)
- CWR 4101C Hydrology (3 credit hours)
- CWR 4203C Hydraulics (3 credit hours)
- EES 4111C Biological Process Control (3 credit hours)
- EES 4202C Chemical Process Control (3 credit hours)
- ENV 4120 Air Pollution Control (3 credit hours)
- ENV 4561 Environmental Engineering—Process Design (4 credit hours)
- Or equivalent courses
The following prerequisites may be required for students with appropriate science or math undergraduate degrees.
- ENV 3001 Introduction to Environmental Engineering (3 credit hours)
- CWR 3201 Engineering Fluid Mechanics (3 credit hours)
- CWR 4101C Hydrology (3 credit hours)
- CWR 4203C Hydraulics (3 credit hours)
- EES 4111C Biological Process Control (3 credit hours)
- EES 4202C Chemical Process Control (3 credit hours)
- EGN 3613 Engineering Economic Analysis (2 credit hours)
- ENV 4120 Air Pollution Control (3 credit hours)
- ENV 4561 Environmental Engineering—Process Design (4 credit hours)
- Or equivalent courses
Required Courses—12 Credit Hours
Students must choose one course from each group.
Chemical/ Biological/ Industrial Waste Treatment
- ENV 6015 Physical/Chemical Treatment Systems in Environmental Engineering (3 credit hours)
- ENV 6016 Biological Treatment Systems in Environmental Engineering (3 credit hours)
- ENV 6558 Industrial Waste Treatment (3 credit hours)
Air Quality
- ENV 6106 Theory and Practice of Atmospheric Dispersion Modeling* (3 credit hours)
- ENV 6126 Design of Air Pollution Controls* (3 credit hours)
- ENV 6347 Hazardous Waste Incineration (3 credit hours)
Environmental/ Water Quality
- ENV 6519 Aquatic Chemical Processes (3 credit hours)
- ENV 6616 Receiving Water Impacts (3 credit hours)
- ENV 5410 Water Treatment (3 credit hours)
- EES 5318 Industrial Ecology (3 credit hours)
Civil Water Resources
- Any CWR course at the 5000 or 6000 level (3 credit hours). See course listings in the drop-down catalog menu above.
Note: Courses with an asterisk (*) provide independent learning experiences. Nonthesis students are required to take at least one course with an asterisk.
Elective Courses—12 Credit Hours
All students, both thesis and nonthesis, must take 12 credit hours of elective courses. The electives should be chosen from courses with ENV or CWR prefixes although other appropriate graduate-level courses (5000 or 6000) may be allowed. All electives must be chosen with the consent of the student’s adviser.
- Electives (12 credit hours)
Thesis Option—6 Credit Hours
The thesis option requires that students conduct an approved research study, write and successfully defend a thesis.
- XXX 6971 Thesis (6 credit hours)
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—6 Credit Hours
The nonthesis option requires an additional 6 credit hours of electives to the 12 credit hours of electives described above. Furthermore, an oral or written comprehensive examination is required for all nonthesis students. Please see the program director for information about this requirement.
- Electives (6 credit hours)
Equipment Fee
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.
INDEPENDENT LEARNING
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 a comprehensive exam.
Application Requirements
For information on general UCF graduate admissions requirements that apply to all prospective students, please visit the Admissions section of the Graduate Catalog. Applicants must apply online. All requested materials must be submitted by the established deadline.
The College of Engineering and Computer Science strongly encourages prospective applicants to request a free pre-screening (www.cecs.ucf.edu/prescreen) of their qualifications prior to submitting an online application for graduate admission. However, a pre-screening is not required; rather, it is offered as a courtesy to all prospective applicants before they commit to submitting a complete online application and paying an application processing fee.
Admissions decisions are made on the basis of a complete online application only, and not on the basis of any pre-screening. Prospective applicants who are encouraged to apply to their intended graduate program based on the information provided for their pre-screening are not assured of admission or financial assistance when they submit a complete online application. Although it is possible, it is not likely, that prospective applicants who are discouraged from formally applying to a graduate program at the pre-screening stage will be admitted if they elect to submit a complete online application anyway.
In addition to the general UCF graduate application requirements, applicants to this program must provide:
- One official transcript (in a sealed envelope) from each college/university attended.
- Résumé.
- Statement of educational, research, and professional career objectives.
- Three letters of recommendation.
- Applicants applying to this program who have attended a college/university outside the United States must provide a course-by-course credential evaluation with GPA calculation. Credential evaluations are accepted from World Education Services (WES) or Josef Silny and Associates, Inc. only.
Faculty members may choose to conduct face-to-face or telephone interviews before accepting an applicant into their graduate program.
The GRE is not required, however, taking the GRE is highly recommended for students wishing to pursue a thesis. In order to be considered for any fellowships, a GRE score is required.
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.
Final articulation requirements will be determined by the department after students have been admitted and after discussions with their advisers.
Please note: Due to restrictive state regulations, UCF is not permitted to provide online courses or instruction to students in the following states. If you reside in one of these states, you may not be permitted to enroll in or be admitted to a UCF online program. Please contact your state’s higher education regulation authorities or the UCF Graduate Program (see contact information above) for more details.
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Maryland
- Minnesota
Application Deadlines
| Environmental Engineering Sciences |
Fall Priority
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Fall
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Spring
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Summer
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Domestic Applicants
| Jan 15 | Jul 15 | Dec 1 | - |
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International Applicants
| Jan 15 | Jan 15 | Jul 1 | - |
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International Transfer Applicants
| Jan 15 | Mar 1 | Sep 1 | - |
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FINANCIALS
Graduate students may receive financial assistance through fellowships, assistantships, tuition support, or loans. For more information, see
Funding for Graduate School, 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.
Fellowships
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 Fellowships, which includes descriptions of UCF fellowships and what you should do to be considered for a fellowship.