Student Admission to the Cluster Program:

To be admitted to HSAC, complete the following steps: 

(1) Choose an advisor (supervisory committee chair) who is a member of HSAC.
(2) Develop a Plan of Study that meets the requirements set forth in the "Degree Information" section below.
(3) Choose your supervisory committee.  When you submit your supervisory committee form to your department's Academic Advising Office, make sure that you are listed on the form as a member of the cluster ( i.e. enter Track code=HDS).
(4) Submit on-line application. Click the Students "Click Here to Apply!" button on the Home Page.

Graduate students seeking admission into the Hydrologic Sciences cluster must meet the minimum requirements established by the UF Registrar, the UF Graduate School, and their major department. The Faculty Committee will establish additional qualifications for admission into the Hydrologic Sciences cluster (e.g., adequacy of undergraduate training; GRE scores; GPA, etc.)  Students not meeting these requirements may be admitted on a conditional basis, and they will be allowed to make up their deficiencies. Students will not be admitted to the program unless one of the Hydrologic Sciences faculty members agrees to be the student's Advisor. Graduate students transferring from other institutions must satisfy the Supervisory Committee that courses equivalent to the Core requirements specified here have been completed.

The students will be admitted into the department in which the student's advisor holds an appointment. The advisor and the student are responsible for ensuring that adequate financial support and resources are provided to support the student's graduate program.

The M.S. or Ph.D. degree will be granted by the department/college and the Graduate School. The Hydrologic Sciences Academic Cluster will be designated in the student's transcripts and the diploma.

Department Chairs or College Deans may restrict the number of students or faculty subscribing to the Hydrologic Sciences cluster.

 

Degree Information:

The cluster is available to both M.S. and Ph.D. degree students. The programs require graduate students to complete a core curriculum in Hydrologic Sciences, which comprises courses in the following six Topics: (1) Subsurface Hydrology; (2) Surface Hydrology ; (3) Hydrologic Chemistry; (4) Hydrologic Ecology; (5) Hydrologic Analysis & Techniques; and (6) Hydrologic Policy & Management.

Core Curriculum:

M.S. students will be expected to complete 12 credit hours by taking one subsurface hydrology course from Topic 1 and one surface hydrology course from Topic 2, and at least one course in two of the four remaining Topics.  Ph.D. students will be expected to complete 18 credit hours by taking one course in each of the six Topics.

This core curriculum requirement ensures that graduate students receive broad training in all aspects of Hydrologic Sciences, but it is flexible because students will be able to select among several designated courses in each of the six Topics.

Both M.S. and Ph.D. students are expected to regularly attend the Water Institute Distinguished Scholar  Seminar Series in addition to their core courses.

Petitions for variances from the published HSAC course guidelines must be submitted by the student's major advisor to the Chair of the HSAC.  The Chair will then send out the petition by email to the Hydrologic Science Faculty Coordinating Committee for a vote. Upon receipt of a simple majority vote in favor, the petition will be approved.

M.S. students choosing Plan A must present and orally defend a thesis documenting the results of their research (max. 6 credits of Supervised Research or Thesis Research); the Thesis Supervisory Committee must consist of three faculty members (at least two in Hydrologic Sciences). M.S. students choosing Plan B must submit and orally defend a professional paper (max. 3 credits of "Topics in Hydrologic Sciences"), which must be approved by a committee of three faculty members (at least two in Hydrologic Sciences).

Ph.D. students are required to take a comprehensive Qualifying Examination prior to admission to candidacy.  This exam will consist of written and oral examinations, to be conducted by the Supervisory Committee of four faculty members. This committee will be chaired by the student's major professor, and at least two faculty members in Hydrologic Sciences will be represented. Ph.D. degree requirements are fulfilled when a student submits and orally defends a dissertation summarizing scholarly, original, and independent research in Hydrologic Sciences (max. 21 credits of Dissertation Research). The dissertation must be approved by the Supervisory Committee and the UF Graduate School.


Summary of Degree Requirements:

M.S. Degree (Plan A; Thesis Option):
Hydrologic Sciences Core Curriculum 12 Credits
Electives  12 Credits 
Thesis Research (XXX6971)   6 Credits
TOTAL 30 Credits

 M.S. Degree (Plan B; Non-thesis Option):
Hydrologic Sciences Core Curriculum 12 Credits
Electives 15 Credits
Special Topics   5 Credits
TOTAL 32 Credits

Ph.D. Degree:
Topic 1 Courses
Hydrologic Sciences Core Curriculum 18 Credits
Electives 33 Credits
Departmental Electives 12 Credits
Research 27 Credits (Max. 21 Dissertation)
 TOTAL 90 Credits

Designated UF Courses in Hydrologic Sciences:

The designated courses will include the graduate-level courses that are listed and categorized below:

Topic 1: Subsurface Hydrology

Course
Number      		 Course Name
ABE6265 Vadose Zone Modeling
CWR5125 Groundwater I
CWR5127 Evaluation of Groundwater Quality
CWR6525 Groundwater II
CWR6537 Contaminant Subsurface Hydrology
ENV6052 Immiscible Fluids in Porous Media
GLY5827 Groundwater Geology
SWS5065 Environmental Soil Physics


Topic 2: Surface Hydrology
Course
Number      		 Course Name
CWR5235 Open Channel Hydraulics
CWR6115 Surface Hydrology
CWR6236 Sediment Transport I
EES6145 Environmental Meteorology and Oceanography
ENV6508 Wetland Hydrology
ENV6932 Storm-water control Systems
EOC6196 Littoral Processes
EOC6934 Mixing and Transport in Turbulent Flow
FOR5625 Forest Water Resources Management
HOS5616 Agricultural Meteorology
OCP6050 Physical Oceanography
OCP6295 Estuarine and Shelf Hydrodynamics I

Topic 3: Hydrologic Chemistry

Course
Number      		 Course Name
ABE6933 Nanotechnology in Water Research
ECH6726 Interfacial Phenomena I
ECH6727 Interfacial Phenomena II
EES5245 Water Quality Analysis
EES5307 Ecological Engineering
EES6208 Principles of Water Chemsitry I
EES6932 Physical and Organic Chemistry
GLY5245 Hydrogeochemistry
SWS5406 Soil and Water Chemistry
SWS5424 Soil Chemical Analysis
SWS6262 Soil Contamination and Remediation
SWS6448 Biogeochemistry of Wetlands
SWS6454 Advanced Soil and Water Chemistry

Topic 4: Hydrologic Ecology

Course
Number      		 Course Name
BOT5695 Ecosystems of Florida
EES5305 Ecology and General Systems
EES5315 Ecology and the Environment
EES6308 Wetland Ecology
EES6356 Estuarine Systems
EES6405 Environmental Toxicology
FAS6932 Fish and Limnology
FOR6934 Ecohydrology
PCB5307 Limnology
PCB5338 Principles of Ecosystems Ecology
SWS5248 Wetlands and Water Quality
SWS5308 Waterborne Pathogens
WIS6444 Advanced Wetlands Ecology

Topic 5: Hydrologic Analysis & Techniques

Course
Number      		 Course Name
ABE5646 Biological and Agricultural Systems Simulation
ABE5707 Agricultural Waste Management
ABE6035 Advanced Remote Sensing: Science and Sensors
ABE6037 Remote Sensing in Hydrology
ABE6252 Advanced Soil and Water Management Engineering
ABE6254 Simulation of Agricultural Watershed Systems
CWR6126 Variable Density Groundwater Flow
CWR6536 Stochastic Subsurface Hydrology
EES5518 Environmental Field Methods
EES6026C Environmental System Dynamics
ENV6511 Biological Wastewater Treatment
EOC6850 Numerical Simulation Techniques in Coastal & Oceanographic Engineering
GIS5306 GIS applications in Environmental Systems
GLY6826 Hydrogeologic Modeling
OCP6168 Data Analysis Techniques for Coastal & Oceanographic Engineers
SUR6381 Airborne Sensors and Instrumentation

Topic 6: Hydrologic Policy & Management

Course
Number      		 Course Name
AEB6413 Ecological Economics: Theory and Applications
AEB6453 Natural Resource and Environmental Economics
EES6051 Advanced Environmental Planning and Design
EES6934 Ecosystems of South Florida
ENV5075 Environmental Policy
ENV6441 Water Resources Planning and Management
FOR5615 Forest Conservation Management Policies and Issues
LAA6382 Ecological and Environmental Policy
LAW6460 Land Use Planning & Control
LAW6471 Environmental Law
LAW6472 Natural Resources Law
LAW6930 Water Law
LAW6930 Conservation Clinic
LAW6930 Wetlands and Watersheds: Science, Law and Policy
SWS5235 Ecosystems of South Florida
SWS5246 Water Resource Sustainability
URP6421 Environmental Impact Statements
WEC6934 Ecosystems of South Florida