Courses
Choose from our list of core and elective courses below.
The basics
Five courses are required for the Hydrologic Sciences PhD Degree and Graduate Certificate. The number of required courses is intentionally kept low, so that the student is free to design an overall academic program that meets his or her needs in terms of specialized scholarly interests. The five Hydrologic Sciences courses are included in the minimum semester hours required for all graduate students. The coursework is designed to assure competency in appropriate subject matter at the graduate level.
Prerequisites
All students entering the program are expected to have had taken a standard year-long sequence of courses in calculus and physics, plus upper division courses in differential equations and fluid mechanics.
The math prerequisite can be satisfied by taking APPM 2360: Introduction to Differential Equations and Linear Algebra. The fluid mechanics prerequisite can be satisfied by taking one of several courses, including CVEN 3313: Theoretical Fluid Mechanics, GEOL 5110: Geomechanics, ASTR/ATOC 5400: Introduction to Fluid Mechanics, or GEOL 5700: Sediment Transport Mechanics. These supplementary courses may count toward your overall graduate degree, but only count as prerequisites toward the graduate certificate in hydrology.
You are encouraged to contact the Graduate Program Coordinator (hydrograd@colorado.edu) about your application to the program if you have deficiencies in either of these areas. You can indicate your plan to meet these prerequisites as part of your application and this plan will be considered by the Hydrologic Sciences Steering Committee along with your planned coursework and thesis research.
Required courses
Students should choose two core courses from different topical areas as well as three additional required courses in different topical areas (which may include further core courses).
Core Courses
| Topical Area | Title | Code | Offered |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atmospheric Processes and Climate | Physics and Chemistry of Clouds and Aerosols | ATOC 5600 | Fall 2011 |
| Environmental Fluid Dynamics | Introduction to Fluid Mechanics | ASTR/ 5400 | |
| Environmental Fluid Mechanics | CVEN 5313 | Fall 2011 | |
| Groundwater Hydrology | Groundwater Hydrology | CVEN 5353 | Fall 2011 |
| Advanced Hydrogeology and Modeling Concepts | GEOL 5080 | ||
| Snow Hydrology | Snow Hydrology | GEOG 5321 | Spring 2011 |
| Surface Water Hydrology | Hydrology | CVEN 5333 | Fall 2011 |
| Surface Water Hydrology | GEOG 5241 | ||
| Terrestrial Hydrology | Terrestrial Hydrology | GEOL 5700 | Fall 2011 |
Additional required courses
| Topical Area | Title | Code | Offered |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atmospheric Processes and Climate | Intro to Atmospheric Physics and Dynamics | ATOC 5050 | Fall 2011 |
| Desert Meteorology and Climate | ATOC 5750 | Fall 2011 | |
| The Arctic Climate System | GEOG 5271 | Fall 2011 | |
| Biogeochemistry | Environmental Engineering Chemistry | CVEN 5404 | Fall 2011 |
| Advanced Aquatic Chemistry | CVEN 6404 | Fall 2011 | |
| Aquatic Surface Particles | CVEN 6414 | ||
| Watershed Biogeochemistry | GEOG 4311 | ||
| Aqueous and Environmental Geochemistry | GEOL 5280 | ||
| Global Biogeochemical Cycles | GEOL 5840 | ||
| Geomechanics | Geomechanics | GEOL 5110 | |
| Geomorphology | Glaciers and Permafrost | GEOG 5100 | |
| Fluvial Geomorphology | GEOG 5251 | ||
| Sediment Transport Mechanics | GEOL 5700 | ||
| Groundwater/Surfacewater | Transport and Dispersion in Surface Water | CVEN 5343 | |
| Environmental Transport and Dispersion Processes | CVEN 5833 | Spring 2011 and Fall 2011 | |
| Porous Flow and Transport | CVEN 6383 | Fall 2011 | |
| Limnology/Aquatic Ecology/Ecohydrology | Applied Stream Ecology | CVEN 5323 | Fall 2011 |
| Stream Biology | EBIO 5020 | ||
| Limnology | EBIO 5030 | Spring 2011 | |
| Special Topics in Geography: Soils and Ecohydrology | GEOG 5241 | Spring 2011 | |
| Methods/Modeling | Modeling Hydrologic Systems | CVEN 5363 | Spring 2011 |
| Applied Groundwater Modeling | CVEN 5383 | Spring 2011 | |
| Quantitative Methods | CVEN 5454 | Spring 2011 | |
| Numerical Methods in Civil Engineering | CVEN 5537 | ||
| Quantitative Methods | GEOG 5023 | Spring 2011 | |
| Oceanography | Oceanography | GEOL 5060 | Spring 2011 |
| Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology | GEOL 5430 | ||
| Remote Sensing/GIS | Advanced Remote Sensing | GEOG 5100 | Spring 2011 |
| GIS Programming | GEOG 5303 | Spring 2011 | |
| Remote Sensing of the Environment | GEOL/ 5093 | Spring 2011 |
Image
Stonefly, Zapada haysii, common in streams with acid mine drainage in Colorado. Photo: Diane McKnight (CEAE & INSTAAR).
