Courses

Choose from the required class list

 
 

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
Environmental Fluid Dynamics Introduction to Fluid Mechanics ASTR/ 5400
Environmental Fluid Mechanics CVEN 5313
Groundwater Hydrology Groundwater Hydrology CVEN 5353
Advanced Hydrogeology and Modeling Concepts GEOL 5080
Snow Hydrology Snow Hydrology GEOG 5321
Surface Water Hydrology Hydrology CVEN 5333

 

Additional required courses

Topical Area Title Code Offered
Biogeochemistry Environmental Engineering Chemistry CVEN 5404
Advanced Aquatic Chemistry CVEN 6404
Aquatic Surface Particles CVEN 6414 Spring 2010
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 Spring 2010
Sediment Transport Mechanics GEOL 5700
Groundwater/Surfacewater Transport and Dispersion in Surface Water CVEN 5343 Spring 2010
Applied Groundwater Modeling CVEN 5383 Spring 2010
Porous Flow and Transport CVEN 6383 Spring 2010
Limnology/Applied Stream Ecology Applied Stream Ecology CVEN 5323 Fall 2010
Stream Ecology EBIO 5020
Limnology EBIO 5030 Spring 2010
Methods/Modeling Modeling Hydrologic Systems CVEN 5363 Spring 2010
Numerical Methods in Civil Engineering CVEN 5537
GIS Programming GEOG 5303 Spring 2010
Oceanography Oceanography GEOL 5060 Spring 2010
Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology GEOL 5430 Spring 2010
Remote Sensing Remote Sensing of the Environment GEOL/ 5093 Spring 2010

Image

Stonefly, Zapada haysii, common in streams with acid mine drainage in Colorado. Photo: Diane McKnight (CEAE & INSTAAR).

 

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