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Water Elective Courses

These courses, listed by subject area, are intended to strengthen a student’s background in one or more areas. Students will take specialized courses drawn from a menu of water-related disciplinary courses. These designated electives give students the opportunity to tailor their specialized coursework in order to meet their career goals.

Water Infomatics and Geographic Information Systems

BAEN/FRSC 651 Geographic Information Systems. (2-3). Credit 3. Design, planning and implementation of geographic information systems; computer hardware and software evaluation; practical experience in data entry, analysis and update of spatial and characteristic data; linkages of GIS and artificial intelligence; use of maps and remotely sensed data as inputs.

BAEN/FRSC 652 Advanced Topics in Geographic Information Systems. (2-1). Credit 3. Advanced GIS topics with a focus on modeling actual GIS applications including relational and database theory, design and implementation and its connection to GIS; surface analysis with digital terrain models; and an introduction to spatial statistics.

CVEN 658 Civil Engineering Applications of GIS. (2-2) Credit 3. Use of geographic information system (GIS) concepts and methods to solve civil engineering and hydrology problems; emphasis on different areas of civil engineering. Class presentations and laboratory sessions used to familiarize students with computer software.

GEOG 651 Remote Sensing for Geographical Analysis. (3-0). Credit 3. Provides and introduction to remote sensing fundamentals. Discussion of past, present and planned earth observing sensors as well as technical issues involved in the collection, processing and interpretation of remote sensing images with emphasis on application to geographic problems, including geomorphology, hydrology and coastal oceanography.

GEOG 660 Applications in GIS. (3-0). Credit 3. Integrates spatial analysis and modeling with GIS for environmental and socio-economic applications.

GEOG 661 Digital Image Processing and Analysis. (3-0). Credit 3. Principles of georectifying, processing, manipulating and interpreting data collected by nonphotographic sensors concentrating on solid earth resources using Thematic Mapper with supplemental data from the SPOT satellite.

GEOG 665 GIS-Based Spatial Analysis and Modeling. (3-0). Credit 3. Investigates methodology of integrating various spatial analysis and modeling techniques with GIS for environmental/socio-economic applications; practical applications; theoretical/technical aspects of related issues in detail.

GEOG 695 Frontiers in Geographic Information Science. (3-0). Credit 3. Theoretical foundations and the latest development of geographic information science (GIScience); topics related to representations of space and time, geocomputation, spatially integrated social sciences, and social informatics.

PLAN 625 Geographical Information Systems in Landscape and Urban Planning. (2-3). Credit 3.Provides students an understanding of GIS fundamentals; basic concepts, principles and functions; essential skills for applying GIS in various fields such as urban planning, landscape architecture, land development, environment studies, transportation and hazard management; based on learning through class projects.

PLAN 626 Advanced GIS in Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning. (2-2). Credit 3. Continuation of GIS in Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning PLAN 625; topics include advanced spatial analysis technology: emphasis on urban planning, landscape architecture, land development, hazard management and related applications to issues.

Climate

ATMO 601 Fundamentals of Atmospheric Dynamics. (3-0). Credit 3. Basic Concepts of fluid dynamics; meteorological approximations and coordinate systems; simple models and wave motion; barotropic models.

ATMO 629 Climate Change. (3-0). Credit 3. Climate of geological and recent past; methods of assessing change; mechanisms, models, theories, impacts and prediction of climatic change.

ATMO 631 Climate Modeling. (3-0). Credit 3. A study of mathematical models used in simulation of climate. Development and structure of selected members of the hierarchy of models ranging from energy balance models to general circulation models. Applications to paleoclimate and future climate scenarios.

Surface Water Hydrology & Modeling

AGRO 611 Introduction to Environmental Biophysics. (3-2). Credit 4. Theoretical and experimental analysis of interactions between living organisms and their environments; measurement and modeling of the physical environment; measurement and modeling of energy mass transfer between organisms and their environments, and of organism response to fluxes of mass and energy.

BAEN 672 Small Watershed Hydrology. (3-0). Credit 3. Hydrology of small agricultural watersheds; precipitation frequency analysis; infiltration; runoff; erosion theory; sediment transport theory; evapotranspiration, and use of hydrological models.

BAEN 673 Modeling Small Watersheds. (3-0). Credit 3. Transport of water and chemicals in small agricultural watersheds; simulation using hydrologic models coupled with geographical information systems (GIS); impact of land use on the quality of surface water and groundwater evaluated.

CVEN 627 Engineering Surface Water Hydrology. (3-0). Credit 3. Precipitation-runoff processes; watershed and streamflow modeling; frequency analysis; erosion and sedimentation engineering; hydrologic design of hydraulic structures and nonstructural stormwater management strategies.

CVEN 675 Stochastic Hydrology. (3-0). Credit 3. Analysis, simulation and forecasting and hydro-climatic variables.

CVEN 665 Water Resources Systems Engineering. (3-0). Credit 3. Linear and non-linear optimization models and simulation models for planning and management of water systems; single- and multi-objective analysis and deterministic and stochastic techniques.

GEOG 626 Fluvial Geomorphology. (3-0). Credit 3. Concepts and methods applicable to the fluvial systems; components affecting rivers and drainage basin and analysis geomorphology; analytical treatment of problems arising from fluvial changes.

GEOL/GOEG 628 Geomorphology and Geology of Water Resources. Essential concepts and methods applicable to the study and understanding of surface and groundwater resources; system input, storage and outputs; surface flows, river morphology patterns capacity and competence; floods, aquifer characteristics and groundwater flow models.

GEOL 631 Engineering Geomorphology. (3-0). Credit 3. Active surface processes as they influence engineering construction; erosion, rivers and floods, slope processes, subsidence, coastal processes, ice, weathering and ground water.

GEOL 635 Engineering Geology. (3-0). Credit 3. Geological principles applied to the investigation design, construction and maintenance of engineering projects; history, development and role of engineering geologic practice as applied to dams, waste disposal, surface and ground water, tunneling, quarrying and construction materials.

RLEM 623 Ecohydrology. (3.0) Credit 3 Hydrologic processes and vegetation. Hydrologic processes, effects of changing land cover and the implications, and data management and analysis for hydrologic assessments and problem solving.

Coastal and Estuary Ecosystems

WFSC 611 Estuarine Ecology. (3-3). Credit 4. Survey the development of paradigms in evolutionary ecology; incorporates phylogenies into comparative analysis and macroecology; evaluates the role of historical and local processes in determining species diversity.

OCEN 674 Ports and Harbors. (3-0). Credit 3. Basic port planning including site selection, environmental factors and economic conditions; design of wharves, quays, jetties, breakwaters, terminals, navigational channels and fenders; harbor sedimentation and maintenance dredging; design of fishing, small craft and recreation boat harbors.

OCEN 682 Coastal Sediment Processes. (3-0). Credit 3. Sediment properties and size distribution, fluvial sediment transport equations, movement of material by the sea, review of pertinent wave theories, littoral drift, inlet stability, coastal protection structures, similarity in sediment transport, movable bed models, sediment tracing, Aelian sand transport.

OCEN 683 Estuary Hydrodynamics. (3-0). Credit 3. Development of applicable equations for tidal dynamics applied to real estuaries; technology for determination of mean velocities, circulation patterns, water depths, turbulent dispersion patterns, etc. for solution of environmental problems in estuaries; physical and mathematical models.

Groundwater Hydrology & Modeling

AGRO 605 Pedology. (3-0). Credit 3. Soil genesis, morphology and classification; development of a working knowledge of soil taxonomy and diagnostic horizons used in placement of soils. Prerequisite: AGRO 301 or equivalent; or approval of instructor. Two-day field trip required.

AGRO 617 Advanced Soil Physics. (3-3). Credit 4. Physical properties of soil; dynamics of soil, water and ion movement, soil aeration and soil thermal relationships.

BAEN 674 Vadose Zone Hydrology. (3-0) Credit 3. Fundamental concepts and advanced mathematical and experimental techniques for quantifying water, chemical, microorganism, and heat transport in the vadose zone; provides a common platform for addressing issues related to soil and water resources, hydrology, geochemistry, microbiology, ecology, hydrogeology and environmental engineering.

CVEN 674 Groundwater Engineering. (3-0). Credit 3. Groundwater hydrology, theory of groundwater movement, steady-state flow, potential flow, mechanics of well flow, multiple-phase flow, salt water intrusion, artificial recharge, groundwater contamination and models.

GEOL 610 Field Methods in Hydrogeology. (1-6). Credit 3. Field methods in hydrology; including groundwater drilling technology and law; investigation and planning of well sites; installation of ground water wells; field testing of aquifer properties and analysis of field data. Field trips may be required for which departmental fees may be assessed to cover cost.

GEOL 620 Geology of Groundwater. (3-0). Credit 3. Principles of occurrence and movement of water beneath Earth’s surface and influence of various geologic situations upon its behavior; factors applying to estimates of supply; engineering aspects of groundwater.

GEOL 625 Applied Groundwater Modeling. (3-0). Credit 3. Concept of groundwater flow and contaminant transport; numerical simulations of solving flow and transport equations; finite difference and finite element methods; software structures of groundwater flow; contaminant transport, density-dependent fluid flow and hydrocarbon remediation; real case applications of software including geological, physical, chemical, biological and hydrological information.

GEOL 642 Chemical and Isotopic Evolution of Groundwater. (3-0). Credit 3. Factors controlling the chemistry of groundwater (mineral-water reactions and microbial processes); isotopic tracers for abiotic and microbial processes; dissolved organic carbon; 14C, tritium, and 36CI dating of groundwater; conservative tracers and groundwater mining; flow path modeling.

Wetlands

OCNG 629 Lower Food web Dynamics of Aquatic Ecosystems. (2-3). Credit 3. Dynamics of the lower food web in estuaries, rivers and lakes, detailing the role and interactions between biota and how they and influenced by abiotic processes; effect of mans activities on natural succession patterns and ecosystem productivity, elucidating the potential for new management practices.

OCNG 650 Aquatic Ecology. (3-0). Credit 3. Microbes in natural environments, including other water and sediment habitats in marine, fresh and ground water systems; process studies of microbial food webs and biochemical cycling; current methods and research directions.

RLEM 633 Wetland Plant Taxonomy. (1-4). Credit 3. Interpretation of plant morphologies for keying and the identification of wetland plants from prime habitats; plant communities including the plant’s adaptation to variation in salinity and soils; identification of inconspicuous flowered plant species including sedges, rushes and grasses.

WFSC 611 Estuarine Ecology. (3-3). Credit 4. Survey the development of paradigms in evolutionary ecology; incorporates phylogenies into comparative analysis and macroecology; evaluates the role of historical and local processes in determining species diversity.

WFSC 615 Mariculture. (3-3). Credit 4. Environmental, physiological, behavioral, legal and economic factors which determine the success of efforts to cultivate saltwater species having economic importance; practices employed in various parts of the world to produce fishes, mollusks and crustaceans.

WFSC 628 Wetland Ecology. (2-3). Credit 3. Wetlands as ecological systems that are prime habitats for wildlife and fish; geomorphology, hydrology, limnology, plant and animal communities, and human use and management.

WFSC 629 Aquatic Ecology. (2-3). Credit 3. Dynamics of the lower food web in estuaries, rivers and lakes, detailing the role and interactions between biota and how they and influenced by abiotic processes; effect of mans activities on natural succession patterns and ecosystem productivity, elucidating the potential for new management practices.

Water Quality and Treatment

AGRO 615. Reclamation of Drastically Disturbed Lands. (3-0). Credit 3. Theoretical and practical aspects of reclamation of lands disturbed during mining of lignite, uranium, phosphorous, oil shale and other minerals and disturbances due to industrial activities; emphasis on physical and chemical characteristics of disturbed materials and their impact on establishment of permanent vegetation.

AGRO 650 Mode of Action and Environmental Fate of Herbicides. (2-3). Credit 3. Relationships between physical-chemical characteristics of herbicides and their biological activity, selectivity, environmental fate in soil, water, and plants. Laboratory includes practical applications of gas and liquid chromatography, liquid scintillation counting and plant bioassays.

BAEN 669 Water Quality Engineering. (3-0). Credit 3. Nonpoint source pollution processes including transport and mechanisms and contaminant fate; design of best management practices for abating nonpoint source pollution.

CVEN 604 Environmental Analysis of Treatment Systems. (3-0). Credit 3. Theory and processes used to treat water, wastewater and hazardous wastes; applications of theory to design and operation of treatment systems, including biological treatment, absorption, coagulation, filtration and precipitation.

CVEN 609 Environmental Control of Oil and Hazardous Materials Spills. (2-3). Credit 3. Oil and hazardous material (OHM) spills in the engineering design process; evaluation of OHM properties and their behavior and impacts to environmental systems; prevention programs and documents; technology for spill containment and removal; contingency planning cycle including administrative site-specific plans and resource acquisition; response organization; restoration and documentation.

CVEN 682 Environmental Remediation of Contaminated Sites. (3-0). Credit 3. Aspects of characterization and design of plans for remediation of sites contaminated with hazardous wastes; review of federal and state regulations; risk assessment; remedial technology screening and design of remedial plans.

GEOL 621 Contaminant Hydrology. (3-0). Credit 3. Physical concepts of mass transport; dispersion; diffusion; advection; geochemical processes including surface reaction; hydrolysis; biodegradation; aspects of modeling; process and parameter; and remediation.

GEOL 641 Environmental Geochemistry. (3-0). Credit 3. Geochemical processes affecting the fate and transportation of inorganic and organic pollutants in terrestrial systems; equilibrium and kinetic modeling.

Water Economics, Law and Policy

AGEC 604 Natural Resource Economics. (3-0). Credit 3. Critical evaluation of policies and procedures in natural resource development and use; identification of problems in natural resource development, the political-economic decision making processes and analytical tools which can contribute to economic decisions.

AGEC 689 Water Resource Economics. (3-0). Credit 3. Natural and environmental economics applied to water scarcity issues. Economic interpretations of water use, shortage, conservation, and laws. Economic tools for policy and project appraisal (e.g. cost-benefit analysis). Designing efficient water rates and water markets.

AGEC 659 Ecological Economics. (3-0). Credit 3. Study of the relationship between ecosystems and economic systems; understanding the effects of human economic endeavors on ecological systems and how the ecological benefits and cost of such activities can be quantified and internalized.

CVEN 664 Water Resources Engineering Planning and Management. (3-0). Credit 3. Managing water resources; the planning process, systems analysis methods; institutional framework for water resources engineering; comprehensive integration of engineering, economic, environmental, legal and political considerations in water resources development and management.

OCNG 676 Marine Environmental Policy: A Survey. (3-0). Credit 3. Basic concepts and mechanisms of international and U.S. federal environmental law and policy; survey of the field and focus on case studies illustrating basic types of environmental problems.

POLS 645 Politics, Policy and Administration. (3-0). Credit 3. Relationship of politics and administration with references to the influence of administration and bureaucracy, legislative bodies, parties, interest groups and other forces in the formation and execution of public policy in various levels of, primarily, American government.

RENR 660 Environmental Impact Analysis for Renewable Natural Resources. (3-0). Credit 3. Analysis and critique of contemporary environmental analysis methods in current use; environmental impact statements; national policies; political, social and legal ramifications as related to development and use of renewable natural resources.

RENR 662 Water and Environmental Law. (3-0). Credit 3. Analysis of the legal theories used to allocate and protect environmental resources; common law, federal and state statutes, and international treaties dealing with the environment, policies and laws for controlling air, water, solid waste, toxic waste and water pollution, species protection and natural resource use.

SOCI 616 Political Sociology. (3-0). Credit 3. Survey of the principal social and organizational bases of politics; the institutionalization of political power; explanation of political change and movements of social protest.

Management

ACCT 640 Accounting Concepts and Procedures I. (3-0). Credit 3. Accounting concepts and relationships essential to administrative decisions; use of accounting statements and reports as policymaking and policy execution tools.

CVEN 603 Environmental Engineering Management. (3-0). Credit 3. Federal and state regulatory framework for environmental engineering; techniques for environmental control; risk assessment; evaluation of critical environmental problems with multimedia aspects.

FINC 635 Financial Management for Non-Business. (3-0). Credit 3. External and internal factors affecting financial decision-making in the firm; fundamental concepts of accounting and managerial economics.

MGMT 655 Survey of Management. (3-0). Credit 3. Management concepts and applications important to managers in all types and sizes of organizations; includes: strategic planning, goal setting, control and managerial ethics; decision making, organizing, human resource management, including staffing, performance appraisal and compensation; leadership, motivation, communication and group processes; achieving organizational quality and managing in a global environment.

MGMT 639 Negotiations. (3-0). Credit 3. Understanding prescriptive and descriptive negotiation theory as it applies to dynamic and multi-party negotiations, to buyer-seller transactions, dispute resolution, development of negotiation strategy and management of integrative and distributive aspects of the negotiation process.

MRKT 621 Survey of Marketing. (3-0). Credit 3. Marketing concepts and functions from the point of view of the organization and the economy.

RENR 664 Coastal Zone Management. (3-0). Credit 3. Major issues of coastal management in the United States; relationships between natural environments of the coastal zone and public policies affecting the development, use and conservation of natural resources.

RLEM 603 Range and Forest Watershed Management. (3-0). Credit 3. Management of range and forest watersheds; influence of range and forest practices on runoff, interception, infiltration, erosion and water quality; current literature and research advances.

WFSC 604. Systems Analysis and Simulation in Ecology and Natural Resource Management. (3-0). Credit 3. Philosophical basis, theoretical framework, and practical application of systems analysis and simulation within the context of ecology and natural resource management; emphasis placed on development, evaluation and use of simulation models by students.

* Students completing ACCT 640, FINC 635, MGMT 655 and MRKT 621 will be awarded a Certificate of Business by the Lowry Mays Graduate College of Business.

Planning

GEOG 619 Human Impact on the Environment. (3-0). Credit 3. Human alterations of landscapes, the atmosphere and the waters of the earth; interference with natural chemical cycles; disturbance of ecological equilibrium; depletion of natural resources; roles of technology and population growth.

PLAN 616 Analyzing Risk/Hazard and Public Policy. (3-0). Credit 3. Evaluation and development of risk analysis, including risk assessment, perception of risk, risk communication and risk management; the mitigation of risk, involving technology, emergency management, disaster preparedness; emphasizes the relationship with risk analysis in public policy, participation , emergency preparedness, hazard mitigation and the management of risk.

PLAN 620 Dispute Resolution in Planning. (3-0). Credit 3. Theory and practice of public policy-oriented alternative dispute resolution (ADR) especially in environmental and land planning and regulation; practical skills of facilitation/mediation as aids to conventional public participation; voluntary negotiation as a supplement to regulation; relevant theoretical perspectives from decision and game theory and compensation literatures.

PLAN 641 Problems of Environmental Planning Administration. (3-0). Credit 3. State and federal legislation pertaining to environmental and consumer protection aspects of urban planning; review of administrative procedures; major judicial decisions.

PLAN 669 Urban Infrastructure Planning. (2-2) Credit 3. Identification of urban infrastructure requirements; criteria for utility location and design; projection of the conversion of land to urban use; estimating demand for urban services; anticipating the effect of urbanization on storm runoff; and municipal practices in financing infrastructure extensions.