The Environmental Science and Engineering Division (ESE) offers an integrated curriculum in environmental science and engineering within the context of risk-based decision-making, environmental law, and policy. Graduate students in the program come from diverse academic backgrounds in such fields as life sciences, earth sciences, and many engineering disciplines.

Research

Research within the Division is focused in five main areas.

• Development of innovative processes for water and waste reclamation and reuse;
• Applications of biological processes in environmental remediation, water treatment, and renewable energy generation;
• Understanding fundamental chemical and radiochemical processes governing the fate and transport of contaminants, and engineering these processes to achieve remedial goals;
• Characterization of natural systems and contaminated sites to elucidate natural system function and develop and apply effective remediation and restoration methods and technologies; and
• Mathematical representation and modeling of hydrological and hydrogeological phenomena in surface and subsurface waters.

Within these areas, established research programs have developed and ESE faculty have over $10M in research sponsored by several federal agencies (e.g., the National Science Foundation, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Defense) and private industry organizations. This research involves fundamental and applied laboratory experimentation, intermediate-scale testing in specialized research laboratories and at field test sites, field investigations and environmental monitoring, and mathematical modeling.

Degree Programs

Five tracks of study are available to students pursuing graduate degrees in ESE. Each track requires students to complete a unique core curriculum.

Water and Wastewater Reclamation and Reuse
Recommended background: Differential Equations, Fluid Mechanics
Track Core:

• ESGN 500 - Principles of Environmental Chemistry
• ESGN 504 - Water and Wastewater Treatment
• ESGN 530 - Environmental Engineering Pilot Plant Laboratory
• ESGN 541 - Microbial Process Analysis and Modeling
• ESGN 603 - Advanced Water Treatment Engineering and Reuse

Environmental Biotechnology
Recommended background: College Biology, Organic Chemistry
Track Core:

• CHGN 428 - Introductory Biochemistry
• ESGN 504 - Water and Wastewater Treatment
• ESGN 541 - Microbial Process Analysis and Modeling
• CHGC 562 - Microbiology and the Environment
• ESGN 586 - Microbiology of Engineered Environmental Systems

Environmental Chemistry and Radiochemistry
Recommended background: Chemical Thermodynamics, Physical Chemistry
Track Core:

• ESGN 428 - Principles of Environmental Chemistry
• ESGN 503 - Environmental Pollution
• ESGN 504 - Water and Wastewater Treatment
• CHGC 504 - Methods of Geochemistry or CHGC 509 Intro. to Aqueous Geochemistry
• ESGN 510 - Environmental Radiochemistry or ESGN 525 Chemistry of the Soil/Water Interface

Site Characterization and Remediation
Recommended background: Differential Equations, Fluid Mechanics
Track Core:

• ESGN 500 - Principles of Environmental Chemistry
• ESGN 502 - Environmental Law
• ESGN 503 - Environmental Pollution
• ESGN 575 - Hazardous Waste Site Remediation
• ESGN 586 - Microbiology of Engineered Environmental Systems

Environmental Systems Modeling
Recommended background: Differential Equations, Fluid Mechanics, Hydrology
Track Core:

• ESGN 503 - Environmental Pollution
• ESGN 522 - Subsurface Transport or ESGN 520 Surface Water Quality Modeling
• ESGN 527 - Environmental Systems Analysis or GEGN 575 Geographic Information Systems
• ESGN 622 - Multiphase Flow and Transport or CHEN 516 Transport Phenomena
• GEGN 467 - Hydrogeology and Groundwater Engineering

Master of Science

Two options are available to M.S. students: thesis and non-thesis. M.S. non-thesis option requires 36 credit hours of coursework. Thesis students must complete 24 hours of coursework and 12 hours of research leading to the successful writing and defense of a Master's thesis.

The Division also offers an evening Executive Program. Admission requirements are similiar to the daytime, non-thesis program though GRE scores are not required.

Combined BS/MS program

Any CSM undergraduate has the opportunity to begin work on a M.S. in Environmental Science & Engineering while completing requirements for their B.S. degree. Six credits of 400-level or above coursework can be used to fulfill requirements for both degrees. Students should express interest in the program in their junior year to plan their coursework accordingly. A formal application to the graduate school must be completed early senior year.

Doctor of Philosophy

The Ph.D. program requires 72 semester hours beyond the Bachelor's degree, 24 of which must be research credits earned under the supervision of a CSM faculty member. Students must also complete at least 15 hours of coursework and a minor program of at least 12 hours. Students must also successfully complete written and oral qualifying examinations, write and defend a doctoral dissertation, and submit the dissertation work for publication in scholarly journals.

Admissions/Entrance Requirements

Applicants in Environmental Science and Engineering are expected to have completed the following:

• Bachelor's in science or engineering
• Two semesters of college calculus
• One year of college chemistry
• One semester of college physics; one year highly recommended
• Track-specific recommended background courses (listed above)

Fall Admission	Yes
Financial support priority deadline	Jan. 15
U.S. citizen application deadline	July 1
International application deadline	April 1
Spring Admission	Yes
U.S. citizen application deadline	Nov. 1
International application deadline	Sept. 1
GRE required	Yes*
* Waived for applicants to the Executive Program
Average accepted Verbal	508
Average accepted Quantitative	693
Average accepted Analytical Writing	4.4

Financial Assistance

Applicants seeking financial support should indicate such on the admission application. Support may be in the form of teaching assistantships (TAs), research assistantships (RAs), or fellowships. Most assistantships will cover tuition, fees, and provide a monthly stipend for students enrolled full-time. Awarding of all fellowships and assistantships is handled by the academic departments in conjunction with the admissions review process. Since competition for financial support is high, new students are encouraged to apply for admission early.

Western Regional Graduate Program

Contact

Tim VanHaverbeke , Graduate Program Chair
Division of Environmental Science and Engineering
Colorado School of Mines
Golden, CO 80401
Phone: 303-273-3427
FAX: 303-273-3875