M.S. Degree

The two-year M.S. in Environmental Engineering has as its primary objective the development of students’ understanding of the subject matter through an emphasis on either research (Plan A) or a comprehensive understanding of a more general nature (Plan B). The M.S. can lead to a professional career in environmental engineering and can be considered a prerequisite for application to Ph. D. programs.

General Provisions

All MS students are required to take the following core courses:

  • ENVE 5310 Environmental Transport Phenomena (Spring semester)
  • ENVE 5320 Quantitative Methods for Engineers (Fall semester)

The remaining courses may be related to one of the three areas of concentration, as described above. The Graduate School allows for up to 6 credits of 3000 or 4000 level courses that may be counted towards the graduate degree, while all other courses must be at the 5000 or 6000 level.

A Plan of Study must be prepared and signed by the student and the members of the advisory committee, and submitted no later than the beginning of their final semester to The Graduate School. The Master’s Plan of Study form is available on the Graduate School website (http://grad.uconn.edu/current-students/forms/). All M.S. students have to maintain a GPA of 3.0 to maintain their status in the program. Failure to meet this standard triggers a probationary of period of one semester, after which the student is subject to dismissal.

Plan A requirements

A total of 30 credits are required for graduation, with a minimum of 21 credits of coursework in Environmental Engineering or related area and a minimum of 9 credits of Master’s Thesis Research (GRAD 5950). A student may enroll in GRAD 5950 credits at any time during the M.S. degree and it is their responsibility to coordinate with their research advisor (and secondarily, with their research committee) on the research plan and requirements for graduation.

A plan A M.S. requires the submission of an M.S. Thesis, in the form of a submission-ready paper manuscript, and an oral defense for graduation. The oral defense fulfills the role of the final examination for the M.S. degree. Two forms have to be submitted to the Graduate School for graduation:

  • Master’s Thesis checklist
  • Report on the Final Examination for the Master’s Degree

The thesis has to be submitted to the Library both electronically and in one paper copy, as instructed in the checklist. Guidelines for thesis preparation and electronic submission are available in http://digitalcommons.uconn.edu/gs_theses/guidelines.html.

The scope, content and length of the M.S. thesis results from the agreement between the research advisor and the student. An advisory committee of at least two additional faculty members will also weigh in on the originality and quality of the thesis prior to graduation. In general, the thesis should be present the methodology and results of novel, independent research conducted by the student. Thus, plan A M.S. theses cannot be solely literature reviews or replicate research already published in the scientific literature. As a standard, the M.S. thesis should constitute the basis for a journal paper submission and may be structured as such.

Plan B requirements

A total of 30 credits are required for plan B Master’s, with a minimum of 27 credits of coursework in Environmental Engineering or related area. The remaining credits may be used towards additional courses or towards a research project as Graduate Independent Study in Environmental Engineering (ENVE 5020).

The final examination for a plan B Master’s is an oral or written exam on three core courses of Environmental Engineering: ENVE 5310 and two additional ENVE courses selected by the student. The oral exam will take place in the final semester before graduation and it will be administered by the advisory committee that will sign the Plan of Study and the Report on the Final Examination.