The Master of Science (MS) degree is available to all students eligible to enter the department. Direct admission into the Master of Science program requires a bachelor's degree in engineering, or in a basic science such as chemistry, geology, physics, biology, or mathematics. Persons with a degree in a nontechnical field may also be admitted into this program upon the completion of appropriate technical courses.

Seminar Requirements

All graduate students are required to register for two Departmental Seminars (1 semester credit hour each, graded S/U). One of the Departmental seminars requires students to attend the Departmental Colloquium (4 to 5 presentations per semester) every semester, with a minimum 75% attendance rate required to pass. The second Departmental seminar is taken in one of the following focus areas: Air Pollution, Hydrologic Sciences, Potable Water, Solid Waste Sytems, Systems Ecology, Water/Wastewater Treatment, and Wetlands. A maximum of 2 credits of seminar coursework may be applied to the formal degree requirements.

Final Comprehensive Examination (for non-thesis option)

The MS degree student who selects the non-thesis option (this is not a routine track for M.S. students) must pass a comprehensive oral examination administered by the Supervisory Committee.

Final Examination

When the student's course work is substantially completed, and the thesis or non-thesis report is in final form, the Supervisory Committee will examine the student orally and/or in writing on (1) the thesis or report, (2) major course work topics, (3) the minor or minors, and (4) matters of a general nature pertaining to environmental engineering sciences. A written announcement of the examination must be sent to the Supervisory Committee prior to the oral examination. At least three faculty members must be present at the final examination. At the time of successful completion of the examination, all committee members must sign the thesis signature pages (if appropriate) and the Final Examination Report. These may be retained by the Supervisory Committee Chair until acceptable completion of corrections. This examination may not be scheduled earlier than the semester preceding that in which the degree is to be conferred.

Grade Requirements

The only passing grades for graduate students are C or above (or S in a course graded S/U). A graduate student may be denied further registration should scholastic performance become unsatisfactory to the Department, College, or Dean of the Graduate School. Failure to maintain a B average is defined as unsatisfactory scholarship. At the time of graduation, a minimum GPA of 3.0 must be achieved overall as well as in the student's major area of concentration.

A student receiving a grade of incomplete (a grade of "I") should complete the required work and have his/her professor submit a change of grade form to the Registrar by the time specified in the University calendar. Otherwise, the grade will be treated as an "E" (fail) grade for GPA purposes after one semester has passed. Students cannot graduate until all "I" ,"E", "N", and  "NG" grades have been resolved.

Students holding a graduate assistantship or other stipend must maintain a B average or the assistantship will be discontinued.

Time Limitation

All work counted toward the Master's degree must be completed during the seven years immediately preceding the date that the degree is to be awarded.

Supervisory Committee

By the midpoint of the second semester of registration you must form a Supervisory Committee. The Supervisory Committee for a Master's degree consists of at least three faculty members. The Chair must be from the Department. One member may come from outside the Department if this is appropriate for the student's program. It is the responsibility of the Supervisory Committee Chair to see that the Committee Members are present at all examinations.

The Supervisory Committee will oversee the student's graduate work and administer the required examinations, although the most frequent contact will be with the student's Committee Chair. The membership of the Committee can be changed if the needs or interests of the student or a Committee member change. The removal of a faculty member from the Department from the Committee after that person has been appointed requires written approval from that person and the Department's Graduate Coordinator.

New graduate students should briefly meet all members of the faculty as soon as it is convenient, but preferably before the end of the first semester. The purpose is to assist the student in selecting a Supervisory Committee Chair. This should be discussed with the selected faculty member to be certain that he/she is willing to serve in this capacity. The Supervisory Committee must be formed prior to registration for the second semester.

Plan of Study

The Plan of Study (in revision) must be done by the beginning of the second semester. The Plan of Study is a projection of the courses a student plans to take in his/her degree program and it is signed by the student's Supervisory Committee. The plan must be approved and submitted to the Graduate Coordinator by the mid-point of the second semester of registration. The student must insure that changes to the plan of study are approved by the Supervisory Committee in writing.

Thesis

Guidelines concerning the format of the Master's thesis is published by the Graduate School, 284 Grinter Hall. This should be obtained and carefully followed. Each thesis, at the time of submission for initial review by the Editorial Office of the Graduate School, must be accompanied by a brief "General Audience Abstract" in addition to the academic abstract. The abstract should be written in a fashion that communicates in clear and effective, nonspecialized language the contributions of the work to the state of Florida, the nation, society in general, and/or the discipline. Copies of the abstract should be sent to the Department Chair, Graduate Coordinator, and the College Dean. The abstract must be submitted to the Graduate School Editorial Office both as a hard copy and on a diskette, which will be returned. In addition, the Graduate Catalog contains more specific rules and regulations. The original thesis manuscript must be presented to the Dean of the Graduate School. A second copy should be delivered to the Library for binding. The Supervisory Committee Chair and the candidate will each need a copy, and a copy must also be provided for the Department library. As a courtesy, students normally provide copies to those members of the Supervisory Committee who desire one.

The Department copy must be on bond paper and can be bound in a black spring-back binder with the student's name, degree and date of degree tag placed on the spine of the binder (these materials may be purchased at the bookstore). Alternatively, it is possible to have the thesis or dissertation professionally bound at a facility in Gainesville.

Each student is urged to prepare articles on the subject of his/her report, thesis or dissertation for publication in technical journals. This is normally done in collaboration with his/her Supervisory Committee Chair.

Registration

Registration requirements listed here do not apply to eligibility for financial aid programs administered by the Office for Student Financial Affairs. Check with Student Financial Affairs in S-107 Criser Hall for financial aid registration requirements.

Students who do not register according to the minimum registration requirements in each semester in which they hold graduate assistantships will not be permitted to remain on assistantships.

For students on appointment for the full Summer Semester, minimum registration must total that specified for C Semester. Registration may be in any combination of A, B, or C Semester. However, courses must be distributed so that the student is registered during each Semester that he/she is on appointment. Students on appointment who register for any Summer Semester must register at the beginning of Summer A.

Students may register for a minimum of 3 credits in their final semester. Students will only get one "final semester." If the degree is not earned during that period, students will have to register for full time status in subsequent semesters.

Students must get registration advisement each semester either by their Advisory Committee Chairperson or the Graduate Coordinator. Students must register for a minimum of 1 credit hour of research (ENV 6971, Master's Research or ENV 6916, Non-thesis Project) during semesters in which they are performing research.