Hydrology - PhD

The Graduate Program of Hydrologic Sciences administers two separate degrees – Hydrology and Hydrogeology – at both the M.S. and Ph.D. levels. There is a single, required, foundation core that includes a one-semester credit hour seminar along with one course each in groundwater, hydrologic fluid dynamics, and environmental chemistry. Beyond this foundation core, each degree has separate and additional required coursework. Students are expected to work with their advisors and committee members to develop a Plan of Study that best matches their research efforts and interests.

The GPHS is one of the largest such programs in North America and is consistently ranked amongst the top 10 places in the United States to study hydrology by U.S. News and World Report. The goals of the program are to provide fundamental and advanced training to students with undergraduate backgrounds in science and engineering, in the critical fields of surface and subsurface hydrology.

The Doctorate of Philosophy in Hydrology allows flexibility to allow students to follow one or more of the broad areas of surface water hydrology and to allow for specialization. All students receive a broad underpinning of the hydrologic sciences through the shared core courses. Additional requirements for the degree include a course in watershed hydrology to provide an overview/introduction of surface water processes and one or more specialization courses in surface water hydrology.