PROCEDURES AND REQUIREMENTS

for

The Master of Science in Environmental Sciences Program

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS: The M.S. in Environmental Sciences is a 38-hour program, which consists of four components:

1. CORE COURSES

The core courses required of all students are:

BIOL 5445-3	Applied Environmental Biology	Spring
CHEM 4700-3	Environmental Chemistry	Spring
C E 5401-3	Introduction to Environmental Engineering	Fall
ENVS 6200-3	Risk Assessment	Fall
ACCT 6800-3	Environmental Management	Spring

The core courses are to be taken upon entry into the M.S. in Environmental Sciences Program. They are the foundation for the other courses in the Environmental Sciences program.

1. SEMINAR COURSES: The Environmental Sciences Seminar, ENVS6000, is offered each semester. Students must register for this course and give presentations the first semester they are in the MSES program and the semester they defend their projects. Additionally, students are encouraged to attend these talks each semester of their graduate career.



2. ELECTIVE COURSES: Upon completion of the Core Courses, the student and his/her advisor will determine the 15-18 hours of elective requirements that will meet the student's needs for his/her interest and which will support his/her project. At this time the student and advisor should select a project (at least a general idea of it) and decide if it is to be a 3 or 6 hour project.

The Environmental Sciences program offers four options--Air Quality, Environmental Health, Hazardous Waste, and Ecosystems. The options are comprised of four courses which count as electives and are designed to approach an environmental issue from various disciplines. Students must coordinate the option courses with the approval of the option faculty advisor and the student's advisor.

The catalog descriptions of recommended general and interdisciplinary courses in Environmental Sciences, offered at the University of Colorado at Denver, may be may be found on this web page.

A minimum of 23 of the 38 credit hours required for the degree must be at the 5000 level or above. Program flexibility is provided through the selection of elective courses in various subject areas.

1. MASTERS PROJECT: A student may elect to do either a 3 or 6 credit research project. Completing a 6 credit research project reduces the number of hours that a student must take as electives by 3 hours. A guide for determining the number of credit hours for a project is to assume that 3-4 hours a week for a semester would be spent for each credit hour of project (i.e. 9-12 hours/week for a 3 credit project, and 18-24 hours/week for a 6 credit project). It should be remembered that these are only guidelines, and the exact amount of time will depend on the project and the advisor. The project advisor has the final say regarding the amount of credit earned for a project.

MSES projects require a written report and an oral defense before the student's Project Committee. The committee is comprised of a minimum of three members. Two of the three members of the committee must be members of the Graduate Faculty of the University of Colorado at Denver and the Master of Science in Environmental Sciences Advisory Committee. To be appointed to the graduate faculty, a person must either have a PhD, or a Masters degree

It is the responsibility of the student to find an MSES Project topic with the assistance of CU-Denver faculty. Students should visit the Environmental Sciences office for suggested project topics and possible advisors. There may also be off-campus projects worthy of being designated as a student's MSES Project. The project cannot, however, be a product of work carried out in the normal course of permanent, full-time employment. A formal cooperative education assignment may produce such an off-campus project. Cherrie Grove of the Office of Internships and Co-op Ed (556-2892) can assist students in finding internships. The supervisor of an off-campus project must be on the Student's Project Committee.

It is beneficial for students to identify their project topics as early as possible--during the second semester for full-time, or third semester for part-time, students is highly recommended! Early identification not only allows the student more time to work on a project (projects usually take longer than the student imagines), but lets the student and advisor choose appropriate coursework to support the project learning experience. Project identification requires:

1. submittal of a Project Approval Form and a proposal to the Project Committee. (The Project Approval Form is separate from the Program Plan, but both proposals may be submitted simultaneously);
2. approval of the Project Proposal by the student's Project Committee, and the director of the MSES program;
3. if the student requests use of the CES Analytical Laboratory, a final draft of the proposal must go to the laboratory manager for his comment and approval; and
4. if human subjects or the use of animals are involved, the proposal with appropriate forms must be submitted to, and approved by, the Human Subjects Research Committee or the Animal Use Committee.

Suggested Format for MSES Project Proposals: The exercise of writing a concise, organized project proposal is an important part of the MSES project experience. The proposal must be approved and in the student's file before the student may register for his/her project hours. The suggested format for the project proposal is:

1. Introduction--includes a very short literature review
2. Goal of Study--question asked or hypothesis tested
3. Laboratory (Field) facilities to be used
4. Methods, Timetable, Data Analysis
5. Primary Project Advisor

Satisfactory completion of the project requires:

1. approval of the written report by the Project Advisor;
2. submission of the written report to the Project Committee;
3. the oral report and final committee approval.

Oral presentation before the three-member project committee (and any other interested persons) should be about 30 minutes (3 cr. hr.) or thirty to forty minutes (6 cr. hr.) long. The presentations should be in the style of Conference paper presentations (a good example of Guidelines for such a presentation may be found in How to Write and Publish Scientific Papers by Robert A. Day--available in the bookstore).

The written report must be submitted to all three project committee members at least two weeks prior to the oral presentation.

NOTE: Students contemplating the use of human or animal subjects in their research must obtain approval from the Human Subjects Research Committee or the Animal Use Committee before beginning such research. A project involving human or animal subjects which has not been reviewed by the appropriate committee will be disallowed. Guidelines are available from Human Subjects Research Committee and the Animal Use Committee. Contact Sponsored Programs in room 720 of the CU Cenver Building (556-2770) for an application or Dr. Brad Stith, Chair of the Animal Use Committee, at 556-3371 to receive the forms you must submit to the appropriate committee. The appropriate forms must be completed, and approved by the approporiate committee, prior to obtaining signatures on the MSES project approval form.

First Semester:

• Take ENVS 6000 Environmental Sciences Seminar plus as many core courses as are available and/or that student has time to take.
• In conjunction with ENVS 6000 complete a tentative "Program Plan" to get an idea of what courses you may be interested in taking and a time frame for completing the Program, plus it is never too early to begin investigating potential projects and faculty advisors.

Following semesters:

• Complete core courses and ENVS 5600 Applied Statistics for the Natural Sciences.
• Choose a faculty advisor and the two other members of your project committee.
• Formulate your master's project.
• Write a "Project Proposal" and have it approved by all of the appropriate signees, as described in the section above.
• Begin taking your chosen electives.
• Work on your master's project, and write your paper.

Final semester:

• Complete elective courses and complete write-up of master's project.
• Take ENVS 6000 for second time.
• Successfully defend your project and GRADUATE.

Graduate School Requirements for Graduation There are Graduate School deadlines for each of the following requirements, check in a current MSES Newsletter, the Environmental Sciences department, or the Graduate School for the deadlines of the semester you plan to graduate.

• Application for Admission to Candidacy
• Diploma Card
• Request for Comprehensive Examination/Thesis Defense Form
• Last day for project defense

NOTE: The University of Colorado at Denver places a seven year limit on all of the work to be counted towards the MSES degree.

If you have any questions, email or call Rosemary (556-4520). For email, click on address at bottom of this page.

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