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Curriculum Guide

• DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
• CONCENTRATIONS
• TRANSFER OF CREDIT POLICY
• PhD COMMITTEE
• QUALIFYING EXAMINATION
• PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION
• ADMISSION TO CANDIDACY
• FINAL ORAL EXAMINATION
• COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

For students entering with a M.S. degree, the program requires 52 credit hours beyond the M.S. degree distributed as follows:

        28 credit hours for course work,

         3 credit hours for seminars,

         3 credit hours for professional practice/development,

and 18 credit hours for dissertation research. 

Students progress through the program by passing a written qualifying exam over the core courses and a preliminary exam over the student’s proposed research. As an indicator of their research competency, all students will be required to submit at least two refereed journal articles that have been approved by their dissertation committee before graduation. The program requirements are summarized as follows:

 * Students are advised that 711 is only taught in the Fall, and 712 is taught in the Spring. 

**A minimum of three 800-level courses taken in these two groups must be part of the student’s academic program.

 

For students entering with a B.S. degree, the program requires 75 credit hours beyond the B.S. degree distributed as follows:

        48 credit hours for course work,

         6 credit hours for seminars,

         3 credit hours for professional practice/development,

and 18 credit hours for dissertation research. 

Students progress through the program by passing a written qualifying exam over the core courses and a preliminary exam over the student’s proposed research. As an indicator of their research competency, all students will be required to submit at least two refereed journal articles that have been approved by their dissertation committee before graduation. The program requirements are summarized as follows:

 

 

CONCENTRATIONS

Atmospheric Sciences: EES 750 and 751 plus at least two of EES 752, 753, 754, 755, 785 (Atmospheric Sciences topic), or 885 (Atmospheric Sciences topic) along with dissertation research in Atmospheric Sciences.

Sustainable Bioproducts: EES 740 plus at least three of EES 741, 742, 743, 744, 785(Sustainable Bioproducts topic), or 885 (Sustainable Bioproducts topic) along with dissertation research in Sustainable Bioproducts.

Energy & Environmental Sciences and Economics: At least four of AGEC 710 (Microeconomics), AGEC 705 (Statistical Methods in Agricultural Economics), AGEC 708 (Econometrics), ECON 701 (Labor and Industrial Relations), ECON 705 (Government Economic Problems), ECON 710 (Economic Development and Resource Use), ECON 720 (Development of Economic Systems), EES 785 (Energy & Environmental Sciences and Economics topic), or EES 885 (Energy & Environmental Sciences and Economics topic)  along with dissertation research in Energy & Environmental Sciences and Economics.

TRANSFER OF CREDIT POLICY

The Energy & Environmental Systems Chair with approval of the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies is responsible for determining the applicability of transferred credits to program requirements as presented in the general School of Graduate Studies Transfer of Credit Policies.  The amount of credit transferred to an Energy & Environmental Systems degree may never be more than 30% of the required doctoral degree semester hours.

 Ph.D. COMMITTEE AND PLAN OF GRADUATE WORK

Initially, the Department Chair will serve as the academic advisor for all new students entering the program. Each student in the Energy & Environmental Systems Department is expected to select a research advisor by the beginning of the second year with the approval of the Chair. The research advisor must hold a tenure or tenure-track, full-time faculty position at the university.  However, a co-advisor may have non-tenure-track/adjunct status. The Ph.D. Committee will consist of a minimum of four (4) graduate faculty members with the research advisor as its chairperson and a School of Graduate Studies representative.  The Ph.D. Committee will be recommended by the research advisor, with input from the student, to the Chair of the Energy & Environmental Systems Department, for approval by the Dean of Graduate Studies.                         

QUALIFYING  EXAMINATION

The qualifying examination is a written examination administered after the core courses are completed by a student. The examination covers the core course content.  It is prepared and graded by the Energy & Environmental Systems Chair and core course instructors.  A 75%  mark  is required to pass the qualifying examination.  A student may retake the exam only once if it is failed. The second attempt at passing the examination must be no earlier than two months after the first attempt. Failure of a student to pass the examination on the second try terminates their work in the program.

 PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION

After passing the qualifying examination, a student submits their written dissertation proposal at least ten days before its oral defense to their research advisor, the Chair of the Energy & Environmental Systems Department, and the Dissertation Committee for review.  Generally, the preliminary exam should be scheduled during a student’s third semester in the program. Dissertation proposals are expected to include a thorough literature review and a detailed research plan with a timeline and anticipated results.  The proposal must be orally defended by the candidate before the Dissertation Committee.  Approval by a majority vote of the Dissertation Committee is required to pass the preliminary examination.  Approval may be conditioned, however, on the student's meeting specific requirements described by the Dissertation Committee.  Failure of a student to pass the examination terminates their work toward the Energy & Environmental Systems degree unless the Ph.D. Committee recommends a reexamination.  No reexamination is given until one full semester has elapsed and only one reexamination is permitted. Passing the preliminary examination constitutes approval to proceed with the dissertation research.           

ADMISSION TO CANDIDACY

Admission to candidacy for the Energy & Environmental Ph.D. degree will require compliance with the following:

a) Completion of all core and elective courses approved for the student's program of study,

b) A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better, and

c) Successful completion of the preliminary examination.

 

FINAL ORAL EXAMINATION

The final oral examination is scheduled after the dissertation is determined to be complete by the research advisor and the Chair of theEnergy & Environmental Systems Department and at least two refereed journal articles have either been accepted by the journals or have been approved by the Ph.D. Committee as likely to be accepted.  The examination is conducted by the student's Dissertation Committee and consists of the candidate's defense of methodology used and the conclusions reached in the research.  Approval by a majority vote of the Dissertation Committee is required to pass the final oral examination.  Approval may be conditioned, however, on the student's meeting specific requirements described by the Ph.D. Committee.  Failure of a student to pass the examination terminates their work in the program unless the Ph.D. Committee recommends a reexamination.  No reexamination is given until one full semester has elapsed and only one reexamination is permitted.

 

 

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

EES 700               Introduction to Research Ethics

EES 710               Environmental Chemistry

EES 711                Energy & Environmental Economics I         

EES 712                Energy & Environmental Economics II

EES 720                Sustainable Energy Systems

EES 730                Research Proposal Writing

EES 740                Fundamentals of Biomaterial Sciences & Bioprocess Systems  

EES 741                Biomaterials Characterization  

EES 742                Biomass Thermal Conversion Processes  

EES 743                Biomass Biological Conversion Processes  

EES 744                Environmental and Policy Studies of Biomass Use  

EES 750                Physical Meteorology

EES 751                Dynamic Meteorology  

EES 752                Climatology

EES 753                Numerical Weather Prediction  

EES 754                Advanced Weather Analysis  

EES 755                Principles of Air Quality 

EES 785                Special Topics

EES 885                Doctoral Special Topics

 

 Ph.D. Level Pass/Fail Courses

EES 990                Doctoral Supervised Practicum

EES 991                Doctoral Qualifying Examination

EES 992                Doctoral Seminar

EES 993                Doctoral Supervised Teaching

EES 994                Doctoral Supervised Research

EES 995                Doctoral Preliminary Examination

EES 996                Laboratory Internship

EES 997                Doctoral Dissertation

EES 999                Continuation of Doctoral Degree

   

EES 700.   Introduction to Research Ethics        Credit 1(1-0)

This course will cover the policies regulating research at land grant universities and the ethical principles on which these policies are based.  Topics covered include use of humans in research; use of animals in research; research misconduct; authorship and peer review; intellectual property; proper experimental design, data collection, and statistical interpretation; and discipline-specific issues. Prerequisites:  Graduate standing and consent of instructor.

EES-710.     Environmental Chemistry         Credit 3(3-0)

This course presents the chemical aspects of applied environmental science. Topics covered include the sources, reactions, transport, and fates of chemical species in water, soil, and air along with the analytical techniques used to study the chemicals. Prerequisites:  Graduate standing and consent of instructor.

EES-711.     Environmental & Energy Economics I        Credit 3(3-0)

This course presents theories of natural resource utilization and allocation. Topics covered include externalities, public goods, environmental quality, planning natural resource use and environmental quality, evolution of energy industries, and current energy and environmental regulatory systems. Prerequisites: Doctoral Standing and consent of instructor.

EES-712.     Environmental & Energy Economics II         Credit 3(3-0)

This course presents interrelationships of natural resource use and the environment. Topics covered include applied welfare and benefit-cost analysis, externalities and pollution abatement, and quantitative methodologies for analyzing energy, natural resource, and environmental problems. Prerequisites: EES 711.

EES-720.     Sustainable Energy Systems        Credit 3(3-0)

The course will cover the thermodynamic, mass and energy balance, economic, and environmental considerations of sustainable energy systems. Alternative energy technologies and conventional energy technologies will be compared.  Prerequisites: Graduate standing and consent of instructor.

EES 730.  Research Proposal Writing       Credit 3(3-0)

This course will guide the student to prepare a written research proposal that contains a thorough literature review, a clear hypothesis about an issue that has not been resolved in the literature, and appropriate methodologies for determining whether or not the hypothesis is correct. Throughout the course, emphasis will be placed on developing critical thinking and technical writing skills.   Prerequisites:  Graduate standing and consent of instructor.

EES 740.  Fundamentals of  Biomaterial Sciences & Bioprocess Systems       Credit 3(3-0)

This course introduces the science and engineering of converting biorenewable resources into bioenergy and biobased products. Topics covered include the core physical, chemical, and biological principles that underlie the synthesis and modification of biomaterials and associated biopolymers into novel materials.  Prerequisites:  Graduate standing and consent of instructor.

EES 741.  Biomaterials Characterization           Credit 3(3-0)

This course presents the analytical and spectroscopic techniques and tools available for examining molecular and macroscopic structural features of naturally occurring materials with emphasis on the lignocellulosic substrate. Topics covered will provide an appreciation for the fundamental principles behind the available techniques.  Prerequisites:  Graduate standing and consent of instructor.

EES 742.  Biomass Thermal Conversion Processes              Credit 3(3-0)

This course presents the available chemical and thermal methods and processes that are available to convert biomass into commodity chemicals and energy as part of a biorefinery concept. Topics covered include the conversion of biomass to specific end products or to complex mixtures of materials such as syngas and pyrolysis oils. Prerequisites:  Graduate standing and consent of instructor.

EES 743.  Biomass Biologibal Conversion Processes          Credit 3(3-0)

This course presents the available biological conversion methods and processes that are available to convert biomass into commodity chemicals and energy as part of a biorefinery concept. Topics covered will highlight the challenges of bioconversions in terms of cost, dewatering, and limited thermal and pH ranges.  Prerequisites:  Graduate standing and consent of instructor.

EES 744.  Environmental and Policy Studies of Biomass Use         Credit 3(3-0)

This course presents the ways in which biomass technological principles impinge upon policy issues. Topics covered include lifecycle analysis, management issues, public policy development, and principles of green engineering and sustainability.   Prerequisites:  Graduate standing and consent of instructor.

EES 750.  Physical Meterology            Credit 3(3-0)

This course presents physical principles related to atmospheric environmental systems, processes, and measurements. Topics covered include atmospheric thermodynamics, atmospheric radiation transfer, and cloud microphysical processes. Prerequisites:  Graduate standing and consent of instructor.

EES 751.  Dynamic Meterology            Credit 3(3-0)

This course presents classical and physical hydrodynamics. Topics covered include perturbation theory, scale analysis of dynamic equations, atmospheric boundary layers, atmospheric wave motions, the general circulation model, dynamics of tropical convections, middle atmosphere dynamics, atmospheric instabilities, and numerical weather forecasting.  Prerequisites:  Graduate standing and consent of instructor.

EES 752.  Climatology      Credit 3(3-0)

This course presents physical and chemical principles that influence climate. Topics covered include earth climate history and present-day climate, climate equilibrium, earth energy budget, climate in middle and high latitudes, climate change detection, and future climate scenarios.  Prerequisites:  Graduate standing and consent of instructor.

EES 753.  Numerical Weather Prediction            Credit 3(3-0)

This course presents the physical and mathematical basis for numerical weather prediction with computer experiments to demonstrate principles and techniques. Topics covered include derivation of sets of prediction equations consistent with scale analysis and dynamical constraints, atmospheric waves and filtered equations, numerical methods and computational instabilities, filtered and primitive equation models, and National Weather Service operational models. Prerequisites:  Graduate standing and consent of instructor.

EES 754.  Advanced Weather Analysis           Credit 3(3-0)

This course presents the evolution of physical and dynamic structure of synoptic and mesoscale storm systems occurring in middle and high latitudes. Topics covered include recent advances in understanding these storm systems through intensive field experiments and computer modeling. Prerequisites:  Graduate standing and consent of instructor.

EES 755.  Principles of Air Quality          Credit 3(3-0)

This course presents the chemical interactions, transport, and monitoring of trace gas, aerosol, and particulate pollutants in the atmosphere. Topics covered include risk assessment, health effects, regulations, air pollution statistics, estimation of emissions, air quality meteorology, dispersion modeling for non-reactive pollutants, and commonly used air quality models.  Prerequisites:  Graduate standing and consent of instructor.

EES-785.     Special Topics        Variable Credit 2(2-4)

This course allows the introduction of new topics on a trial basis. The topic of the course will be determined prior to registration. Prerequisites: Graduate standing and consent of instructor.

 EES-885.     Doctoral Special Topics                Credit 2(2-4)

This course allows the introduction of new topics on a trial basis at the doctoral level. The topic of the course will be determined prior to registration.  Prerequisites: Graduate standing and consent of instructor.

EES-990.     Doctoral Supervised Practicum        Credit 3(0-6)

This course represents the supervised internship for the doctoral student that satisfies the 3 credits of required professional development. Oral and written presentations on the experience will be provided to the faculty.  Grading is pass/fail evaluation only.  Prerequisites: Doctoral standing and consent of instructor.

EES-991.     Doctoral Qualifying Examination            Credit 0(0-1)

This course will guide the student to take the qualifying examination. The qualifying examination will consist of a written examination over the Energy & Environmental program core courses. Prerequisites: Doctoral standing and consent of instructor.

EES-992.     Doctoral Seminar           Credit 1(1-0)

This course includes presentations delivered by the doctoral students, faculty, and invited speakers on topics related to energy and environmental issues and research. Grading is pass/fail evaluation only.  Prerequisite: Doctoral standing.

EES-993.     Doctoral Supervised Teaching                Credit 3(1-4)

This course represents the supervised teaching for the doctoral student that satisfies the 3 credits of required professional development. This course introduces the doctoral student to classroom or laboratory teaching under the supervision of a faculty mentor.  Doctoral students who serve as teaching assistants or as instructors are required to take this course during the first semester they teach.  Grading is pass/fail evaluation only. Prerequisites: Doctoral standing and consent of instructor.

EES-994.     Doctoral Supervised Research              Variable Credit 3(3-9)

This course is supervised research under the mentorship of a member of the graduate faculty before a student passes the preliminary exam.  This research should lead to the identification of a dissertation topic and written research proposal. Prerequisites: Doctoral standing and consent of instructor.

EES-995.     Doctoral Preliminary Examination           Credit 3(3-0)

In this course dissertation advisors will guide their students towards completing the preliminary examination.  The preliminary examination will consist of a written proposal and oral defense of the student’s dissertation proposal.  Grading is pass/fail evaluation only.  Prerequisite: EES 991.

EES 996. Laboratory Internship             Credit 3(0-6)

This course allows a student to explore various research areas first-hand by performing multiple projects in different laboratories under the mentorship of members of the graduate faculty.  It should be taken before a student passes the qualifying exam.  Grading is pass/fail evaluation only.  Prerequisites:  Doctoral standing and consent of instructor.

EES-997.     Doctoral Dissertation           Variable Credit 3(3-9)

This course represents the supervised research leading to the dissertation for the doctoral student.  Doctoral dissertation research will be conducted under the supervision of the dissertation committee chairperson and include regular meetings with the dissertation committee to evaluate progress on the dissertation.  Prerequisite or Corequisite: EES 995.

EES-999.     Continuation of Doctoral Degree             Credit 1(1-0)

This course is a continuation of work toward the doctoral degree.  Grading is pass/fail evaluation only.  Prerequisites: Doctoral standing.