The Environmental Engineering PhD program focuses on pollution control, pollution prevention, and the correction of pollution effects on natural and man-made environments preparing students for careers in environmental engineering with consulting firms; with industry; within federal, state, and local governments; and/or in higher education.
Areas of study include drinking water treatment, astute treatment, solid and hazardous waste management, atmospheric pollution control and modeling, environmental water resources, and stormwater management. The program's mission is to prepare students for careers in environmental engineering with consulting firms; with industry; within federal, state, and local governments; and/or in higher education.
The program offers an intensive, individually tailored research program suitable for the development of an academic or similar research-oriented career. Graduates of the program will have technical knowledge in critical areas of environmental engineering, critical thinking skills, formed and maintained partnerships with industry, government agencies, and professional organizations, and have developed an awareness of the changing environmental needs of society and the global environment.
The Accelerated MS-to-PhD Track requires completion of 42 credit hours, of which 15 credit hours minimum must be formal coursework, exclusive of directed research (XXX 6918), thesis (XXX 6971), doctoral research (XXX 7919), and independent study (XXX 6908), and 15 credit hours minimum of dissertation research (XXX 7980). No more than 12 credit hours of doctoral research (XXX 7919) may be taken toward fulfilling the degree program of study coursework requirements. Applicants to this track must have already earned an MS degree in Environmental Engineering or a closely related discipline and are seeking higher level graduate education and research training. Students are expected to pass the qualifying examination(s) in the first year assuming they have taken five courses.
Total Credit Hours Required: 42 Credit Hours Minimum beyond the Master's Degree
Track Prerequisites
A master's degree in Environmental Engineering or a closely related discipline. Those with a non-related MS degrees will need to take articulation courses (i.e. undergraduate courses to prepare students for engineering graduate classes). Articulation classes are meant to be taken in the first semester and beyond depending how many hours each student is assigned. The list of possible articulation courses (the maximum possible) is shown below:
Calculus and Differential Equations
- MAC 2311 Calculus with Analytical Geometry 1 (C or higher)
- MAC 2312 Calculus with Analytical Geometry 2 (C or higher)
- MAC 2313 Calculus with Analytical Geometry 3 (C or higher)
- MAP 2302 Ordinary Differential Equations 1 (C or higher)
Senior Level Design Courses in Environmental Engineering (5 courses)
- ENV 4531 Environmental Engineering Operations and Processes (3 hrs.: C or higher)
ENV 4561 Advanced Environmental Engineering Operations and Processes (3 hrs.) Note- ENV 4531 is a prerequisite
- ENV 4120 Air Pollution and Hazardous Waste Control (3 hrs.)
- CWR 4202C Hydraulics (3 hrs.: C or higher)
CWR 4120 Hydrology (3 hrs.) Note – CWR 4202C is a prerequisite
Degree Requirements
0 Total Credits
- The Doctor of Philosophy degree track in this field requires successful completion of a minimum of 42 credit hours at the graduate level beyond MS and the successful defense of a PhD dissertation. Specifically, the accelerated MS-to-PhD track requires: (1) 15 credit hours minimum must be formal coursework, exclusive of directed research (XXX 6918), thesis (XXX 6971), doctoral research (XXX 7919), and independent study (XXX 6908). All 15 hours must be taken at UCF. (2) 15 credit hours minimum must be dissertation research (ENV 7980). (3) No more than 12 credit hours doctoral research (ENV 7919) may be taken toward fulfilling the degree program of study coursework requirements. (4) Successful completion of the PhD Qualifying Examination. (5) Successful completion of the Candidacy Examination. (6) Successful completion of defense of the Doctoral Dissertation.
Required Courses
6 Total Credits
Required Courses- Complete all of the following
- Complete any two courses that you did not already take for your MS degree from the following list.
- Complete at least 2 of the following:
- ENV6015 - Physical/Chemical Treatment Systems in Environmental Engineering (3)
- ENV6016 - Biological Treatment Systems in Environmental Engineering (3)
- ENV6558 - Industrial Waste Treatment (3)
- ENV5410 - Water Treatment (3)
- EES5318 - Industrial Ecology (3)
- ENV6106 - Theory and Practice of Atmospheric Dispersion Modeling (3)
- ENV6126 - Design of Air Pollution Controls (3)
- ENV5636 - Environmental and Water Resources Systems Analysis (3)
- ENV6047 - Environmental Informatics and Remote Sensing (3)
Elective Courses
9 Total Credits
- Earn at least 9 credits from the following types of courses: • Earn at least 9 credits from XXX 5000- or XXX 6000-level elective courses approved by the student's adviser. The electives can be from Engineering and Computer Science courses, where XXX is EAS, EEE, EEL, COP, CEN, CIS, COT, CDA, CNT, CAP, EGM, ESI, BME, EML, EIN, CGN, CWR, TTE, CEG, CES, CCE, ENV, EES, EMA, or OSE; or from course prefixes outside the College, where XXX can be CHM, CHS, PHY, PHZ, GIS, ANG, POS, SYA, CCJ, BCH, BSC, HMG, HSC, MAA, MAD, MAP, MAS, MAT, MCB, MTG, PAD, PCB, STA, or ZOO.
Doctoral Research Hours
12 Total Credits
- Earn at least 12 credits from the following types of courses: Doctoral Research (XXX 7919) - 12 credit hours maximum (more than 12 research credit hours can be taken, but only a maximum of 12 credit hours will be counted toward the program of study).
Dissertation
15 Total Credits
- Earn at least 15 credits from the following types of courses: ENV 7980.
Examinations
0 Total Credits
- Complete all of the following
Qualifying Examination- The first is the PhD Qualifying Examination in one of the departmental disciplines. This written examination must be taken within the first year of admission into the PhD program. It may be attempted no more than twice.
Candidacy Examination- Students must pass a Candidacy Examination. The candidacy examination is normally taken after, or near, the end of the course work and Doctoral Research (ENV 7919) combined. The examination consists of a written and oral presentation of a research proposal based on the student’s dissertation topic and possibly some preliminary data. The examination may include additional written or oral questioning by the committee, and committee members have the authority to require additional coursework if they see deficiencies that can be addressed in this way. A copy of the written examination will be kept as part of the student's official record.
Dissertation Defense Examination- The Dissertation Defense Examination is an oral examination taken as defense of the written dissertation. The College of Engineering and Computer Science requires that all dissertation defense announcements be approved by the student's adviser and posted on the college's website and on the College of Graduate Studies Events Calendar at least two weeks before the defense date. The two-week deadline is strictly enforced, and if late the defense date will have to be rescheduled to meet this obligation.
Admission to Candidacy- The following are required to be admitted to candidacy and enroll in dissertation hours. Evidence of meeting these requirements must be received by the College of Graduate Studies on the Friday before the first day of classes for those who wish to enroll in dissertation hours in that semester: • Completion of all but 6 hours, or less, of course work, except for dissertation hours. • Successful completion of the candidacy examination. • The dissertation advisory committee is formed, consisting of approved graduate faculty and graduate faculty scholars. • Submittal of an approved program of study.
Grand Total Credits: 42
Financial Information
Graduate students may receive financial assistance through fellowships, assistantships, tuition support, or loans. For more information, see the College of Graduate Studies Funding website, which describes the types of financial assistance available at UCF and provides general guidance in planning your graduate finances. The Financial Information section of the Graduate Catalog is another key resource.
Fellowship Information
Fellowships are awarded based on academic merit to highly qualified students. They are paid to students through the Office of Student Financial Assistance, based on instructions provided by the College of Graduate Studies. Fellowships are given to support a student's graduate study and do not have a work obligation. For more information, see UCF Graduate Fellowships, which includes descriptions of university fellowships and what you should do to be considered for a fellowship.
- Elective courses must be approved by the student’s faculty adviser and the graduate coordinator.
- Doctoral Research (XXX 7919) - 12 credit hours maximum (more than 12 research credit hours can be taken, but only a maximum of 12 credit hours will be counted toward the program of study).
- Directed Research (XXX 6918) and Independent Study (XXX 6908) are not permitted in the accelerated MS-to-PhD track.
Equipment Fee
Full-time students in the Environmental Engineering PhD program pay a $16 equipment fee each semester that they are enrolled. Part-time students pay $8 per semester.
Independent Learning
The Independent Learning Requirement is met by successful completion of the student's candidacy and dissertation defense examinations.
