Master of Science in Applied Geosciences
Tracks of Study
There are three areas of concentration within the Master of Science in Applied Geosciences Program. Students may also request to complete the degree with an individualized concentration, under the direction of an advisor.
Those students electing to concentrate in engineering geology study earth materials, processes, and structures to assure the safety, efficiency and economy of a wide range of construction projects. This concentration prepares students to conduct subsurface investigations for structures ranging from mid-size buildings to critical facilities such as power plants, dams and bridges. Graduates will conduct site studies to assure that proposed projects are built on suitable ground, avoiding land fills, karst landscapes, unstable soils or fault zones. They will join with architects and engineers to assure that project design is suitable for underlying geologic and hydrologic conditions. The engineering geology curriculum includes the study of clay mineralogy, soil mechanics, rock mechanics and geotechnics.
Those students electing to concentrate in environmental geology study the characterization and remediation of soil and water contamination. This concentration prepares students to characterize solubility, miscibility, density and health effects of specific substances and design removal or neutralization strategies in the interest of public health. In conjunction with hydrogeologists, graduates develop chemical, biological or mechanical means for removing or containing hazardous substances. They also participate in the design of solid waste disposal systems that characterize and treat solids, liquids and gasses that result from aerobic/anaerobic decomposition and groundwater seepage. The environmental geology curriculum includes organic geochemistry, soil chemistry, aqueous geochemistry and bioremediation.
Those students who elect to concentrate in hydrogeology study surface and subsurface water hydraulics. This concentration prepares students to conduct investigations of stream-channel capacity, configuration and dynamics, as well as measured and modeled groundwater flow. Graduates lead remediation efforts to identify and rectify groundwater contamination by locating and modeling contaminant plumes and using well data to identify point sources and flow directions. Further, they learn to design strategies to extract or contain contaminants using aquifer characteristics obtained from well and piezometer data. The hydrogeology curriculum includes the study of geochemistry, acquifer structure and stratigraphy, groundwater flow modeling and solute transport.