Master's of Science in Environmental Engineering

The Master of Science in Environmental Engineering is a multi-discipline degree program designed for students from a multitude of academic areas.

Program Objectives

The objectives of the M.S.En.E. program are to prepare graduates for careers in environmental engineering practice with government agencies, engineering firms, or industries and to provide a foundation for continued study at the post-masters level.

Primary Areas of Faculty Research

Water treatment and distribution; waste-water collection and treatment; soil and groundwater remediation; surface and ground water quality; environmental and hydrologic modeling; animal waste management; non-point source pollution prevention; watershed management; reactor design and biomass energy; energy systems including heat transfer; thermodynamics and liquid-vapor phase change; bacterial tracers for evaluating movement through fractured subsurface strata.

Admission Criteria

In addition to the requirements of the Graduate School, the following are the minimum criteria for admission to the M.S.En.E. degree program:

  • GPA: 3.00 or higher
  • GRE Scores: No less than 302 (verbal + quantitative) and 3.5 analytical writing

Requirements

Accreditation of the M.S.En.E. program by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) requires candidates to fulfill some baccalaureate degree requirements in non-engineering and engineering undergraduate courses.  Candidates must complete the State of Arkansas Minimum Core Curriculum for baccalaureate degrees, which includes American History, Government, English Composition, Higher Mathematics, Science, Humanities & Fine Arts, and Social Sciences.  Regardless of undergraduate discipline, each candidate must complete a number of basic undergraduate engineering courses.  In general, graduates of ABET accredited engineering programs will have already completed most, if not all, of these courses.  However, the prerequisite requirements for graduates of programs other than engineering can be quite significant  All M.S.En.E. degree candidates, regardless of previous degree status, must demonstrate completion of the Basic Engineering Education and Environmental Engineering breadth requirements listed below.  The cumulative grade-point average on basic engineering education and environmental engineering breadth courses must be at least 2.70. 

Candidates who do not possess a degree from a program accredited by ABET must also satisfy the basic level ABET accreditation requirement.  These include completion of no less than 32 credit hours of university-level mathematics and science, and 48 credit hours of approved engineering topics.  Candidates must also demonstrate to the satisfaction of the student's graduate study committee, that he/she possess the abilities and characteristics required of graduates from ABET accredited engineering programs.  This shall include the completion of a course that concentrates on a major design project which results in the production of a design report or other design product as appropriate. The design project must build on and require engineering knowledge and skills from previous course work and must incorporate engineering standards and realistic constraints. The course selected to satisfy this requirement is subject to the approval of the student’s graduate study committee.

Exceptions to these degree requirements may be requested by means of a petition outlining the reasons for the exceptions and presenting an alternate plan for completing the program. The petition shall be subject to the approval of the student’s graduate study committee, program faculty, and the Director of the M.S.En.E. program.  Credit for courses taken at another institution is subject to the approval of the Director of the M.S.En.E. program. In particular, advanced engineering courses (3000, 4000, and 5000-level at the University of Arkansas) normally will not be accepted for transfer from institutions or degree programs that are not accredited by ABET.

Students should also be aware of Graduate School requirements with regard to master's degrees.