Graduate Program: Hydrology (MS)

General Information

Request Information
Program/Degree
Hydrology (MS)  
Program Description

The department offers a program leading to the Master of Science (M.S. Thesis option) degree with a major in hydrology. The faculty offers competence in hydrogeology, hydrogeochemistry, hydrometeorology, hydroclimatology, environmental hydrology, ground-water hydrology, surface-water hydrology, vadose zone hydrology, mathematical and statistical methods in hydrology (including stochastic and numerical modeling), water resources systems, and water resources policy.

The programs are designed for students with interests in the physical, chemical, and biological aspects of the hydrologic cycle, as well as water resources systems, environmental studies, or water policy and the social sciences related to water resources. Students may concentrate in one or a combination of these fields but should acquire some proficiency in all aspects of hydrology and water resources. Research-based M.S. study programs are individually planned to meet the student's special interests and professional objectives. More information about faculty research areas of expertise may be found at the department website, Research Focus Areas.

M.S. Thesis option applicants need not have completed an undergraduate degree in hydrology and water resources; however, previous study in this field or a related field is beneficial. The programs have been designed to enable students who have completed fundamental undergraduate mathematics and science course work to enter directly.

All M.S. Thesis option students are expected to acquire basic computer programming and coding skills, although these undergraduate units are not included in the Master's Plan of Study.

All M.S. students must complete a field methods-field synthesis course sequence: HWRS 513 A (Spring) and HWRS 513B (Summer Presession) for a total of 3 units.

To meet the professional development requirement, M.S. Thesis option students are required to enroll in the HAS department's weekly seminar-colloquium, HWRS 595A (1 unit), for at least one semester during academic residency. These units are not included in the Master's Plan of Study.

Each M.S. Thesis option student must complete fundamental (core) courses in hydrology and water resources unless equivalent graduate courses have been taken elsewhere. Consult with the Director of Graduate Studies-Hydrology regarding potential graduate transfer course work for the Master's degree. For the M.S. Thesis option, a research-based Master's Thesis is required. A Master’s Final Oral Examination is required. More program information is available at the HAS department website, Master of Science in Hydrology.

 

 
Department/Academic Unit(s)

The Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences offers graduate-level Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degree programs in three Majors: Atmospheric Sciences, Hydrology, and Hydrometeorology. You can read about the differences and similarities for these majors here.

To understand the depth and breadth of our teaching and research and learn how these complementary areas guide our efforts, read about our Research Focus Areas here.

Graduate Certificate: Available for Hydrology

Master of Science Non-Thesis Option: Available for Hydrology

Accelerated Master of Science: Combined Bachelor of Science and Master of Science programs are available for the following combinations:

  • UA BS Physics and MS  Atmospheric Sciences degrees
  • UA BS HAS-Atmo Emphasis and MS Atmospheric Sciences degrees
  • UA BS HAS-Environmental Hydrology Emphasis and MS Hydrology degrees

Doctoral Minors: Doctoral Minors are available for Atmospheric Sciences and Hydrology

You can find more information about these programs and review Program Guides and Summary Pages for all degree programs here.

 
College

College of Science

 
Campus where offered

University of Arizona - Main - Tucson

 
Contacts
Admissions Contact
Lupe Romero
520-621-6831
Graduate Program Coordinator
Lupe Romero
520-621-6831
Director of Graduate Studies
Martha P L Whitaker
520-621-9715
Graduate College Degree Counselor
Kristi R Davenport
520-626-1930
 
Tuition and Fees
Please refer to the UA Bursar's Office Tuition and Fees Calculator for up-to-date information about tuition and fees. 
Please refer to the UA Registrar's's Office Special Course Fees for up-to-date information about special course fees. 

Admissions Information

Admissions Requirements

Applications for Fall Semester admission must be completed by January 15.

Applications for Spring Semester admission must be completed by August 1 (for any student requiring a visa) or October 1 (for any student not requiring a visa).

INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS:The GRE is required for international applicants.  If GRE scores are close to the minimum required, we recommend you apply. Other factors in your application may help mitigate the minimum score requirement.

DOMESTIC APPLICANTS: The GRE is not required for domestic applicants, (U.S. citizens and those with U.S. resident status).

Required: Applicants should upload required documents to the Graduate College application, including a Statement of Research Interests; a Resume or Curriculum Vitae; Three Letters of Recommendation (instructions provided); copy of Transcripts for all colleges and universities attended; Diploma Certificates (international applicants). All of these documents may be uploaded and attached to the Graduate College online application.

At the Graduate College website, click on Apply-Now to begin your application.

Undergraduate course prerequisites in science and mathematics must be completed with a grade of C (or equivalent) or higher. Grades of D or lower are considered to be deficient. Courses include:

  • Physical Geology: 1 semester
  • College Chemistry: 2-semester sequence, Inorganic/Analytical
  • College Physics: 2-semester sequence, 1 course in Mechanics; 1 course in Electricity/Magnetism or Optics/Thermodynamics
  • Fluid mechanics: 1 semester
  • Mathematics: Calculus 1, Calculus 2, Vector Calculus, Introduction to Ordinary Differential Equations
  • Engineering Statistics or Probability Theory: 1 semester
 
Standardized Tests

International Students Only:

Required test(s): GRE
Required GRE Subject tests: None
Recommended tests:
Recommended GRE Subject tests:
Minimum GRE Verbal:
Minimum GRE Quantitative: 155
Minumum GRE Written: 4.5
Minimum GMAT:
Minimum MAT:
Minimum TOEFL: 550
Minimum IELTS: 7

 
Funding Opportunities

Graduate Assistantship in Research
Graduate Assistantship in Teaching
Fellowships

 
Admissions Deadlines

Domestic Applicants:

  • Fall: January 15
  • Spring: October 1

International Applicants:

  • Fall: January 15
  • Spring: August 1
 
International Conditional Admission

International applicants may be considered for conditional admission to this program at the department's discretion.

Other Information
The GRE Institution Code for The University of Arizona is 4832

ETS Major Field Code(s) for this program: 1699

Completion Requirements

Minimum Credit Units

31 

Core Coursework Requirements

Minimum credits: 31

Master's Core coursework (6 units required):

  • HWRS 518 Fundamentals in Subsurface Hydrology (3)
  • HWRS 519 Fundamentals in Surface Hydrology (3)

Master's Core coursework (6 units required):

  • HWRS 517A Fundamentals of Water Quality (3)
  • HWRS 528 Fundamentals: Systems Approach to Hydrologic Modeling (3)
  • (Optional) One of the following three courses may be substituted for 517A OR 528 (but not both):
    • HWRS/AREC 575 Economics of Water, Environmental Markets/Policies (3), HWRS/AREC 576 Natural Resources Law and Economics (3), OR HWRS/LAW 641 Water Law (3)

Language requirements: None

Other requirements: 1) HWRS Primary Faculty Advanced Elective Requirement:

Advanced elective course work (12 units total) must be approved by the department. While the study of hydrology and water resources is interdisciplinary in nature, not all crosslisted courses may be used in the Master's Plan of Study. (Crosslisted courses are those in which HWR is not the home department and the course instructors reside in other departments.) Students must complete at least 9 of 12 required units with HWRS Primary Faculty instructors. More information about required courses and pre-approved non-HWRS department courses is available in the HAS department's Master of Science Program Guide. See Elective Coursework section below.

2) Field Methods-Field Synthesis course sequence requirement (3 units required):
  • HWRS 513A Field Methods (2) Spring
  • HWRS 513B Field Synthesis (1) Summer Presession
 
 
Elective Coursework

Advanced elective course work (12 units total) must be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies-Hydrology. While the study of hydrology and water resources is interdisciplinary in nature, not all crosslisted courses in the catalog may be used in the Master's Plan of Study. (Crosslisted courses are those in which HWR is not the home department and the course instructors reside in other departments.) Students must complete at least 9 of 12 required units with HWRS Primary Faculty instructors. More information about required courses and pre-approved non-HWRS department courses is available in the HAS department's Master of Science Program Guide.

Potential courses include (3-unit Lecture format unless noted otherwise):

  • HWRS 503 Subsurface Fluid Dynamics
  • HWRS 504 Numerical Methods in Subsurface Hydrology
  • HWRS 505 Vadose Zone Hydrology
  • HWRS 516 Hydrologic Transport Processes
  • HWRS 521 Water Resources Systems, Planning, Management
  • HWRS 524 Hydroclimatology
  • HWRS 531 Hydrogeology (Lecture and Lab, 4 units total)
  • HWRS 532 Hydrogeology Laboratory (3-unit Lab format)
  • HWRS 535 Advanced Subsurface Hydrology
  • HWRS 543A Risk Assessment
  • HWRS 549 Statistical Hydrology
  • HWRS 555 Introduction to Remote Sensing
  • HWRS 570 Computer Simulation of Water Quality Processes
  • HWRS 573 Hydrology in Water Resources Management
  • HWRS 580 Isotope Tracers in Hydrology
  • HWRS 582 Groundwater Modeling
  • HWRS 596G Water-Rock-Microbial Processes
  • HWRS 603 Well Hydraulics Analysis
  • HWRS 630 Advanced Catchment Hydrology
  • HWRS 642 Analysis Hydrologic Systems
  • HWRS 645 Stochastic Methods in Subsurface Hydrology
  • HWRS 655 Stochastic Methods in Surface Hydrology
  • Other course approved as elective by Director of Graduate Studies (e.g. new course in catalog)
 
Additional Requirements

Professional Development Requirements:

  • Enrollment for 1 unit in HWRS 595A (Colloquium) at least one semester during academic residence
    • You may enroll more than one semester, but this is not required
    • Do not include unit(s) on Plan of Study
  • Presentation (oral or poster format) of thesis research at an approved regional, national, or international conference
    • Submit details of presentation to the Director of Graduate Studies-Hydrology and include the name, date, and location of the conference, the title of the presentation, and the format type (oral or poster)
    • Submit URL of the conference program or hard copy documentation with the presentation listing

Final Oral Exam (Defense of Thesis)

  • Committee membership (faculty members) must be approved by department

Thesis Archival

  • Archival of the thesis manuscript with the Graduate College is required
 
Student Handbook

Please refer to the Graduate Student Handbook for students who are pursuing this program of study.

 

Program StatisticsInformation about these numbers

Program-level Information
Application Acceptance Rate 48.57%
Med. Time-to-degree (years) 2.50
 
Department-level Information
Enrollment Percent Male 50%
Enrollment Percent Female 50%
Enrollment Percent International 22.73%
Enrollment Percent URM 9.09%

Back to statistics
Persistent link:
Last revised 11 Feb 2021