Environmental Hydrology and Water Resources

The Environmental Hydrology and Water Resources graduate program supports education in subjects that span a broad range of spatial and temporal scales. At nano- to micro-scales, water resources study is directed at water treatment and pollution-detection technologies as well as chemical and biological processes affecting the fate and transport of contaminants. At regional to continental scales, study is focused on hydrologic and climatic processes affecting the distribution of terrestrial moisture, which governs agricultural and municipal water supplies and affects the risk of flooding and drought. At intermediate scales, graduate study addresses water treatment and distribution systems, wastewater collection and treatment systems, urban runoff and flood control, rainfall and flood forecasting, contaminant transport in groundwater and surface water systems, and coastal water quality.

The program introduces students to systems analysis and modeling, process analysis and modeling, and economic analysis and modeling. Mathematical, computational, and experimental (both laboratory and field scale) approaches are adopted for analysis and modeling purposes. Admission to the program is nationally and internationally competitive. Financial support through research or teaching assistantships and a variety of fellowships and scholarships is available to qualified students.

Environmental Hydrology and Water Resources Faculty

Constantinos V. Chrysikopoulos, Professor (CEE)
   Ph.D., Stanford University
   Transport in porous media and environmental systems; stochastic geohydrology; applied mathematics.

James (Jay) Famiglietti, Professor (Earth System Science/CEE)
   Ph.D., Princeton University
   Hydrologic and climate system modeling.

Xiaogang Gao, Associate Adjunct Professor (CEE)
   Ph.D., University of Arizona
   Hydroclimatology; remote sensing; precipitation estimation.

Stanley B. Grant, Professor (Chemical Engineering and Materials Science)
   Ph.D., CalTech
   Microbial contaminants (viruses, bacteria, protozoa) in drinking water, urban runoff, and the coastal ocean.

Kuo-lin Hsu, Assistant Adjunct Professor (CEE)
   Ph.D., University of Arizona
   Hydrologic modeling; artificial neural network applications in hydrology.

Bisher Imam, Associate Adjunct Professor (CEE)
   Ph.D., University of Arizona
   Hydrologic modeling; artificial neural network applications in hydrology.

Brett F. Sanders, Associate Professor (CEE)
   Ph.D., University of Michigan
   Computational hydrodynamics; modeling river, estuarine and coastal waters; coastal water quality, flood control.

Jean-Daniel Saphores, Assistant Professor (Policy Planning and Design/CEE)
   Ph.D., Cornell University
   Environmental and natural resource economics.

Jan W. Scherfig, Professor Emeritus (CEE)
   Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley
   Waste-water treatment, reclamation, and reuse; water conservation; sewer exfiltration.

Soroosh Sorooshian, Distinguished Professor (CEE/Earth System Science)
   Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles
   Hydrologic systems; rainfall-runoff modeling; remote sensing.

Graduate Degree Programs

Students may pursue Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees in Civil Engineering, a degree program administered by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Alternatively, students may pursue Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees in Environmental Engineering (EnE), which is administered by the Henry Samueli School of Engineering. The EnE program is slightly more flexible for students with non-engineering undergraduate degrees. Students interested in Ph.D study under the advisement of a particular faculty member listed above should contact that person for guidance regarding the most appropriate degree program. Otherwise, students are encouraged to apply to the Civil Engineering degree program.

M.S. Degree Program in Civil Engineering

The Master of Science in Civil Engineering reflects an advanced level of competence for professional practice as demonstrated by the achievement of greater breadth than the bachelor's degree and by the development of some depth in a specific area of water resources and environmental engineering. Two plans are available to those working toward the M.S. degree: a thesis option and course work option. Opportunities are available for part-time study toward and M.S. degree.

Plan I: Thesis Option

The thesis option requires completion of 36 units of study (eight of which can be taken for study in conjunction with the thesis research topic); the completion of an original research project; the writing of the thesis describing it; and presentation of thesis research findings in a public seminar. Of the 36 units, a minimum of 20 units must be nonresearch, graduate-level courses (numbered 200-289).

Plan II: Course Work Option

The course work option requires the completion of 36 units of study, at least 30 of which must be in nonresearch graduate-level courses (numbered 200-289). The remaining six units may be earned as graduate-level course work, individual research (CE299) or upper-division undergraduate units.

A Program of Study form, approved by the student's faculty advisor, must be filed before the end of student's first quarter. An advancement to Candidacy form must be filed before the opening of the quarter in which the degree is to be conferred.

Ph.D. Degree Program in Civil Engineering

The Ph.D. degree indicates attainment of an original and significant research contribution to the state-of-the-art in the candidate's field and an ability to communicate advanced engineering concepts. The doctoral program is tailored to the individual needs of the student. The detailed program of study for each Ph.D. student is formulated in consultation with a Faculty Advisor, based upon mutual research interests, taking into consideration the objectives and preparation of the candidate. Students may select their own advisors. Students are required to obtain approval from their advisor of their program of study each quarter. it is the responsibility of the advisor to see that the student develops a broad foundation in the fundamentals of the student's general area, in addition to attaining a high degree of expertise in the student's area of specialty. Ph. D. degrees are usually earned within three to four years after the M.S. degree and must be completed within seven years.

There are no specific course requirements, but there are several milestones to be passed:

• Ph. D. Course Work
• Preliminary Examination
• Qualifying Examination
• Teaching Requirement
• Ph. D. Dissertation
• Final Dissertation Defense

The preliminary examination is designed to test the student's undergraduate and first year graduate engineering understanding relative to their preparation to do advanced study and research necessary for the Ph. D. The examination assesses the academic competence of each student to pursue the Ph. D. degree. The preliminary examination can be oral or written or a combination of the two. The preliminary exam is required of each student and must be taken prior to the start of the fourth quarter of residency in the Ph. D. program. The examination may be repeated once, but must be passed prior to the start of the seventh quarter of residency. If the preliminary exam is repeated, the second exam must cover the same topics and, except in unusual cases in which one or more of the original examining committee is unavailable, must be given by the same committee used in the first exam. Failure to complete this requirement will result in dismissal from the Ph. D. program. To take the preliminary examination students must submit a Ph. D. Preliminary Exam Form to their Faculty Advisor at least 4 weeks prior to the preliminary examination date. The completed form contains the following:

1. A list of graduate UCI courses and instructors that encompass the graduate level information to be covered on the examination (If the student has transferred from another institution, equivalent UCI courses must still be identified). This list should have at least three courses and meet any additional requirements that the CEE faculty in the specialization area require at the time of admission to the Ph. D. program. (c)
2. The overall GPA and the GPA in non-research courses. A transcript should be attached. (d)
3. The proposed Preliminary Examination Committee. This committee must have at least 3 members including the Faculty Advisor. Three members of the committee must be UCI CEE faculty. (e)

After approving the Preliminary Exam form, the Faculty Advisor will pass it on to the Graduate Advisor and the Department Chair for approval. The Department Chair will assign one of the committee members other than the Faculty Advisor to chair the Preliminary Examination. After the request is approved, the preliminary exam should be scheduled by the student.

Environmental Hydrology and Water Resources Courses

The following are undergraduate and graduate level courses that support the graduate program. For Civil Engineering students, up to six units of undergraduate course work can be counted towards the M.S. degree, while for Environmental Engineering students, up to eight units of undergraduate course work can be counted. All undergraduate courses are offered once per academic year. Most graduate-level courses are taught once per year while some are offered alternate years.

Undergraduate Courses

CEE 161 Water and Wastewater Treatment (Spring)
CEE 162 Introduction to Environmental Chemistry (Winter)
CEE 163 Advanced Treatment Processes (Spring)
CEE 168 Pollution Prevention and Waste Minimization (Winter)
CEE 170 Introduction to Fluid Mechanics (Fall)
CEE 171 Infrastructure Hydraulics (Winter)
CEE 172 Groundwater Hydrology (Fall)
CEE 176 Surface Water Hydrology (Spring)
CEE 178 River and Estuarine Flow (Fall)

Graduate Courses

CEE 262 Environmental Chemistry
CEE 263 Advanced Treatment Processes
CEE 267 Advanced Treatment Models
CEE 271 Flow in Unsaturated Porous Media
CEE 272 Stochastic Geohydrology
CEE 274A Transport Phenomena in Saturated Porous Media
CEE 274B Transport Phenomena in Unsaturated Porous Media
CEE 276 Surface Water Hydrology
CEE 277 Transport in Rivers and Estuaries
CEE 278 Flow in Rivers and Estuaries
CEE 279A Computations in Environmental Hydraulics
CEE 289B Computational in Subsurface Hydrology
CEE 283 Mathematical Methods in Engineering Analysis
New Courses Not Yet Numbered
CEE 2XX Hydrologic Systems (Winter)
CEE 2XX Hydrologic Modeling (Fall)
CEE 2XX Watershed Modeling (Winter)

A variety of courses outside Civil and Environmental Engineering may also be taken by students. Examples include the following: fluid dynamics and computational methods offered by the Department of Mechanics and Aerospace Engineering, transport phenomena and reactor design courses offered in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science; hydrology, meteorology, oceanography, atmospheric chemistry, and data analysis courses offered by the Department of Earth System Science in Physical Sciences; environmental economic, policy, and law courses offered by the Department of Policy, Planning, and Design in the School of Social Ecology; statistical analysis courses offered in the Department of Statistics in the School of Information and Computer Science.

Course Descriptions

(Presently under revision)

Further Information

For further information on the Water Resources program, the faculty contact for this area is:

Dr. Brett F. Sanders
Associate Professor and Graduate Advisor
Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering
University of California, Irvine
Irvine, CA 92697-2175
bsanders@uci.edu (E-Mail)
(949) 824-4327 (Phone)
(949) 824-3672 (Fax)

For a graduate application and financial aid information, please contact:

Lorrie Aguirre
Graduate Coordinator
Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering
University of California, Irvine
Irvine, CA 92697-2175
llaguirr@uci.edu (E-Mail)
(949) 824-2120 (Phone)
(949) 824-2117 (Fax)