ENVE Graduate Program
The New Mexico Tech Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering offers a Master of Science degree in Environmental Engineering. The department does not yet offer a graduate degree in civil engineering.
Departmental Requirements for the Master of Science (M.S.) Degree in Environmental Engineering
Please note: GRE Exam scores are not required for students educated at United States universities.
The Environmental Engineering graduate program at New Mexico Tech provides a unique educational and research experience in the engineering and science of the natural environment and environmental protection. The plan of study and research is suited to each individual, drawing upon the strengths of the student, taking advantage of program capabilities, and complementing research activities within and outside New Mexico. Depending upon resource availability, students may choose an area of specialization or they may pursue a broad environmental engineering education. A thesis or independent study is required to complete the degree. General requirements common to all Master of Science degree curricula also apply.
Admission to the Master of Science in Environmental Engineering program requires competence in mathematics, chemistry, biology, physics, and engineering science, comparable to the Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering. The department chair or an advisory committee will the scholastic record of every entering student to evaluate if any deficiencies exist in their education background. For example, students entering the program without an engineering degree may be required to take additional course work, in such areas as fluid mechanics, heat & mass transfer, and differential equations before being granted a M.S. in Environmental Engineering. It is up to the student and his or her faculty advisor and graduate committee to determine the specific plan of study for the student after the first semester of graduate work. Transfer credit for courses taken at another accredited institution will be evaluated on an individual basis.
Thesis Option
A total of 30 credit hours are required for a M.S. in Environmental Engineering, which must include a minimum of 18 credit hours of ENVE coursework, and 6 credit hours of ENVE 591 (thesis). All students, regardless of specialization, must take ENVE 501 (3) and ENVE 503 (3). In additional to the required courses, students may specialize in one of several areas (listed below). Courses for the Broad ENVE track will be offered at least once within a two year period. Courses for the other areas of specialization will be offered upon sufficient demand.
Recommended Course Sequences for Areas of Specialization:
- Broad - ENVE 413 (3), 501 (3), 503 (3), 512 (3), 520 (3), 521 (3), 591 (6), technical electives (6)
- Water Quality Engineering and Science - ENVE 501 (3), 503 (3), 510 (3), 511 (3), 512 (3), 591 (6), technical electives (9)
- Hazardous Waste Engineering - ENVE 501 (3), 503 (3), 520 (3), 521 (3), 522 (3), 591 (6), technical electives (9)
- Air Quality Engineering and Science - ENVE 413 (3), 501 (3), 503 (3), 530 (3), 535 (3), 591 (6), technical electives (9)
Students must take ENVE 551 every semester that they are enrolled on-campus; however, since the course is graded on a S/U basis, the course does not count towards the graduation requirements.
Students may substitute courses in the specialization areas with the approval of their graduate committee; however they still must adhere to the general M.S. degree guidelines. All technical electives must be approved by the student's advisory committee.
Independent Study Option
A student may petition the department with the approval of the Department Chair to pursue a Master of Science degree with an independent study option. Candidates for the non-thesis Master of Science option must complete a minimum of 30 credit hours, of which 3 credit hours must be independent study (ENVE 590), and a minimum of 18 credit hours must be 400-level or 500-level Environmental Engineering lecture or laboratory courses. The student’s course of study must be approved by the student’s advisory committee, and it must fulfill the other requirement of the M.S. in Environmental Engineering degree program with the exception of 6 credit hours of thesis (ENVE 591).
Graduate Courses
ENVE 501, Physicochemical and Biological Processes, 3 cr, 3 cl hrs
Fundamentals of physical, chemical, and microbial processes in natural and engineered remedial systems. Phase interactions, chemical transformations, transport phenomena, and separation processes in the natural and engineered systems. Characteristics of microorganisms, microbial ecology, biokinetics, and nutrient requirements. The role of microorganisms in treatment processes and the monitoring and enhancement of in-situ activity.
ENVE 503, Environmental Risk Assessment, 3 cr, 3 cl hrs
Multi-disciplinary approaches required to develop credible risk analysis within the U.S. regulatory and social framework. Philosophical contexts, regulatory framework, and economic implications. Components of risk and performance assessments, including source term, contaminant transport, exposure, and consequences. Computer models and case studies.
ENVE 510, Advanced Water Chemistry, 3 cr, 3 cl hrs
Advanced study of physical and organic chemistry as applicable to natural water bodies and water and wastewater treatment. Chemical cycles, equilibrium chemistry, chemical thermodynamics, reaction kinetics, precipitation and dissolution, oxidation and reduction, colloidal and surface chemistry, complexation phenomena, electroneutrality, mass balances, and transport and fate of chemical species. Relevance of these topics to water quality control are discussed.
ENVE 511, Water Quality Management and Control, 3 cr, 3 cl hrs
Fundamentals of water quality, including water bodies and their natural setting, water uses and waste input, and water quality cause-effect relationships. Water quality parameters, criteria, and standards; principles of water quality systems analysis, both in the formulation and application of water quality models; engineering controls and socio-economic concepts of water quality management and control, including cost/benefit analysis and management modeling.
ENVE 512, Industrial Water and Wastewater Treatment, 3 cr, 3 cl hrs
Advanced study of treatment unit operations and processes within industry-specific water and wastewater situations. Process design, specifications, and costing of physical, chemical, or biological technology to meet a particular treatment objective. Subject matter is developed through references to current practice, critique of completed designs, design exercises, and field trips.
ENVE 520, Hazardous Waste Site Remediation, 3 cr, 3 cl hrs
Design and specification of various physical, chemical, thermal, and biological technologies commonly used in the cleanup of hazardous waste sites. Special emphasis on innovative and emerging technologies for site remediation. Proper sampling and monitoring procedures. Emergency technology in hazardous waste management.
ENVE 521, Green Engineering, 3 cr, 3 cl hrs
Evaluating the full range of environmental effects associated with products and services from raw materials acquisition and manufacturing to use and disposal. Industrial processes, potential waste minimization procedures, relevant regulations as well as life-cycle analysis. ENVE 421 and 521 share lectures, but 521 is graded separately and additional graduate-level work is required.
ENVE 522, Geotechnical Waste Containment Design, 3 cr, 3 cl hrs
Design procedures consisting of waste disposal methods, various containment systems, and associated remediation techniques. Waste characterization and soil-waste interactions, contaminant transport in low permeability soils, geosynthetics and soil materials use in waste containment, remedial issues of solidification and stabilization and barrier design, and landfill- and surface impoundment-related design, including liners, leachate and gas collection and removal, final covers, static and seismic slope stability, and settlement analysis. Geotechnical problem definition, application of field and laboratory test data, use of computer models for analysis and design.
ENVE 530, Advanced Air Pollution Engineering, 3 cr, 3 cl hrs
Application of basic pollution control techniques to a variety of source categories, including industrial and mobile sources. State-of-the-art and developing technologies such as catalytic combustion, advanced oxidation, and bioremediation. Classroom presentations and a semester-long design project.
ENVE 535, Transport and Fate of Air Pollutants, 3 cr, 3 cl hrs
Development and application of theories and techniques to predict the movement and dilution of air pollutants after emission from a pollutant source. Basics of meteorology in relation to descriptions of atmospheric motion and stability. Examination of the different types of atmospheric dispersion models (Gaussian, Eulerian, and Lagrangian). Aerosol formation mechanisms and formation of gaseous pollutants in the troposphere.
