Environmental and Conservation Sciences
By the end of the second semester, the student and academic adviser will arrange for the appointment of a Graduate Supervisory Committee. For Ph.D. study, the Graduate Supervisory Committee will consist of at least four members of the NDSU graduate faculty. The committee must include the student's adviser, two additional ECS faculty members, and a Graduate School representative. One committee member must be from outside the student's home college.
For M.S. study, the Graduate Supervisory Committee will consist of at least three members of the NDSU graduate faculty and will include the student's adviser, an ECS faculty member and a faculty from outside the student's home college. The plan of study will be prepared by the student, in consultation with the major adviser, by the end of the first year in residence.
Master of Science in Environmental and Conservation Sciences
The total credits will be not less than 30 graduate credits, with at least 16 credits of graduate courses numbered 601-689, 691; 700-789, 791 or 800-889, 891 plus the ECS graduate seminar for 1 credit, and research credits (798) not fewer than 6 nor more than 10 thesis credits. The didactic credits must include at least 1 ECS cross-disciplinary course; 1 ECS track course and UNIV 720 Scientific Integrity. All M.S. students must complete a thesis and pass a final examination as described in The Graduate School Policies section of the Graduate Bulletin. An overall GPA of 3.0 or better must be maintained.
Doctor of Philosophy in Environmental and Conservation Sciences
Each Ph.D. student will complete at least 27 credits of didactic courses plus the ECS graduate seminar for 1 credit. The didactic courses will include: 3 core courses (9 credits), UNIV 720 Scientific Integrity, a minimum of 14-15 credits from a chosen track, and 2-3 credits of electives from another track or other NDSU courses numbered 601-689, 691; 700-789, 791 or 800-889, 891. The 15 track credits must be from at least 2 course categories. Two of the three courses must come from outside of the student's chosen track. Of the 27 didactic course credits, a total of 15 must be at the 700-800 level. A total of 90 credits are required.
For students entering the program with a Master’s Degree or previous graduate coursework, up to 12 credits of previous graduate work can transfer and be counted toward the 27 credits. Such transferred credits must be approved by the student’s supervisory committee, the program director and the Graduate Dean. The student must earn no fewer than 60 graduate credits at NDSU. Of these, no fewer than 15 credits must be at the 700 or 800 level (700-789, 791; 800-889 and 891).
Program Requirements
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Environmental Social Sciences Track | ||
ECON 681 | Natural Resource Economics | 3 |
ECS 770 | Environmental Law and Policy | 3 |
HIST 634 | Environmental History | 3 |
or HIST 710 | Research Seminar in North American History | |
or HIST 780 | Readings in World History | |
NRM 631 | National Environmental Policy Act & Environental Impact Assessment | 3 |
NRM 702 | Natural Resources Management Planning | 3 |
SOC 631 | Environmental Sociology | 3 |
Environmental Sciences Track | ||
CE 770 | Hazardous Waste Site Remediation | 3 |
GEOL 614 | Hydrogeology | 3 |
MICR 652 | Microbial Ecology | 3 |
PH 720 | Environmental Health | 3 |
Conservation Biology Track | ||
BOT 862 | 3 | |
BOT 864 | 3 | |
ZOO 675 | 3 | |
ZOO 850 |
CONSERVATIVE BIOLOGY TRACK - TOTAL 18 CREDITS
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Biodiversity | ||
Select 3-9 credits of the following: | ||
Wetland Science | ||
Aquatic Vascular Plants | ||
Systematic Entomology | ||
Agrostology | ||
ZOO 650 | ||
ZOO 652 | ||
ZOO 654 | ||
ZOO 658 | ||
Ecology and Evolution | ||
Select 3-9 credits of the following: | ||
Advanced Ecology | ||
Evolution | ||
BOT 660 | ||
BOT 862 | ||
BOT 864 | ||
Biological Control of Insects and Weeds | ||
Writing a Scientific Literature Review | ||
Quaternary Biology | ||
Microbial Ecology | ||
Intermediate Genetics | ||
Advanced Plant Genetics | ||
Quantitative Genetics | ||
Analysis Of Ecosystems | ||
Soils and Land Use | ||
Microclimatology | ||
ZOO 662 | ||
Limnology | ||
ZOO 850 | ||
ZOO 860 | ||
Aquatic Community Ecology | ||
Human Dimensions and Management | ||
Select 3-9 credits of the following: | ||
Anthropology and the Environment | ||
Advanced Organizational Communication I | ||
Water Quality Management | ||
Environmental Economics | ||
Global Policy Issues | ||
Politics of the Developing Countries | ||
Ecological Restoration | ||
ZOO 675 | ||
ZOO 676 | ||
ZOO 677 | ||
ZOO 850 | ||
Research Tools | ||
Select 3-9 credits of the following: | ||
Applied Hydrology | ||
Introduction to Geographic Information Systems | ||
Advanced Geographic Information Systems | ||
Biogeochemistry | ||
Advanced Biogeochemistry | ||
Field Design I | ||
Experimental Methods | ||
Range Plants | ||
Quantitative Methods | ||
Advanced Soil Genesis, Morphology and Classification | ||
Applied Regression Models | ||
Introduction to Experimental Design | ||
Nonparametric Statistics | ||
Meta-Analysis Methods | ||
Statistical SAS Programming | ||
Biostatistics | ||
Advanced Regression | ||
Survival Analysis |
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES TRACK-TOTAL 17 CREDITS
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Water Sciences | ||
Select 3-9 credits of the following: | ||
Resource Conservation and Irrigation Engineering | ||
Small Watershed Hydrology and Modeling | ||
Water & Wastewater Engineering | ||
Applied Hydrology | ||
Watershed Modeling | ||
Water Quality Management | ||
Advanced Water and Wastewater Treatment | ||
Ground Water and Seepage | ||
Watershed Water Quality Modeling | ||
Special Topics | ||
Quaternary Biology | ||
Limnology | ||
Soil and Solid Waste | ||
Select 3-9 credits of the following: | ||
Special Topics | ||
Solid and Hazardous Waste Management | ||
Hazardous Waste Site Remediation | ||
Soils and Land Use | ||
Soil Ecohydrology and Physics | ||
Advanced Soil Nutrient Cycling | ||
Environmental Management | ||
Select 3-9 credits of the following: | ||
Solid and Hazardous Waste Management | ||
Water Quality Management | ||
Advanced Organizational Communication I | ||
Ecological Restoration | ||
ZOO 675 | ||
ZOO 676 | ||
ZOO 677 | ||
Research Tools | ||
Select 3-9 credits of the following: | ||
Instrumentation & Measurements | ||
Special Topics | ||
Applied Hydrology | ||
Introduction to Geographic Information Systems | ||
Advanced Geographic Information Systems | ||
Biogeochemistry | ||
Advanced Biogeochemistry | ||
Evaluation of Engineering Data | ||
Range Plants | ||
Introduction to Experimental Design | ||
Applied Statistics | ||
Advanced Regression |
ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL SCIENCES TRACK-TOTAL 17 CREDITS
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Social Science Theory | ||
Select 3-9 credits of the following: | ||
Advanced Microeconomics | ||
Development of Anthropological Theory | ||
Communication Theory | ||
Game Theory and Strategy | ||
Theoretical Perspectives to the Study of Political Science | ||
Development Of Social Theory | ||
Social Theory | ||
Cultural and Behavioral Aspects | ||
Select 3-9 credits of the following: | ||
Applied Risk Analysis I | ||
Anthropology and the Environment | ||
Disaster and Culture | ||
History of Economic Thought | ||
Natural Resource Economics | ||
Environmental Economics | ||
Environmental History | ||
Global Policy Issues | ||
Environmental Policy and Politics | ||
Environmental Sociology | ||
Social Change | ||
International Disasters | ||
Management Techniques | ||
Select 3-9 credits of the following: | ||
Advanced Organizational Communication I | ||
Biogeochemistry | ||
National Environmental Policy Act & Environental Impact Assessment | ||
Environmental Impact Statement | ||
Rangeland Resources Watershed Management | ||
Terrestrial Resources Management | ||
Natural Resources Management Planning | ||
Wetland Resources Management | ||
Ecological Restoration | ||
Community Assessment | ||
City Logistics | ||
ZOO 675 | ||
ZOO 676 | ||
ZOO 850 | ||
Research Tools | ||
Select 3-9 credits of the following: | ||
Research Philosophy | ||
Analytical Methods for Applied Economics | ||
Advanced Ecology | ||
Research Methods in Communication | ||
Advanced Research Methods in Communication I | ||
Qualitative Research Methods in Communication | ||
Quantitative Research Methods in Communication | ||
Econometrics | ||
Advanced Econometrics | ||
Spatial Analysis in Emergency Management | ||
Literacy, Culture and Identity | ||
Topics in Rhetoric, Writing, and Culture | ||
Introduction to Geographic Information Systems | ||
Advanced Geographic Information Systems | ||
Experimental Methods | ||
Managing Natural and Rangeland Resources using GIS | ||
Analysis Of Ecosystems | ||
Qualitative Methods | ||
Quantitative Methods | ||
Applied Survey Sampling | ||
Applied Regression Models | ||
Introduction to Experimental Design | ||
Nonparametric Statistics | ||
Meta-Analysis Methods | ||
Statistical SAS Programming | ||
Applied Statistics | ||
Applied Regression and Analysis of Variance | ||
Biostatistics | ||
Advanced Regression | ||
Survival Analysis |
Preliminary Examinations for Doctoral Students
The written preliminary examination will cover the core areas for ECS and each of the core topic areas for the appropriate track. The preliminary examination will typically be taken in the middle of the third year. The written exam must be passed before the comprehensive oral examination can be scheduled.
The comprehensive oral examination will be taken no later than the end of the third year in residence. The examination will cover the topic areas for the appropriate track.
Dissertation Research
A proposal describing research suitable for preparation of a dissertation in Environmental and Conservation Sciences will be prepared in the format of a NSF Dissertation Improvement Grant. Alternative formats must be agreed to by the Graduate Supervisory Committee. The proposal will be submitted to the student's Graduate Supervisory Committee for review and approval. The dissertation must show originality and demonstrate the student's capacity for independent research.
Bakr Aly Ahmed, Ph.D.
Virginia Tech, 2001
Research Interests: Built Environment; Sustainable Architecture; Construction Technology; Urban Sustainability
Laura Aldrich-Wolfe, Ph.D.
Cornell University, 2006
Research Interests: Restoration Ecology; Conservation Biology; Fungal Community Ecology
F. Adnan Akyuz, Ph.D.
University of Missouri-Columbia, 1994
Research Interests: Applied Climatology and Microclimatology/Climate Based Agriculture
Allan C. Ashworth, Ph.D.
University of Birmingham, 1969
Research Interests: Quaternary Paleoecology, Paleoclimatology
Achintya Bezbaruah, Ph.D.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2002
Research Interests: Nanomaterials for Pollution Control, Recalcitrant and Micro Pollutants, Contaminant Fate and Transport, Small Community Water and Wastewater Treatment, Environmental Sensors, Environmental Management
Julia Bowsher, Ph.D.
Duke University, 2007
Research Interests: Evolutionary and Developmental Biology
Igathinathane Cannayen, Ph.D.
Indian Institute of Technology, 1997
Research Interests: Biomass Harvest, Storage, Collection and Pre-Processing
Frank X.M. Casey, Ph.D.
Iowa State University, 2000
Research Interests: Field and Laboratory Studies of Water Flow and Chemical Transport Processes
Amitava Chatterjee, Ph.D.
University of Wyoming, 2007
Research Area/Activity: Soil Fertility Management, Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Xuefeng (Michael) Chu, Ph. D.
University of California, Davis, 2002
Research Interests: Watershed Hydrologic and Environmental Modeling, Overland Flow and Infiltration, Integrated Modeling of Flow and Contaminant Transport
Larry Cihacek, Ph.D.
Iowa State University, 1979
Research Interests: Carbon Sequestration in Soils, Soil Physical Properties, Soil Management for Waste Disposal
Dennis Cooley, Ph.D.
University of Rochester, 1995
Research Interests: Ethics of Science
Aaron Daigh, Ph.D.
Iowa State University, 2013
Research Interests: Soil Physics, Transport in Soils, Soil Residue and Water Management, Crop Rotations, and Nutrient/Agrochemical/Industrial Byproduct Soil Amendment Impacts on Soil Physical Properties
Stephanie Day, Ph.D.
University of Minnesota, 2012
Research Interests: Fluvial Geomorphology, Slope Stability, Geospatial Sciences
Edward (Shawn) DeKeyser, Ph.D.
North Dakota State University, 2000
Research Interests: Wetland Ecology, Wetland Assessment and Monitoring, Invasive Species Ecology and Management, Native Prairie Restoration
Anne Denton, Ph.D.
University of Mainz, 1996
Research Interests: Data Mining, Bioinformatics, Scientific Informatics, Educational Technology, Model Building, Databases
Thomas M. DeSutter, Ph.D.
Kansas State University, 2004
Research Interest: Trace Gas Fluxes, Inorganic Soil Chemistry, Soil Environmental Conditions
Ned Dochtermann, Ph.D.
University of Nevada, Reno, 2009
Research Interests: Ecological and Evolutionary Causes and Consequences of Phenotypic Variation
Paulo Flores, Ph.D.
Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, 2008
Research Interests: Precision Agriculture, Unmanned Aerial Systems; Imagery analyses
Caley Gasch, Ph.D.
University of Wyoming, 2013
Research Interests: Soil ecology; Restoration; Conservation
Erin Gillam, Ph.D.
University of Tennessee, 2007
Research Interests: Behavioral ecology of bats, ecological and evolutionary basis of behavior in all animal groups, behavioral, ecological, and evolutionary factors influence the structure of animal communication signals and wildlife ecology and conservation.
Kendra Greenlee, Ph.D.
Arizona State University-Tempe, 2004
Research interests: Environmental and respiratory physiology of insects; insect immunology.
Timothy Greives, Ph.D.
Indiana University, 2009
Research Interests: Physiology and Behavior of Animals in Response to Environmental Signals
Ademola (Demmy) Hammed, Ph.D.
International Islamic University, 2014
Research Interests: Biotechnology Engineering; Agricultural Bioproducts
Jason Harmon, Ph.D.
University of Minnesota, 2003
Research Interests: Environmental change; ecosystem services; population and community ecology
Mark Harvey, Ph.D.
University of Wyoming, 1986
Research Interests: American West, Environmental History, Public History
Harlene Hatterman-Valenti, Ph.D.
Iowa state University, 1993
Research Interests: High-Value Crop Production
Robert R. Hearne, Ph.D.
University of Minnesota, 1995
Research Interests: Economic Analysis of Emerging Environmental and Resource Issues in the Northern Great Plains
Britt Heidinger, Ph.D.
Indiana University, 2007
Research Interests: Physiological Ecology, Senescence, Stress Physiology
David Hopkins, Ph.D.
North Dakota State University, 1997
Research Interests: Soil Formation and Chemistry
Tom Isern, Ph.D.
Oklahoma State University, 1977
Research Interests: History of Agriculture, History of Great Plains
Sivaguru Jayaraman, Ph.D.
Tulane University, 2003
Research Interests: Photocatalysis, Photochemistry, Green Chemistry
Xinhua Jia, Ph.D.
University of Arizona, 2004
Research Interests: Evapotranspiration, Subsurface drainage and Water quality
Dinesh Katti, Ph.D.
University of Arizona, 1991
Research Interests: Geotechnical Engineering, Constitutive Modeling of Geologic Materials, Expansive Soils, Multiscale Modeling, Steered Molecular Dynamics, Computational Mechanics, Nanocomposite, and Bio-nanocomposites. Computational Biophysics
Page Klug, Ph.D.
Kansas State University, 2009
Research Interests:Human-wildlife Interactions; Ecology; Birds; Snakes
Ben Laabs, Ph.D.
University of Wisconsin, 1999
Research Interests: Quaternary Geology; Glacial Geology; Cosmogenic Nuclides; Paleoclimate; Surface Processes
Trung Le, Ph.D.
University of Minnesota, 2011
Research Interests: Hydraulics; Fluid Mechanics; Numerical Methods For Fluid-Structure Interaction
Kenneth E. Lepper, Ph.D.
Oklahoma State University, 2001
Research Interests: Quaternary Geology and Age Dating
Wei Lin, Ph.D.
State University of New York at Buffalo, 1992
Research Interests: Water and Wastewater Treatment, Hazardous Waste Management
Zhulu Lin, Ph.D.
University of Georgia, 2003
Research Interests: Surface and Subsurface Hydrology and Modeling, Soil and Water Resources Management, Environmental Systems Analysis, Risk Identifications and Assessment, Geostatistics and Spatial Statistics
Guodong Liu, Ph.D.
Hunan University, 2001
Research Interests: Synthesis of Novel Nanomaterials, Biosensors, Bioassays
John McEvoy, Ph.D.
University of Ulster Northern Ireland, 2002
Research Interests: Cryptosporidium Virulence Factors and Mechanisms of Pathogenesis
Jennifer Momsen, Ph.D.
Rutgers University, 2007
Research Interests: Biology Education, Systems Thinking in Introductory Biology, Visualization, Assessing the Cognitive Level of STEM Courses
Bakr Mourad Aly Ahmed, Ph.D.
Virginia Tech., 2001
Research Interests: Sustainability Indicators and Implementation, Carrying Capacity Measurements, Coastal Development, Built Environment and Natural Resources Conservation
Jack Norland, Ph.D.
North Dakota State University, 2008
Research Interests: Restoration Ecology, Application of Remote Sensing to Natural Resource Management, Study of Natural Resources Management Problems in a Socio-ecological Setting
Nurun Nahar, Ph.D.
North Dakota State University, 2017
Research Interests: Biomass Conversion; Bioprocess Engineering; Biofuels
Peter Oduor, Ph.D.
University of Missouri - Rolla, 2004
Research Interests: Geographic Information Systems, Groundwater Flow Modeling, Groundwater Contamination
Marinus Otte, Ph.D.
Vrije Universiteit, 1991
Research Interests: Wetland ecology, Biogeochemistry, Ecophysiology and Ecotoxicology
Birgit Pruess, Ph.D.
Ruhr- Universitat Bochum, 1991
Research Interest: Microbial Physiology and Gene Regulation
Scott Pryor, Ph.D.
Cornell University, 2005
Research Interests: Biofuel Production from Cellulosic Feedstocks, Biobased Chemicals and Materials, Bioprocess Engineering, Process Optimization, Solid State and Liquid Fermentation Systems
Shafiqur Rahman, Ph.D.
University of Manitoba, 2004
Research Interests: Animal Waste Management, Biosolids Management, Air Quality, Water Quality, Composting
David A. Rider, Ph.D.
Louisiana State University, 1988
Research Interests: Insect Systematics, Biodiversity
David Ripplinger, Ph.D.
North Dakota State University, 2012
Research Interests: Energy Transport; Agricultural Economics
David C. Roberts, Ph.D.
Oklahoma State University, 2009
Research Interests: Evaluation and Design of Economically Efficient Tools and Policies for Pollution Control, Economic Valuation of Environmental and Ecological Attributes Through Revealed and Stated Preference Methods, Valuation of Environmental Risk, and Low-Impact and Precision Agriculture
Bernhardt Saini-Eidukat, Ph.D.
University of Minnesota, 1991
Research Interests: Environmental Geochemistry, Igneous Petrology, Economic Geology
Kalidas Shetty, Ph.D.
University of Idaho, 1989
Research Interests: Plant Science; Agriculture; Food Science; Human Nutrition; Public Health
Halis Simsek, Ph.D.
North Dakota State University, 2012
Research Interests: Bioenvironmental Engineering
Senay Simsek, Ph.D.
North Dakota State University, 2012
Research Interests: Bioenvironmental Engineering; Carbohydrate Chemistry; Cereal Science; Food Science And Technology
Todd Sirotiak, Ph.D.
Iowa State University
Research Interests: Construction Process Improvement; Sustainability
Matt Smith, Ph.D.
University Of Arkansas, 2012
Research Interests: Morphology; Physiological Ecology
Dean D. Steele, Ph.D.
University of Minnesota, 1991
Research Interests: Irrigation and Environmental Engineering
Craig A. Stockwell, Ph.D.
University of Nevada, 1995
Research Interests: Conservation Biology, Evolutionary Ecology of Native Fishes, Human-Wildlife Interactions
Linda Tackett, Ph.D.
University of Southern California, 2014
Research Interests: Norian (and Mesozoic, generally) Paleoecological, Taxonomic, and Environmental Dynamics
Steve E. Travers, Ph.D.
University of California, 1998
Research Interests: Plant Evolutionary Ecology
Cheryl Wachenheim, Ph.D.
Michigan State University, 1994
Research Interests: Eliciting Perceptions and Valuations from Consumers, Firms, Students and Other Stakeholders and Decision Makers
Alexander Wagner, Ph.D.
Oxford University, 1997
Research Interests: Lattice Boltzmann, Spinodal Decomposition, Viscoelasticity, Drop Deformation and Break-up in a Shear Flow, Wetting, Non-equilibrium Thermodynamics, Complex systems
Scott Wood, Ph.D.
Princeton University, 1985
Research Interests: Environmental Geochemistry, Radioactive Waste Disposal
Brian D. Wisenden, Ph.D.
University of Western Ontario, 1993
Research interests: Behavioral Ecology of Fishes, Chemical Ecology of Predator-Prey Interactions, Parental Care and Mating Systems