Hydrology Technical Option

Administered by the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources

Part of an inter-college master’s degree entitled Natural Resources, the Hydrology Option (NRH) couples the Natural Resources core courses in natural resources policy and management with a series of hydrology and related courses. The Master of Science in Natural Resources, Hydrology Option (thesis option) consists of 34 credit hours of courses plus a thesis research project (4 credit hours). The Master of Natural Resources, Hydrology Option (non-thesis option) consists of 37 credit hours of courses plus a master’s project (2 credit hours).

The purpose of the technical option in Hydrology is to educate professionals at the master’s degree level who understand the hydrologic processes of watersheds and wetlands, are skilled at conducting hydrologic studies and directing watershed management programs, and are well-versed in water resources policy and regulation. The courses specific to the NRH option are taught in several different departments and provide a broad hydrology background with a rigorous quantitative emphasis. Enrollment in the hydrology option requires a Natural Resources related undergraduate degree with a rigorous math and science base.

Job Opportunities

Many of the mid-level management positions in federal and state agencies, private companies, and environmental organizations require individuals with expertise in a technical area coupled with a broad knowledge of policy and management. Students completing a master’s degree in Natural Resources with a technical option in Hydrology will be prepared for positions with federal land management agencies like the USDA Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; with federal and state regulatory agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the North Carolina Division of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources; with private companies that hold and manage large areas of land; with private consulting firms; and with many other public and private organizations that deal with the hydrologic impacts of land use and climate change.  

Faculty Contacts

April James,  april_james@ncsu.edu, 919.513.2511

Elizabeth Nichols, elizabeth_nichols@ncsu.edu, 919.515.4832

Ted Shear, ted_shear@ncsu.edu, 919.515.7794

Prerequisites

Qualifications required for acceptance in both the thesis and non-thesis degree options include: (1) undergraduate degree in a natural resources field with a rigorous background in mathematics and science, (2) minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.00, and (3) minimum GRE score of 1100 with a minimum quantitative score of 600. All Master of Science applicants who are accepted will be considered for competitive departmental research assistantships and for any available research assistantships in the department’s hydrology research program.

Master of Natural Resources Core Curriculum (required*)

Hydrology Option: Master of Science (MS) (thesis option) 22 credit hours

Hydrology Option: Master of Natural Resources (MNR) (non-thesis option) 23 credit hours

*Requests for variation from the listed Technical Option Core curriculum can be considered and approved by a student’s MS or MNR committee. 

Course Sequence

A typical sequence for the required courses in a four semester program is shown below. Soil Physics (SSC 511) and the hydrology courses (FOR 520, BAE 573, & MEA 585) should be taken in the order shown. FOR 603 should be taken the first spring semester in residence. Sequencing of the other courses may be altered to suit each student’s situation.  Students on assistantship will normally take a maximum of 9 credits per semester. Students not on assistantship may take up to 15 credits per semester, but 4 courses is the recommended maximum.  Courses marked with an asterisk are taught once per year in the semester shown. Courses that are available in the summer sessions are ST 511 and ST 512.

Fall:

SSC 511*

ST 511

FOR 520*

Spring:

FOR 603*

ST 512

Fall:

BAE 573*

MEA 585*

Spring:

NR 500*

NR 571*

NR 693 for MNR students

NR 695 for MS students

Students should enroll in NR 693 or 695 credits in any semester in which substantial project activity is undertaken.

Technical Option Electives

Natural Resource Electives

PB 405 Wetland Flora (3)(fall)

PB 760 Principles of Ecology (4) (fall)

PB 762 Applied Coastal Ecology (3)(spring, alt. yrs.)

PB 774 Phycology (3)(spring, odd years)

NR 521 Wetland Assessment, Delineation, and Regulation (3)(spring)

FOR 784 The Practice of Environmental Impact Assessment (4)(fall)

PA 550 Environmental Policy (3)(fall)

PA 721 Environmental Administration (3)(spring)

PA 763 Public Policy Process (3)(fall, alt. years)

PRT 462 Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (3) (fall, spring)

NR 532 Principles of Geographic Information Systems (3) (fall, spring)

SSC 551 Soil Genesis, Morphology, and Classification (3)(fall)

SSC 562 Environmental Applications of Soil Science (3)(spring)

SSC 570 Wetland Soils (3)(fall)

SSC 780 Transport and Fate of Chemicals in Soils and Natural Waters (3)(fall)

ZO 509 Ecology of Stream Invertebrates (3)(spring, odd yrs.).

Hydrology Electives

BAE 471 Land Resources Environmental Engineering (3)(fall)

BAE 572 Irrigation and Drainage (3)(alt. spring) 

BAE 590 Water Quality Applications (spring)

BAE 771 Theory of Drainage - Saturated Flow (3)(fall, alt. yrs.)

BAE 774 Theory of Drainage - Unsaturated Flow (3)(spring, alt. yrs.)

CE 580 Flow in Open Channels (3)(fall)

CE 586 Engineering Hydrology (3)(fall, alt. yrs.)

MEA 706 Meteorology of the Biosphere (3)(fall, alt. years)

MEA 760 Biogeochemistry (3)(fall, alt. years)

ZO 519 Limnology (4)(fall)

Additional Courses/ Requirements

NR 695 Master’s Thesis Research or NR 693 Master’s Supervised Research (up to 6 credit hours)

FOR 603 Seminar in Forest Research (1 credit hour) - required for all graduate students in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources

Additional courses as specified by the student’s advisory committee

Students who do not have a background in natural resources or a related field may be required to take up to 12 credit hours of undergraduate course work that cannot be counted towards the MNR degree program.

Research component
For the Master of Science degree, the student will usually complete a research project for the master’s thesis that is a component of an ongoing program in the Department of Forestry. However, for professionals who have appropriate research opportunities in their home organization, the thesis research may be conducted at the student’s work location. For the latter situation, the student must obtain approval of his/her graduate adviser and plan the thesis research project in cooperation with the graduate advisory committee.

For the Master of Natural Resources degree, the master’s project is designed to give the student experience in planning, conducting, and reporting on a professional project that is less comprehensive than a thesis research project. The type of project selected to fulfill this requirement is flexible and may be conducted on campus, as part of an ongoing departmental field project, or as part of a professional’s on-the-job duties with proper coordination between the faculty adviser and employer.

Total Credit Hours:

Hydrology Option, MNR, non-thesis option; 39 credit hours
Hydrology Option, MNR, thesis option; 38 credit hours

Recent Project Titles

• Musella, Jennifer (2006). Influence of plant organic matter on PAH desorption kinetics in contaminated sediments. National Science Foundation. (Dec. 2003-May 2008). Applications of 13C tracer studies and stable isotope geochemistry to determine rhizosphere alteration of PAH bioavailability in contaminated geomedia. P.I.- E. Guthrie Nichols, Co-P.I. - B. Goldfarb, N. Blair. (BES-0337453) $434,103.
• Sharpe, Adam (2005). Sediment Toxicity and Chemical Speciation Screening for the Conasauga River. The Nature Conservancy. (March 2003-August 2005). P.I.- E. Guthrie Nichols, E., Co-P.I. - C. Hofelt, P. Johnson. $100,000.

• Muhs. Application of GIS in the development of a stormwater drainage network and watershed delineation at MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina

• Athanas.Water quality management of the Tar-Pamlico.

• Wise. Water quality monitoring for a stormwater management program in Chapel Hill, NC
  Crumbley. Modeling soil erosion and sediment transport from fires in forested watersheds of the South Carolina Piedmont.

• Smith. Investigation of piedmont stream origins in the Neuse River Basin, North Carolina
  Williams. Relationship between headwater streams and macroinvertebrate abundance in the Piedmont Region of North Carolina.

• Howard. Relationship of headwater stream geomorphology to catchment geomorphology in the Piedmont of North Carolina.

• Paugh. Describing the water balance and nutrient cycling of a drained pine plantation.

• Kachilo. A comparison of forestry best management practices programs in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.

• Wiley. Erosion and sedimentation management: Colonial National Historical Park.

• Karoly. Epilithic diatom assemblagesin headwaters streams of North Carolina and Virginia.

• Jurek. The use of the hydrologic model DRAINWAT as a tool in accomplishing the water management objectives in the Hofmann Forest.

• Deaton. Erosion and sedimentation at riverine boating access areas in NC.

• Evenhouse. Analysis of the soil properties of an organic soil for the purposes of hydrologic modeling and water tale management on the Hofmann Forest.

• Merrill. The effects of culverts and bridges on stream geomorphology.

• Mathews. Functional assessment of a proposed floodplain stormwater treatment wetland
  Luginbuhl. Surface and subsurface hydrology of a drained Carolina Bay prior to restoration.

Links / Additional Information

Program Partnerships

For over a decade, the watershed hydrology program at NC State has worked with the North Carolina Division of Water Quality and the Division of Water Resources within the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources to address the scientific, conservation, engineering and regulatory implications of protecting our state’s water resources.

Related Programs and Research Groups

NCSU Restoration Ecology , http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/users/s/shear/public/restore.htm

Center for Earth Observatory, http://www.ceo.ncsu.edu/

Water Resources Research Institute of the University of North Carolina (WRRI), http://www.ncsu.edu/wrri/

NCSU Water Quality Group, http://www.bae.ncsu.edu/programs/extension/wqg/

Water Resources and Environmental Engineering, http://www.ce.ncsu.edu/graduate/environmental/

Research Facilities

In addition to NC State's Forests & Facilities, much of our watershed hydrology research is conducted on-campus in laboratories maintained by the College of Natural Resources, the Department of Zoology or the School of Veterinarian Science. These resources are augmented by outstanding field facilities such as the Pamlico Aquaculture Field Laboratory; research and extension centers in Eastern and Western N.C.; NC State’s Center for Applied Aquatic Ecology; The Center for Marine Sciences and Technology in Morehead City; and facilities operated by various state and federal agencies or private organizations.

Other Water-related Organizations

North Carolina Water Resources Association, http://www.bae.ncsu.edu/programs/extension/wqg/ncwra/