SOIL AND WATER SCIENCES

The program in Soil and Water Science is not currently accepting new students. We encourage you to visit the catalog section for Environmental Sciences to meet your graduate study needs.

If you have questions please call

• (800) 735-0717 or (951) 827-5621.

Professors Michael A. Anderson, Ph.D. Environmental Chemistry (Environmental Sciences) David E. Crowley, Ph.D. Soil Microbiology (Environmental Sciences) Jiangying “Jay” Gan, Ph.D. Environmental Chemistry (Environmental Sciences) Robert C. Graham, Ph.D. Soil Mineralogy and Pedology (Environmental Sciences) Daniel Schlenk, Ph.D. Aquatic Ecotoxicology (Environmental Sciences) James Sickman, Ph.D. Watershed Hydrology and Biogeochemistry Jiri Simunek, Ph.D. Hydrology (Environmental Sciences) Laosheng Wu, Ph.D. Soil Physics (Environmental Sciences) Marylynn V. Yates, Ph.D. Environmental Microbiology (Environmental Sciences)

Professors Emeriti Christopher Amrhein, Ph.D. Soil Chemistry (Environmental Sciences) Andrew C.-S. Chang, Ph.D. Agricultural Engineering (Environmental Sciences) Walter J. Farmer, Ph.D. Soil Chemistry (Environmental Sciences) William T. Frankenberger, Jr., Ph.D. Soil Microbiology (Environmental Sciences) William A. Jury, Ph.D. Soil Physics (Environmental Sciences) John Letey, Jr., Ph.D. Soil Physics (Environmental Sciences) Lanny J. Lund, Ph.D. Soil Morphology, Genesis, and Classification (Environmental Sciences) Albert L. Page, Ph.D. Soil Chemistry (Environmental Sciences) David R. Parker, Ph.D. Soil Biogeochemistry (Environmental Sciences) Paul J. Ziemann, Ph.D. Atmospheric Chemistry (Environmental Sciences)

Associate Professors David M. Crohn, Ph.D. Biosystems Engineering (Environmental Sciences)

The graduate program in Soil and Water Sciences is not currently accepting new students. Students interested in graduate study in soil or water sciences can be accommodated in other graduate programs and are encouraged to contact the Environmental Sciences Student Affairs Offices at (951) 827-6746 for more information on how to apply.

The graduate program in Soil and Water Sciences is administered by the Department of Environmental Sciences and offers both M.S. and Ph.D. degrees.

Admission The university requires GRE General Test scores (verbal, quantitative, analytical). As well as fulfilling the university requirements for admission to the Graduate Division, students must satisfy certain program requirements. Admission to the program requires a baccalaureate degree with preparation in both physical and life sciences. Students should have completed one year of general chemistry, as well as courses in general physics, organic chemistry, calculus through integrals, general biology, statistics, and physical geology or physical geography. Students who have not taken these courses are directed by the admissions and review committee and their major advisor to the appropriate curriculum to correct the deficiencies.

Course Work Students, in consultation with their advisory committee and other faculty as ap- propriate, develop a program of course work to satisfy the degree requirements and the career objective. A study list of required and elective courses must be completed by the end of the second quarter of study and submitted to the admissions and review committee. Students must complete one course in each of the following four broad categories of soil and water sciences: chemistry, physics, biology, and natural structure and diversity. Students may have completed these prior to admission or they may take them early in their graduate program. Courses at UCR that meet the requirement of each category are listed below.

Chemistry

ENSC 104 (Environmental Soil Chemistry)

CHEM 136/ENSC 136 (Chemistry of Natural Waters)

Physics

ENSC 107 (Soil Physics)

ENSC 163 (Hydrology)

Biology

ENSC 133/MCBL 133 (Environmental Microbiology)

BPSC 134/ENSC 134 (Soil Conditions and Plant Growth)

ENSC 141/MCBL 141 (Public Health Microbiology)

Natural Structure and Diversity

ENSC 138/GEO 138 (Soil Morphology and Classification)

ENSC 140 (Limnology)

Students must present a departmental seminar summarizing results of their thesis or dissertation or internship during the final quarter of matriculation.

For a complete description of the program’s requirements, students are referred to the Guidelines for Graduate Students available in the Environmental Sciences Student Affairs Office. Other general university requirements for advanced degrees are given in the Graduate Studies section of this catalog.

The Department of Environmental Sciences of- fers the M.S. degree in Soil and Water Sciences.

Only seminar courses, directed study, internship, thesis and dissertation hours may be taken on a Satisfactory (S)/No Credit (NC) basis.

Plan I (Thesis) Students must complete a minimum of 36 quarter units of graduate and upper-division undergraduate courses in, or significantly related to, soil and water sciences. At least 24 of the 36 units must be in graduate courses. A maximum of 12 of these units may be in graduate research for the thesis. No more than 4 units of SWSC 290 and 2 units of SWSC 250 may be applied toward the degree. Students must pass a final oral examination.

Plan II (Comprehensive Examination) Students must complete a minimum of 36 quar- ter units of graduate and upper-division under- graduate courses in or significantly related to soil and water sciences. At least 18 units must be in graduate courses. Students may count no more than 2 units of SWSC 250 and 6 units of SWSC 298-I toward the required 18 units and no units from graduate research for thesis or dissertation (SWSC 297 or SWSC 299).

Students take a comprehensive written examina- tion that covers fundamental topics in soil and water sciences. The written exam, which is three to four hours long, is prepared and evaluated by a committee appointed by the department chair. The exam is taken during the latter part of the final quarter in the M.S. program. Students must wait at least eight weeks before retaking a failed examination. Students failing the examination twice are dismissed from the program.

The Department of Environmental Sciences offers the Ph.D. in Soil and Water Sciences.

The Ph.D. program provides specialized, research-based training in a variety of soil and water sciences fields. In addition to the four core courses enumerated above, the minimum requirements for the Ph.D. degree include the following:

• 1. Complete all course work with an average

GPA of 3.0 or greater

• 2. Pass both the written and oral qualifying

examinations

• 3. Complete at least 4 units of Teaching

Practicum (SWSC 302)

• 4. Submitting an approved research dissertation

Course Work Before advancement to candidacy, Students must complete all required course work as approved by their advisory committee with an average GPA of 3.0 or greater.

Written and Oral Qualifying Examinations Students must pass written qualifying examina- tions administered by a five-member committee and an oral examination administered by the same committee; the latter includes the defense of an original research proposal. The examin- ing committee must include one member from outside the graduate program. After successfully completing these examinations and complying with university rules, students are advanced to candidacy.

Dissertation Students must submit a dissertation consisting of original research in the field of soil and water sciences. The dissertation must be accepted by a three-member dissertation committee. Stu- dents must then pass a final oral examination, which deals primarily with the dissertation and is conducted by the dissertation committee.

Normative Time to Degree 15 quarters