Environmental Science and Engineering (EnSE) Program
MSc Degree Program
Students entering the Environmental Science and Engineering (EnSE) MSc program take a set of core courses and then take specialty courses from one of three major tracks. The remaining courses are technical electives, including and a math or statistics course, and possibly directed research or a thesis. At least one cognate course from another degree program is required. The three tracks together cover the most important areas in modern-day Environmental Science and Engineering, and the core plus specialty courses and electives will equip a student for a successful and productive career in the EnSE field. Basic prerequisites for admission to the MSc Thesis and Non-Thesis degree programs include prior completion of a Bachelor’s degree in engineering and science that includes satisfactory completion of (1) two semesters of college calculus, (2) two semesters of college chemistry, and (3) one semester of college physics. All prerequisite courses should be completed before starting in the M.S. Program.
The three EnSE tracks are:
- Water Quality, Chemistry, and Treatment
- Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology
- Environmental Fluid Mechanics and Hydrology
Gradation with a MSc degree in Environmental Science and Engineering (EnSE) requires completion of a minimum of 30 units with an average GPA of 3.0. A student must first take (in the first semester) a series of three of four designated EnSE core courses (9 units); unless a grade of B- or better is achieved, the course must be repeated. In addition, a specific track must be identified with an additional three courses (9 units) required, of which at least one course must be at the 300-level and no more than one course may be outside of EnSE. One course (3 units) is required in the general areas of mathematics or statistics. The remaining course requirements are technical electives, directed research, and/or thesis. At least 24 units of formal coursework, exclusive of directed research or thesis, are required.
The courses in the core are as follows:
Core Courses
- EnSE 201, Water Quality and Environmental Analysis
- EnSE 202, Environmental Chemistry
- EnSE 203, Environmental Microbiology
- EnSE 204, Environmental Transport Processes
The courses in each track are as follows:
Water Quality, Chemistry, and Treatment Track
- EnSE 213/313, Environmental Organic Chemistry
- EnSE 221, Environmental Fluid Mechanics
- EnSE 312, Advanced Aquatic and Soil Chemistry
- EnSE 225/325, Seawater and Brackish Water Desalination
- EnSE 342, Physical/Chemical Treatment Processes
- EnSE 343, Water Reclamation and Reuse
- EnSE 350, Hazardous Waste Management
- CBE 236, Membrane Science and Membrane Separation Processes
- ChemS 240, Organic Principles
- ChemS 260, Chemical Kinetics
- ErSE 220, Geochemistry
Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology Track
- EnSE 211, Molecular Biology and Microbial Ecology
- EnSE 341, Processes in Environmental Biotechnology
- EnSE 350, Hazardous Waste Management
- CBE 238, Biofuels
- B204, Genomics
- B208, Biochemistry
Environmental Fluid Mechanics and Hydrology Track
- EnSE 221, Environmental Fluid Mechanics
- EnSE 222, Arid Land Hydrology and Water Management
- EnSE 223, Groundwater Hydrology (cross-listed with ErSE 202)
- EnSE 304, Water Resources Engineering
- EnSE 301, Multiphase Flows in Porous Media
- MarSE 311, Coastal and Estuarine Oceanography
- MarSE 314, Advanced Environmental Data Analysis
Beyond the core courses (9 units) and track courses (9 units), the remaining 12 units correspond to technical electives (from the entire pool of track courses), a mathematics or statistics course, directed research (EnSE 299), and/or thesis (EnSE 297).
The required course in mathematics or statistics can be satisfied from among the following:
- AMSC 206, Applied Numerical Methods
- AMSC 210, Applied Probability and Biostatistics
- CBE 204, Engineering Mathematics and Numerical Methods
- CBE 223, Introduction to Statistics and Biostatics
The cognate course is in addition to the mathematics or statistics course, and can be satisfied by any track or technical elective course. No credit is offered for graduate seminar (EnSE 298) but attendance is required during each semester of enrollment.
There are two general MSc degree options: (i) coursework only or (ii) thesis option. The former is set up for completion in 12 months with full-time course loads (12 units or, with advisor approval, 15 units) in the Fall and Spring semesters plus up to 6 units in the summer. Both options require 24 units of formal coursework (exclusive of directed research or thesis). Coursework-only students may take up to 6 units of directed research or focus exclusively on formal coursework.
Thesis-option students typically spend their summer and a second Fall semester on an experimental and/or computational research topic. A formal written thesis and oral defense is required with a committee comprised of a faculty supervisor plus two other KAUST faculty members. A total of 12 units of thesis credit must be earned, with the grade assigned being pass/fail. In most cases, the research period is an intense final 6-month (late summer/fall semester, e.g., July – December) without coursework, although the research can potentially be spread over a longer period including the second semester.
PhD Degree Program
There are three possible entry points into the EnSE PhD degree program: (i) students possessing a MSc degree in EnSE or a related engineering (e.g., chemical engineering) or science (e.g., chemistry) field (the normal entry point); (ii) KAUST students pursuing a seamless EnSE MSc/PhD; (iii) and students possessing a BSc degree (a more rare entry point). The seamless MSc/PhD option is intended for MSc students who decide, after their arrival at KAUST, to pursue a PhD; this option simply allows a student to begin to satisfy PhD requirements (e.g., coursework) while completing their MSc requirements. The only difference between the seamless MSc option and the BSc entry is that the latter does not acquire a MSc degree on the way to a PhD degree.
PhD students apply for and enter the EnSE degree program. An EnSE faculty advisor is either immediately designated (in the case of a student being recruited by a specific faculty member) or temporarily assigned (in the case of KAUST fellowship students); in the latter case, the student is expected to identify a research advisor by (at the latest) the end of the first year.
There are two phases and associated milestones for PhD students: (i) a qualification phase with a candidacy milestone and (ii) a dissertation phase with a final defense milestone. Qualification and advancement to candidacy are contingent upon: (i) successfully passing PhD coursework, (ii) designating a research advisor, and (iii) preparing a written research proposal and orally defending it. The maximum time for advancement to candidacy for a student entering with an MSc degree is two years, three years for the BSc-degree entry option.
A minimum of 6 units of actual PhD coursework (300 level) is required beyond the MSc degree. For students who enter with a BSc degree, 24 additional units are required, equivalent to MSc degree coursework excluding a thesis. In the case of the MSc degree being from another major/degree program, there may be additional deficiency courses specified by the advisor. Courses designated should be relevant to the dissertation topic, if defined, and/or proposed general area of research. A minimum GPA of 3.5 must be achieved on all doctoral coursework.
Besides actual coursework (6 or more units), 60 units of dissertation research (EnSE 397) credit must be earned during the first and second phases. A full-time workload for PhD students is considered to be 12 units per semester (courses and EnSE 397) and 6 units in summer (EnSE 397). There is a minimum residency requirement (enrollment period at KAUST) of 2.5 years for students entering with a MSc degree, 3.5 years for a BSc degree. The maximum enrollment period is 5.0 years, extendable upon approval of both the faculty research advisor and division dean.
Achieving candidacy is contingent upon successfully passing both parts of a two-part qualification examination consisting of acceptance by the research advisor of a written research proposal and successfully passing an oral examination thereof. The proposal examination committee shall consist of a minimum of three KAUST faculty members, one of whom must be external to the EnSE degree program. There are four possible outcomes: pass, conditional pass, failure with retake permitted, and failure. Passing the qualification phase is achieved by acceptance of all committee members of the written proposal and a positive vote of all but, at most, one member of the oral exam. If more than one member casts a negative vote, one retake of the oral defense is permitted if the entire committee agrees. A conditional pass involves conditions (e.g., another course in a perceived area of weakness) imposed by the committee, with the conditional status removed when the conditions have been met. One constituted, the composition of the qualification phase committee can only be changed upon approval by both the faculty research advisor and the division dean.
The final (dissertation) phase involves acceptance of the written dissertation and an oral defense thereof. The final examination committee shall consist of a minimum of four members, one of whom should be a KAUST faculty member external to the EnSE degree program and one of whom should be external to KAUST (holding a faculty position or equivalent position at another institution, with approval by both the faculty research advisor and division dean). Passing the dissertation phase is achieved by acceptance of all committee members of the written dissertation, with a minimum of a positive vote of all but, at most, one member of the oral defense. If more than one member casts a negative vote, one retake of the oral defense is permitted if the entire committee agrees. A fifth non-voting KAUST faculty member, appointed by the division dean, shall serve as a faculty monitor to ensure that the established protocol is followed, and the required forms are completed.
Students transferring from other PhD programs may receive some dissertation research and coursework credit, on a case by case basis, for related work performed at their original institution. However, such students must still satisfy the written and oral requirements for a research proposal (if this phase was passed at the original institute, the proposal may be the same, if approved by the research advisor). The minimum residency requirement for enrollment of such students at KAUST is 2.0 years.
Environmental Science and Engineering (EnSE) Course Descriptions
EnSE 201. Water Quality and Environmental Analysis (3-0-3) Introduction to measurement systems, fate of contaminants, solute and particle transport on multiple scales. Introduction to water quality, effluent, chemical elements, salinity. Physical, chemical and biological treatment processes for drinking, industrial and waste water (Fall semester).
EnSE 202. Environmental Chemistry (2-1-3) Chemistry of processes and behavior in air and aquatic systems. Acid-base and redox chemistry, carbonate system, precipitation. Chemical thermodynamics including quantitative assessment of chemical composition and fate of contaminants using equilibrium calculations (Fall semester).
EnSE 203. Environmental Microbiology (2-1-3) Fundamentals of microbiology for the environment, physiology, microbial metabolism, basics of genetics, microbial growth processes, introduction to molecular biology. Illustrations from microbiology and pollutants, microbiology and disease, microbiology of bioremediation, wastewater treatment, microbial fuel cells (Fall semester).
EnSE 204. Environmental Transport Processes (3-0-3) Fate and transport of chemicals and contaminants in water and soil. Mass balance and transfer, hydrodynamic transport, environmental sources and sinks (Fall semester).
EnSE 205. Principles of Environmental Sustainability (3-0-3) Fundamental aspects of sustainability, energy cycles and accounting. Carbon cycle, emissions and sequestration. Concepts of green design. Life-cycle analysis (Summer term).
EnSE 211/311. Molecular Biology and Microbial Ecology (2-1-3) Principles of molecular biology in environmental science and engineering. Research methods, engineering tools. Principles of microbiological systems, genomics, microbial evolution, microbial diversity, the biogeochemical cycle.
EnSE 213/313. Environmental Organic Chemistry (3-0-3) Behavior and fate of organic compounds in the environment. Chemical properties, mechanisms, kinetics and reaction products in air, water and soils; photochemical and biochemical transformation reactions (Spring semester).
EnSE 221. Environmental Fluid Mechanics (3-0-3) Principles of fluid flow in natural systems including the atmosphere, rivers, lakes and oceans, and engineered systems such as in wastewater treatment. Roles of density variation and stratification, diffusion and turbulence (Fall semester).
EnSE 222. Arid Land Hydrology and Water Management (3-0-3) Fundamentals of surface hydrology, the hydrologic cycle, hydrologic processes, and water management with an emphasis on arid lands (Fall semester).
EnSE 223. Groundwater Hydrology (3-0-3) Groundwater hydrology, subsurface flow, geological considerations, aquifers and wells (Spring semester).
EnSE 225/325 Seawater and Brackish Water Desalination (3-0-3) Pre-requisite: EnSE 342. Theoretical and practical aspects of seawater/brackish water desalination technologies, including thermal-based (MSF, MED, VC) and membrane-based (RO, NF, ED/EDR) desalination processes; process design and system performance; fouling, scaling (including bio-fouling) and cleaning; product water quality and post-treatment (Summer term).
EnSE 297. MSc Thesis (summer units total) Master-level research leading to a formal written thesis and oral defense thereof.
EnSE 298. Graduate Seminar (no credit, attendance required) Master-level seminar focusing on special topics within the field.
EnsE 299. Directed Research (3-6 credit hours) Master-level supervised research.
EnSE 304. Water Resource Engineering (3-0-3) Prerequisite: EnSE 204. Planning and management of water resources. Water supply, flood control, irrigation, mathematical modeling and optimization techniques.
EnSE 312. Advanced Aquatic and Soil Chemistry (3-0-3) Prerequisite: EnSE 202. Biogeochemistry, colloids, soil and gas or liquid interfaces, oxidationreductionreactions and adsorption processes.Chemistry and properties of soil and soil processes.
EnSE 321. Numerical Modeling of Environmental Flows (3-0-3) Prerequisite: EnSE 204. Advanced numerical methods for environmental transport processes, multi-scale and multi-physics issues.
EnSE 231. Special Topics in Water Desalination and Reuse (3-0-3) Prerequisite: EnSE 205. Topic 1: Assessment of Energy and Resource Needs. Topic 2: Materials, Environment and Sustainability. Topic 3: Sustainable Engineering Systems (Spring semester).
EnSE 341. Processes in Environmental Biotechnology (3-0-3) Prerequisite: EnSE 203, 211. Principles of molecular biology and microbiology applied to the design and operation of engineered environmental systems: treatment of wastewater, bioremediation, energy conversion (Spring semester).
EnSE 342. Physical/Chemical Treatment Processes (3-0-3) Prerequisite: EnSE 202. Water-treatment processes, membranes, advanced oxidation, principles and techniques of water desalination (Spring semester).
EnSE 350. Hazardous Waste Management (3-0-3) Prerequisites: EnSE 201, EnSE 204. Legal and technological approaches to control and management of hazardous wastes and contaminated sites to protect human health and the environment: fate and transport of contaminants; physical, chemical and biological treatment; environmental monitoring systems; medical waste and treatment options; toxicology; storage tanks; landfills (Spring semester).
EnSE 397. PhD Dissertation (increments of 3 units) PhD-level research leading to a formal written dissertation and oral defense thereof.
EnSE 398. Graduate Seminar (no credit, attendance required) Doctoral-level seminar focusing on special topics within the field.