The
M.S. degree program in Hydrographic Science
is a non-thesis degree program. Each student
admitted to the M.S. degree program in Hydrographic
Science is assigned an Advisory Committee consisting
of an advisor and two additional faculty members.
This committee works with the student throughout
the course of the degree program.
A
total of 36 semester hours of graduate level
courses with a minimum GPA of 3.0 must be completed
in order to fulfill the Master of Science in
Hydrographic Science degree requirements. A
graduate student can accumulate no more than
two C's. Students admitted to the M.S. in Hydrographic
Science degree program are required to complete
a set of core courses. There are a total of
27 semester hours of required core course work.
There is also a set of elective courses. Each
degree-seeking student must take at least one
3-hour elective course. This set of courses
represents the traditional classroom portion
of the course, with the remaining nine (9) hours
taken in one of two options.
All
students admitted to the Hydrographic Science
M.S. degree program must choose from one of
two options at the time they are admitted to
the program. Successful completion of either
Option I or Option II, in addition to passing
all of the required and elective courses, will
constitute the completion of degree requirements.
Option I is designed for those students who
wish to complete a more practical field-oriented
degree program. The Option I curriculum is certified
by the FIG/IHO at the Category A level. Option
II is designed for students who wish to complete
a more theoretical and classroom-oriented program
that involves completion of a Capstone Review
project, usually consisting of, but not limited
to, an extended literature review and discussion
of an appropriate Hydrographic Science topic.
For students who choose Option II, the Advisory
Committee will help the student choose a Capstone
Review topic and project and will evaluate the
completed project.
The
Hydrographic Science M. S. degree program is
offered to students over the course of one calendar
year. For example, students would enter the
program in the Fall Semester and complete 15
hours of classroom and laboratory-based studies
(see example below). Instruction continues with
another 15-hour series of lecture- and laboratory-based
course work in the Spring Semester. During the
summer, there is a combination of lecture-based
instruction and comprehensive "hands-on" practical
course work, culminating in the completion of
an individually conducted hydrographic field
study. Each student will be required to write
a detailed report of the field study that is
similar to one required of a working hydrographer.
The completion of the degree program over a
one-year period is not a requirement, and those
students wishing to carry on their studies over
a longer time frame can do so.