The University of Texas at El Paso presents both an extraordinary setting and excellent capabilities for the multi-disciplinary doctoral program in Environmental Science and Engineering. Located on the U.S.-Mexico border and one of the most environmentally-impacted areas of North America, UTEP has established itself as a center of environmental research and development activity, with support from the EPA, the NSF, the Department of Energy, private foundations, and state agencies. With support and coordination from the Center for Environmental Resource Management (CERM), faculty and students from several departments conduct research often in collaboration with local agencies and national laboratories. With the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the establishment of a new EPA regional office in El Paso and of the joint U.S. and Mexico Border Environmental Cooperation Commission (BECC) in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, and UTEP's already established base of collaborations with Mexico on environmental problems, UTEP and El Paso have become an internationally recognized source of cutting-edge research, technology, and education. The newly established Center for Inland Desalination Systems also works closely with this program.

Admission Requirements 

Students with a Bachelors or graduate (Masters or above) degree in a discipline related to environmental science and engineering are eligible to apply to the ESE doctoral program. In addition to Graduate School requirements, students are expected to have superior academic records (cumulative GPA > 3.5/4.0). Applicants from countries where English is not the first language are required to demonstrate English proficiency. Please consult the graduate school website for required scores. Students must submit at least two letters of reference from individuals qualified to judge their capability to do doctoral-level work. A statement of purpose outlining the students research interests, motivations for joining the ESE program, and how participation in the ESE program will benefit the student’s mid to long term career goals is also required. Applicants will be notified of their admission status by the Graduate School.

Degree Requirements

Specific course requirements for each student will be determined by the student's Doctoral Advisory Committee. However, each student must complete at least a total of 60 hours beyond the undergraduate degree and 36 hours beyond the master's degree. With departmental approval, students entering the program with a master’s degree can transfer up to 24 semester hours of graduate coursework as advanced standing toward their PhD degree. For masters students, the sum of i) transferred hours (up to 24hrs), and ii) hours taken whilst enrolled in the ESE program (at least 36hrs) must equal or exceed a total of 60 hours. At least 30 hours of organized coursework are required within the 60 hours counted towards completion of the doctoral degree. Organized coursework must include certain ESE core courses, including ESE 6306 Prin Experimental & Eng Design  and ESE 6307 Interdisciplin Envir Prob Solv . The balance of the required 30 semester hours of organized coursework will be fulfilled by a selection of elective courses. Enrollment of the candidate in research and dissertation courses will complete the remainder of the 60 semester hours.

Prior to taking ESE core courses, all students are generally expected to have had the equivalent of basic courses in biology, chemistry, physical geology, and calculus, including differential equations. All full- time students are required to enroll in ESE 6107 during the fall and spring semesters. All students must complete a minimum of two (2) hours of ESE 6107. A maximum of six (6) hours of ESE 6107 will count towards fulfilling the requirements of the degree.

Note: All degree requirements must be completed within eight years.

Students are required to pass a qualifying examination based on material from the ESE core courses and any leveling courses they might have taken during the first two semesters of residence. Students are eligible to sit for the qualifying examination a maximum of two times.

All of the core classes are required and the student must obtain a grade of B or better in each of the core courses.

Students are encouraged to begin research germane to their dissertation topic early in the course of study. The student must identify a dissertation supervisor during the first two semesters of full-time or part-time participation in the ESE program. Within this same period, a Doctoral Committee must be formed, a dissertation proposal prepared for review and approval by the student’s committee, and an abstract of the proposal distributed to the ESE faculty for comment. Students will not be allowed to register for additional coursework until these requirements have been met.

Prior to enrolling in the dissertation courses, each student will take a comprehensive examination administered by the student’s Doctoral Advisory Committee. The examination can be written, oral, or both. Students are eligible to sit for the comprehensive exam a maximum of two times.

The dissertation must demonstrate the ability to perform independent research and the competence for scholarly exposition. It should present original investigation at an advanced level of a significant problem in Environmental Science and Engineering and should provide the basis for a publishable contribution to the research literature in the field. Students should enroll in ESE 6398 during the first term of dissertation work and ESE 6399 each term thereafter. Each doctoral candidate must successfully defend the dissertation before the Doctoral Advisory Committee.

A copy of the dissertation in PDF or Word electronic format must be submitted to the Graduate School for format check prior to the scheduled defense date. The dissertation, including an abstract not to exceed 350 words, must be prepared according to the Graduate School’s thesis and dissertation guidelines available at the Graduate School Web site. The student will receive email confirmation from the Graduate School after the format has been approved. The final Graduate School approved dissertation must be submitted to the Graduate School in PDF electronic format by the deadline as published in the Class Schedule along with a hard copy of the signature page with original signatures of the dissertation committee members. Information on submission procedures can be found on the Graduate School website. The signature page must be included in the PDF file but it should not be signed.