Biological Engineering (PHD) - Water Resources Planning and Management

  • On Campus

An intra-university masters-level minor/specialization with emphasis on water resources planning and management. Each student will be required to complete:

  1. A major in one of the departments with approval to offer the option as a minor or specialization
  2. Nine hours of water resources-related courses* from departments outside the student’s major field (6 hours of which must be from those courses marked with a “+”) and approved by the Water Resources Advisory Committee.

Courses are linked below.

The master’s degree will be granted in one of the disciplines. The student must be formally registered in one of the departments with approval to offer the option as a minor or specialization. The recommended master’s degree option is I (thesis) but other options may be approved. The minor or specialization can be noted on the student’s final transcript, for example, civil engineering (water resources planning and management).

Departments/Program(s) with Approval to Offer Option as a Minor or Specialization:

  • Agricultural Economics
  • Agronomy/HorticultureAnimal Science
  • Biological Sciences
  • Biological Systems Engineering
  • Civil and Environmental Engineering
  • Community and Regional Planning
  • Economics
  • Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
  • Industrial and Management Systems Engineering
  • Political Science
  • School of Natural Resources
  • Sociology.

A Water Resources Advisory Committee coordinates the interdisciplinary aspects of the minor/specialization. The Director of the Nebraska Water Center in the Robert B. Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute serves as chair with one member from each participating department. Approval of individual student programs of study, degree option, and thesis topics (if applicable) will have the concurrence of the student’s major department and the chair of the advisory committee. One member of the student’s examining committee will be appointed from the Water Resources Advisory Committee. This member cannot be from the student’s major department.

Water Resources Planning and Management Advisory Committee:

  • Professors Ray (chair)
  • Thomas Franti (co-chair)
  • Matthew Cushing, Department of Economics
  • Mark Lagrimini, Department of Agronomy and Horticulture
  • Sheila Purdum, Animal Sciences
  • Thomas Franti, Department of Biological Systems Engineering
  • David Admiraal, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
  • Dona-Gene Barton, Department of Political Science
  • Deb Brown, School of Biological Sciences
  • Kim Tyler or Julia McQuillan, Department of Sociology
  • Karina Schoengold, Department of Agricultural Economics
  • Steven Thomas, School of Natural Resources
  • Zhenghong Tang, Community, and Regional Planning Program

See the list of courses for specialization in Water Resources Planning and Management

UNL Graduate Chairs and staff please complete the program update form to provide edits. Updates to graduate program pages are made on an annual basis in conjunction with the Graduate Application for Admission.