Program Concentrations

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Beyond the core requirements, a student needs to support doctoral research with enrollment in particular courses related to his/her research. For this reason, 15 credit hours have been reserved for specialized electives. The objective of these specialized electives is to provide an opportunity for students, their advisers, and the doctoral program committee to select a complementary set of specialized courses intended to focus the student’s area of interest and research. A student may also take all directed studies as focus area courses.

Focus Area 1: Infrastructure and Environmental Systems Design (INESD). The design of infrastructure and environmental systems requires expertise in subject matter areas related to design methodologies including plan formulation, dimensioning of systems that could be structural and/or control systems, selection of material properties, and configuration of monitoring methodologies and approaches. Also, some basic knowledge of the functional requirements of the facilities needs to be provided to the student. It is anticipated that this area will be of interest primarily to civil and environmental engineering students.

Courses offered or planned for development in this focus area are shown below with the responsible department designated in parentheses. These courses are generally cross-listed with INES 8090. The cross-listed courses are in the areas of:

  • Special Topics
  • Shaping the American City (ARCH)
  • Appropriate Technology &Sustainable Design Methods (ARCH)
  • Transportation Systems Analysis (CEGR)
  • Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering (CEGR)
  • Advanced Waste Containment Systems (CEGR)
  • Sustainable Environmental Systems (CEGR)
  • Optimization of Building Systems (CEGR)
  • Development of Codes and Standards (CEGR)
  • Engineering Systems Integration (EMGT)
  • Industrial Development (GEOG)
  • Site Planning and Development (GEOG)
  • Urban Planning (GEOG)

Focus Area 2: Infrastructure and Environmental Systems Science (INESS). Successful development and operation of infrastructure, including methods and approaches to managing the associated environmental and socio-economic impacts require baseline spatial and temporal information on the nature of the ambient environment. This implies that the INES student who has been exposed to critical issues and techniques in the central core and is interested in environmental systems and their response to and impact upon the operation of infrastructure needs to deepen his/her knowledge in the methods of geological, hydrological, physical, chemical and biological characterization of processes, materials and life support systems within the context of environmental systems. This focus area is expected to draw the interest of students with science backgrounds.

Courses offered or planned for development in this focus area are shown below with the responsible department designated in parentheses. These courses are generally cross-listed with INES 8090. The cross-listed courses are in the areas of:

  • Special Topics (in respective departments)
  • Advanced Ecology (BIOL)
  • Microbiology (BIOL)
  • Air Quality Modeling (CEGR)
  • Water Quality Management and Modeling (CEGR)
  • Environmental Aquatic Chemistry (CEGR)
  • Advanced Analytical Chemistry (CHEM)
  • Advanced Energy and Environmental Economics (PPOL/ECON)
  • Designed Experimentation (EMGT)
  • Earth System Analysis: Biogeochemical Cycles (ESCI)
  • Hydrologic Processes (ESCI)
  • Environmental Site Characterization (ESCI)
  • Applied Soil Science (GEOL)
  • Landscape Assessment (ESCI)
  • Paleoenvironments (GEOL)
  • Geodynamics (GEOL)

Focus Area 3: Infrastructure and Environmental Systems Management (INESM). To be able to efficiently and effectively plan and manage infrastructure systems or environmental system operations, INES students need to obtain, integrate, and utilize the knowledge in operations efficiency, effective policy development and deployment, legal issues and government regulations, intelligent support systems for decision making, effective environmental and/or socio-economic impact control measures, efficient systems project management, comprehensive evaluation of system performance, and smart systems implementation and management that includes the consideration of facility, people, policy, technology, economics, and procedures. The students who choose to focus in this area of INES will obtain the expertise in effective systems management and implementation in infrastructure system and/or environmental system areas and will work as senior managers and/or researchers in the above areas. This focus area will interest students from all academic backgrounds.

Courses offered or planned for development in this focus area are shown below with the responsible department designated in parentheses. These courses are generally cross-listed with INES 8090. The cross-listed courses are in the areas of:

  • Special Topics (in departments)
  • Hazardous Waste Management (CEGR)
  • Urban Systems Engineering (CEGR)
  • Benefit-Cost Analysis (ECON)
  • Advanced Project Management (EMGT)
  • INES 8XXX Legal Issues in Engineering Management (EMGT)
  • Engineering Systems Integration (EMGT)
  • Urban Planning: Theory and Practice (GEOG)
  • Economics of Decision-Making (MBAD)
  • Technology-Enhanced Decision Making (MBAD)
  • Organizational Leadership and Behavior I (MBAD)
  • Qualitative Methods in Public Policy (PPOL)
  • Advanced Program Evaluation (PPOL)