Hydrological Science and Engineering
Graduate program at Colorado School of Mines
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Select a program type below to learn more. What’s the difference? Read more about program types.
Hydrological Science and Engineering Master’s Non-Thesis
Hydrologic Science and Engineering (HSE) is comprised of faculty from several different Mines departments and offers interdisciplinary graduate degrees in hydrology.
The Master’s Non-thesis (MS-NT) degree in Hydrology requires 30 credits total, including a design course or independent study.
The program offers programs of study in fundamental hydrologic science and applied hydrology with engineering applications. Our program encompasses groundwater hydrology, surface-water hydrology, vadose-zone hydrology, watershed hydrology, contaminant transport and fate, contaminant remediation, hydrogeophysics, and water policy/law.
Application Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree
- GRE: Not Required
- Letters of Recommendation (2 letters)
- Letters are not required for current Mines students
- Resume or Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- Statement of Purpose
- Transcripts
- International students please review the English proficiency requirements
Hydrological Science and Engineering Master’s Thesis
Hydrologic Science and Engineering (HSE) is comprised of faculty from several different Mines departments and offers interdisciplinary graduate degrees in hydrology.
The Master’s Thesis (MS-T) degree in Hydrology requires 30 credits total, consisting of 24 credits of coursework and 6 credits of thesis credit. Students must also write and orally defend a research thesis.
The program offers programs of study in fundamental hydrologic science and applied hydrology with engineering applications. Our program encompasses groundwater hydrology, surface-water hydrology, vadose-zone hydrology, watershed hydrology, contaminant transport and fate, contaminant remediation, hydrogeophysics, and water policy/law.
Application Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree
- GRE: Not Required
- Letters of Recommendation (3 letters).
- Resume or Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- Statement of Purpose
- Transcripts
- International students please review the English proficiency requirements
Hydrological Science and Engineering Doctorate
Hydrologic Science and Engineering (HSE) is comprised of faculty from several different Mines departments and offers interdisciplinary graduate degrees in hydrology.
The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in Hydrology requires 72 total credits, consisting of coursework (at least 36 hours) and research (at least 24 hours). Students must also successfully complete qualifying examinations, write and defend a dissertation proposal, write and defend a doctoral dissertation, and are expected to submit the dissertation work for publication in scholarly journals.
The program offers programs of study in fundamental hydrologic science and applied hydrology with engineering applications. Our program encompasses groundwater hydrology, surface-water hydrology, vadose-zone hydrology, watershed hydrology, contaminant transport and fate, contaminant remediation, hydrogeophysics, and water policy/law.
Application Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree
- GRE: Not Required
- Letters of Recommendation (3 letters).
- Resume or Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- Statement of Purpose
- Transcripts
- International students please review the English proficiency requirements
Hydrological Science and Engineering
As we all know, water is essential to life. This core truth drives the research and academics performed each day in the Hydrologic Science and Engineering graduate program at Colorado School of Mines. Our interdisciplinary program provides students with a solid background in quantitative hydrology and explores specialties within related fields through water-focused coursework and research.
Meaningful research connections and industry and government collaborations allow graduates to identify the most pressing current and unknown water challenges, both on local and global scales, and find innovative solutions that will change the world for the better. Earn your MS or PhD in Hydrology at Mines. If you’re a creative problem solver who has a passion for tackling the greatest water challenges on Earth and beyond, our dynamic graduate program will prepare you for that next step
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Credits and Deadlines
View the academic catalog to see the courses and credit requirements for this program.
Master's Thesis & Doctorate (PhD) Program Deadlines
Select a Term:
Spring Deadlines | Fall Deadlines
Spring Deadlines
Fall Deadlines
| Degree Program | Priority | International* | Domestic* | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advanced Energy Systems | December 15 | March 1 | July 1 | |
| Applied Chemistry | December 15 | March 1 | July 1 | |
| Applied Mathematics & Statistics | December 15 | March 1 | July 1 | |
| Applied Physics | December 15 | March 1 | March 1 | |
| Chemical Engineering | December 15 | March 1 | March 1 | |
| Chemistry | December 15 | March 1 | July 1 | |
| Civil & Environmental Engineering | December 15 | March 1 | July 1 | |
| Computer Science | December 15 | March 1 | July 1 | |
| Earth Resources Development Engineering | January 15 | March 1 | July 1 | |
| Electrical Engineering | December 15 | March 1 | July 1 | |
| Engineering & Technology Management | January 15 | March 1 | July 1 | |
| Environmental Engineering Science | December 15 | March 1 | July 1 | |
| Geochemistry | December 15 | March 1 | July 1 | |
| Geological Engineering | December 15 | March 1 | March 1 | |
| Geology | December 15 | March 1 | March 1 | |
| Geophysical Engineering | December 15 | March 1 | March 1 | |
| Geophysics | December 15 | March 1 | March 1 | |
| Humanitarian Engineering & Science | December 15 | March 1 | July 1 | |
| Hydrology | December 15 | March 1 | July 1 | |
| Materials Science | December 15 | March 1 | July 1 | |
| Mechanical Engineering | December 15 | March 1 | July 1 | |
| Metallurgical and Materials Engineering | December 15 | March 1 | July 1 | |
| Mineral & Energy Economics | January 15 | March 1 | July 1 | |
| Mining Engineering | January 15 | March 1 | July 1 | |
| Nuclear Engineering | December 15 | March 1 | July 1 | |
| Operations Research with Engineering | January 15 | March 1 | July 1 | |
| Petroleum Engineering | March 1 | March 1 | ||
| Physics | December 15 | March 1 | March 1 | |
| Quantitative Biosciences & Engineering | December 15 | March 1 | July 1 | |
| Quantum Engineering | December 15 | March 1 | July 1 | |
| Robotics | December 15 | March 1 | July 1 | |
| Space Resources | March 1 (International on-campus) | July 1 (Domestic on-campus) | August 1 | |
| Underground Construction & Tunnel Engineering | December 15 | March 1 | July 1 |
Residential (on-campus) Master's Non-Thesis & Graduate Certificates Deadlines
| Spring Deadlines | Fall Deadlines | |
|---|---|---|
| International Students* | October 1 | March 1 |
| Domestic U.S. Students | December 15 | August 1 |
| International students are not eligible to apply for residential certificate programs. We encourage you to check out our online certificate options | ||
Online Master's Non-Thesis & Graduate Certificates Deadlines
| The following deadlines apply to online master's non-thesis and graduate certificate programs for domestic U.S. and International students. | |
| Spring I & II (January 12 start) | January 2 |
| Spring III*** (March 11 start) | February 18 |
| Fall I & II (August 19 start) | August 1 |
| Fall III*** (October 22 start) | October 1 |
| **The Fall III deadline is only available for the following programs: Additive Manufacturing; Business Analytics; Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage; Chemical Engineering Processes in Energy Transitions; Data Science: Computer Science; Data Science: Earth Resources; Electrical Engineering (Professional Master and Certificate Only); Engineering and Technology Management; GIS & Geoinformatics; Mechanical Engineering; Underground Construction and Tunnel Engineering | |
| ***The Spring III deadline is only available for the following programs: Additive Manufacturing; Business Analytics; Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage; Electrical Engineering (Professional Master and Certificate Only); Engineering and Technology Management; GIS & Geoinformatics; Mechanical Engineering; Product Management (Offered for only session III in spring); Underground Construction and Tunnel Engineering | |
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Faculty Spotlight
Ryan Venturelli
Earning her PhD in Marine Geology from University of South Florida in 2021, Dr. Ryan Venturelli joins Mines as an assistant professor in Geology and Geological Engineering. Dr. Venturelli is an isotope geochemist, focusing her research on projects to connect the timing and rates of past cryospheric change with the modern observational record to gain a process-based understanding of ice mass loss.
With an extensive collection of publications and conference presentations, Dr. Venturelli brings a wealth of experience and insight to our department. She currently teaches courses in Earth and Environmental Systems and will soon teach a course in Paleoclimate and Biogeochemical Cycles.
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Contact Us
(303) 273-3247
grad-admissions@mines.edu
Career Connections
At Mines, your career goals are the focus. You will connect with world-class faculty and industry experts in your field, all while enhancing your knowledge through hands-on learning and research.
Why study Hydrological Science and Engineering at mines?
As one of the nation’s leading applied science and engineering universities, Mines provides students with rigorous academic training, valuable research opportunities and a unique student life unlike any other. As one of the few hydrology-specific graduate programs, you’ll receive a focused and comprehensive hydrology curriculum that goes deeper and broader than most other programs. And with a diverse and experienced faculty in our interdisciplinary program, you’ll have the opportunity to explore all the unique paths within the world of hydrology.
Hands-on research is a core component of our graduate program, and with our location at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, we have the ideal environment for a variety of water-related research projects. As part of our coursework, we work on the survey field for hydro-geophysics examining ground water, perform physics water chemistry experiments at nearby Clear Creek, and tour federal partners, like the USGS, for hands-on modeling. Upon graduation, our students have the foundational knowledge, research experience and passion to thrive in their next step.
Hydrological Science and Engineering careers
- Contaminant characterization and remediation
- Groundwater or watershed modeling
- Water resource assessment
- Ecological restoration
- Environmental restoration
Visit the Mines Career Center website for additional career resources and information.
Where to find our alumni
- Colorado Division of Water Resources
- Essential Management Solutions
- National Park Service
- Neptune and Company
- Sciex
- Tetra Tech
- Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
- U.S. Geological Survey
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