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ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE Ph.D. PROGRAM - Program Overview
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Jackson State University (JSU), a public coeducational institution,
is supported by the State of Mississippi. It is controlled by the Board of Trustees
of State Institutions of Higher Learning, appointed by the Governor. The University
is supported by legislative appropriations supplemented by student fees and
federal grants. The University is located in the heart of Jackson, Mississippi,
the capital and largest city of the state. Jackson is the political, cultural,
geographical and industrial center of the state. The population of the metropolitan
area is estimated at 400,000. The campus is a scenic one hundred and twenty-acre
tract situated one mile west of the main business district of the city.
THE SCHOOL
The School of Science and Technology (SST) at JSU is an organizational development
resulting from a merger of the School of Industrial and Technical Studies and
the Division of Natural Sciences formerly in the School of Liberal Studies.
The purpose of the merger was to consolidate the scientific and technical resources
of the University into a more efficiently focused endeavor capable of meeting
the demands of a technological society. The goal of the school, through its
departmental units, is to develop and implement educational, research and outreach
activities aimed at increasing the number of students in the science and technology
pipeline at all levels -- pre-college through graduate school, and the number
and quality of our nation's future technical work-force.
THE PROGRAM
Introduction
Concerns
about environmental degradation, alterations of ecosystem integrity and impairment
of human health are steadily increasing in Mississippi, the United States and
around the globe. Environmental issues affect all mankind. Our patterns of consumption,
toxic and hazardous waste production and overpopulation in both developed and
developing countries are draining renewable and nonrenewable natural resources.
Water contamination, food contamination, air pollution, greenhouse gas build-up,
acid rain, ozone layer depletion and global climate changes, all reflect the
incompatibility of our lifestyles and the planet's capacity to support the excessive
pressure.
Consequently, there is a great demand from governments at local, state and federal
levels, from the private sector, from the public, and from within academia,
for contributions in education, research, and outreach programs with regard
to environmental literacy leading toward a sustainable society. Such demand
also exists at the international level, and requiring that any environmental
issue be considered on scientific, social, and economic bases.
Vision
Jackson State University (JSU) is the urban university of Mississippi and is
the sole institution in the State that offers a graduate program (M.S. and Ph.D.)
in Environmental Science. Recognizing the need for a strong preparation in facing
present and future environmental challenges, the School of Science and Technology
at JSU is taking an innovative approach to environmental science education,
one that integrates academic training, research and practical experience into
a cohesive program of study focused on the full range of environmental problems
that plague our communities, our State, our Nation and our Planet. These problems
must be addressed head on by professionals who have a broad variety of technical
skills and practical experience as well as imagination, energy and creativity.
The JSU Environmental Science Doctoral Program is a new interdisciplinary program
in the School of Science and Technology. This program effectively started in
Fall 1992, and graduated the first two students in May and August of 1996. About
thirty graduate students are currently enrolled into the program. All units
of the School including the Biology; Chemistry; Computer Sciences; Mathematics;
Physics, Atmospheric Sciences and General Sciences; and Technology and Industrial
Arts departments contribute to the development of the Environmental Science
Ph.D. Program and to successful matriculation and graduation of the enrolled
students.
Mission
To produce highly skilled environmental scholars who in turn will provide for
policy makers and the general public, scientific and factual information derived
from laboratory and field applied research encompassing basic sciences, engineering
and technology. As such, it is related to the assessment of water contamination,
food contamination, air pollution, global warming, toxic and hazardous substances
releases and associated environmental issues; and the development of cost-effective
methodologies and strategies to protect the environment and human health.
To ensure that Jackson State University becomes nationally and internationally
recognized for excellence in environmental science education and applied environmental
science research; by providing a high level of training and a graduate education
that fosters creative research, criticism, and scholarship in environmental
science.
Objectives
1. To provide graduate students with essential knowledge, skills and aptitudes
needed for successful careers in environmental science related jobs at various
institutions including government agencies, the academia and the booming environmental
industry.
2. To protect the environment and human health by educating and training students
on the interactions between the various components/systems of the environment,
the complex and fragile nature of the environment, and how to sustain ecosystem
integrity and protect human health.
3. To establish applied environmental science research initiatives that will
lead to an authoritative base of knowledge concerning the State of Mississippi's
environment and natural resources; by assessing and understanding the mechanisms
by which physical, chemical, and biological agents generated by nature or as
results of sociocultural activities of man cause alterations of ecosystem integrity,
disability and diseases in man and other life forms.
4. To develop and understand cost-effective methodologies and means whereby
the impact of various environmental pollutants may be prevented and/or controlled,
and to integrate important knowledge and technologies in the physical, chemical,
biological and social sciences needed to set policies and guidelines for appropriate
utilization and management of vital resources.
5. To render services to the community through outreach programs, technology
transfer for the protection of natural resources and the development of the
economy, and communication to convey environmental science education to the
public.
ACCREDITATION
Jackson State University is fully accredited by the Commission on Colleges of
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bachelor's, master's,
educational specialist, and doctoral degrees including the Ph.D. in environmental
science.
DEGREE PROGRAM
Generally, requirements for the Ph.D. include about three years of advanced
study beyond college. In terms of semester credit hours it requires a minimum
of 90 hours. The degree is based upon a minimum of 30 hours at the master's
level and a minimum of 60 hours as a candidate for the doctorate. No credit
may be obtained by correspondence study.
For the Environmental Science Ph.D. Program, a minimum of 60 hours of course
work, independent study and research, and a residency of at least a year of
full-time study are required. Also required are: fluency in English and statistics
and computer modeling; the passing of a comprehensive or general examination
of the candidate's subject-matter field; the defense of a creative dissertation.
The student's Advisory Committee will evaluate the student's previous training
and degree objectives. The committee will then outline a proposed degree program
and a research problem which when completed, as indicated by the dissertation
will constitute the basic requirements for the degree. The student's proposed
degree program must be submitted to the Graduate School prior to the third semester's
registration. The proposed degree program will be submitted on standard forms,
with endorsements by the student's Advisory Committee, the Program Director,
the Dean of the School, and for the approval of the Dean of the Graduate School.
PROGRAM GUIDELINES
Academic work leading to the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in the School
of Science and Technology is designed to give the candidate a thorough and comprehensive
knowledge of his or her professional field and training in methods of research.
The final basis for granting the degree shall be the candidate's grasp of the
subject matter of a broad field of study and a demonstrated ability to express
thoughts clearly and forcefully in both oral and written languages. The degree
is not granted solely for the completion of course work, residence and technical
requirements, although these must be met. Since the Ph.D. Program is interdisciplinary
it is administratively managed by an Environmental Science Advisory Committee
coordinated by the Program Director.
Admission
Admission to the doctoral program in Environmental Science is open to persons
holding the master's degree in science, demonstrated satisfactory performance
on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and acceptable academic records.
Prospective students interested in this Ph.D. Program must first be admitted
to the Graduate School. This admission does not mean automatic admission to
the Ph.D. Program in Environmental Science. Applications for general admission
to the Graduate School and to the doctoral program are accepted throughout the
year by both the Graduate School Admissions Counselor and the Director of the
Ph.D. Program in Environmental Science. Students may begin enrollment at the
beginning of each semester and the summer term.
Admission
to the Graduate School
The Graduate School considers for admission to degree programs only those students
who have earned degrees (bachelor's, master's) from regional accredited colleges
and universities. A student must submit to the Office of Records the following
information to be considered for admission to the graduate school:
(a) All admissions credentials on file:
1. Application for admission to Graduate School
2. Transcript(s) direct from college(s) to Graduate School
3. Three letters of recommendation from former college professors
(b) A Graduate Record Examination test score.
(c) A TOEFL test score for foreign students
Program admission
All students seeking admission to the Ph.D. Program must meet the following
criteria:
1. A Master's degree in natural sciences or related sciences from an accredited
university. An applicant with a Bachelor's degree only may be admitted when
that student shows exceptional potential as determined by a GPA of 3.5 or better,
a GRE test score of 1000 or better, and exceptional work experience
2. A completed program application submitted to the Program Director
3. A combined Graduate Record Examination score of 1000 or better
4. An overall GPA of 3.25 or above (on a 4.0 scale) on the highest earned degree
5. Transcripts for all post secondary and graduate work attempted prior to submitting
a program application
6. Recommendations from three major graduate professors knowledgeable of the
applicant's professional academic ability, job experiences, and leadership and
research potential
7. Acceptable evidence of a student's writing ability as determined by a writing
sample completed under the supervision of a screening committee member
8. A minimum TOEFL score of 550 for international students
9. A successful interview with the program screening committee, and
10. Recommendation for admission by the program screening committee
Degree requirements
The program requires approximately two years of course work (36 semester hours)
and a minimum of twenty (20) semester hours of dissertation research credit
beyond the MS degree. The exact program of study will be determined by the student's
graduate committee. Additional requirements include:
(1) satisfactory performance on the Comprehensive Examination administered after
the student has completed all course work; and
(2) successful defense of the dissertation research.
CURRICULUM
Required Courses
Course ID Course Title Credit hours
MATH 700 Statistics and Experimental Design 3
ENV 700 Environmental Systems 3
ENV 701 Environmental Chemistry 4
ENV 702 Environmental Health 3
ENV 751 Water Quality Management 3
ENV 755 Air Quality Management 3
ENV 800 Environmental Toxicology 4
ENV 801 Risk Assessment and Management 3
ENV 900 Environmental Science Seminar 2
ENV 999 Dissertation Research 20
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Elective Courses
Course
ID Course Title Credit hours
CSC 700 Computer modeling 3
CSC 800 Image Interpretation 3
MET 800 Environmental Meteorology 3
ENV 715 Principles of Bioremediation 4
ENV 721 Solid Waste Management 3
ENV 802 Environmental Physiology 4
ENV 803 Wetland Ecology 4
ENV 830 Environmental Microbiology 4
COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
Required courses
ENV 700. Environmental Systems. (3) Three hours (Lecture). A groundwork of environmental
science, environmental awareness and ecological literacy for the incoming Ph.D.
students is presented. The environment and its living and non living components,
and the interactions of these component areas studied. The course is set in
a thermodynamic perspective and is based on a nested hierarchy of systems. Key
concepts and principles that govern how we think the environment works are presented
while learning how to apply these concepts to possible solutions of various
environmental degradation, pollution and resource problems.
ENV 701. Environmental Chemistry. (3) Three hours (Lecture). Prerequisites:
One year of general Chemistry and one year of organic chemistry. Studies of
the basic concepts of environmental chemistry; the nature of chemical compounds;
organic and inorganic; chemical reactions; their effects, and fate of chemical
species, in aquatic systems. This include: Studies of equilibrium phenomena
of acids, bases, salts, complex compounds, and oxidation/reduction reactions.
Studies of water pollution, environmental chemistry of water and its properties.
ENVL 701. Environmental Chemistry (1) Three hours (Laboratory). Experiments
done for the purpose of water quality control and assessment, such as the determination
of alkalinity, acidity, water hardness, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), and
other important parameters. The laboratory is coordinated to go with the lecture
material.
ENV 702. Environmental Health. (3) Three hours (Lecture). This course focuses
on the impact of environmental problems on human health. Health issues related
to water pollution/contamination by physical, chemical and biological agents;
wastewater discharges; radiations; air pollution; municipal, and industrial
wastes; food contamination; pesticides; occupational hazards; and vector-borne
diseases are discussed.
ENV 751. Water Quality Management. (3) Three hours (Lecture). This course provides
students with basic concepts and principles in Water Quality Management. The
effects of organic, inorganic, biological and thermal pollutants/contaminants
in various systems of the hydrologic cycle including streams, reservoirs, and
estuaries; eutrophication; water quality criteria and standards; monitoring
concepts; methods in water quality management; regulatory considerations; and
non point source pollution control, are discussed.
ENV 755. Air Quality Management. (3) Three hours (Lecture). This course provides
students with basic concepts and principles of Air Quality Management. Contaminant
classification, pollutant sources, criteria pollutants, health effects, exposure
and risk assessment are discussed. Pollutant measurement and air quality assessment
techniques are considered with regard to atmospheric effects on dispersion and
transport. Identification of, and control strategies for stationary and mobile
sources, and environmental regulations are studied, and indoor air quality considered.
ENV 800. Environmental Toxicology. (3) Three hours (Lecture). Prerequisites:
ENV 701, ENV 702. This course is designed to provide an overview of the basic
principles and concepts of toxicology including : exposure characterization,
dose-response relationship, kinetics and distribution of toxicants in a biological
system; to understand the fate, behavior and toxicities of xenobiotic chemicals,
and the mechanisms by which they affect cells and organs; and to identify the
sources and discuss the effects of various groups of environmental toxicants
including heavy metals, pesticides and other industrial byproducts.
ENVL 800. Environmental Toxicology. (1) Three hours (Laboratory). This course
is designed to familiarize the students with important laboratory and field
procedures and methods used in toxicological testing of environmental toxicants;
and to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of major methodologies including
acute, subacute, subchronic and chronic bioassays.
ENV 801. Risk Assessment and Management. (3) Three hours (Lecture). Prerequisites:
ENV 800, MATH 700. This course is designed to provide students with qualitative
and quantitative skills necessary to evaluate the probability of injury, disease
and death in humans and other life forms, from exposure to various environmental
contaminants. Hazard identification, exposure assessment, dose-response evaluation
and risk characterization are emphasized. Regulatory and technical aspects of
risk assessment in the promulgation of public and environmental safety standards
are discussed.
ENV 900. Seminar. (0.5 hr X 4 semesters = 2) Two hours (Lecture). This course
focuses on contemporary issues in environmental health science. The student
is expected to review, discuss, and present orally a report on a topic related
to contemporary environmental issues. Topic areas for selection include (but
not limited to): environmental biology, environmental chemistry, environmental
microbiology, environmental toxicology, atmospheric science, water quality management,
solid and hazardous waste management, computer modeling and remote sensing.
Students are required to attend all scheduled seminars.
ENV
999. Dissertation Research. (20). Proposed research must be approved by student's
Advisory Committee Members. Original research must be carried out in one or
more areas of Environmental Science. Each doctoral student is expected to consult
with members of the dissertation committee at frequent time intervals throughout
the progress of his or her research, and shall be required to submit a progress
report to each committee member at least once each semester. Credit per academic
session allowable is 1-6 hours. Student must produce, present and defend a document
of publication quality.
MATH 700. Statistics and Experimental Design. (3) Three hours (Lecture). Prerequisite:
MATH 272. Or 2 semesters of Introductory Statistics. Probability; random variables;
expectation of a function of random variables; sampling distribution; estimation;
hypothesis testing; designed experiments; completely randomized design; randomized
complete block design; Latin square design; factorial experiments; regression
analysis, statistical software application to statistical analysis, are discussed.
Elective courses
CSC 700. Computer Modeling. (3) Three hours (Lecture & Laboratory). The
purpose of this course is to provide the student with the fundamental knowledge
of simulation models, writing programs to generate random numbers from various
probability distributions using differential methods, and testing the statistical
properties of random number generators. The student will also be trained to
write simple programs to simulate real life situation models using GPSS language.
CSC 800. Image Interpretation. (3). Three hours (Lecture & Laboratory).
This course presents a broad overview of various image processing concepts and
techniques. Topics include the history of remote sensing, image digitation,
data formats, hardware and software functions, commercial and public available
digital processing systems, image preprocessing (radiometric and geometric correction),
image enhancement, image classification, change detection, interfaces of remote
sensing and geographical information system (GIS), and the future of digital
image processing.
MET 801. Environmental Meteorology. (3) Three hours (Lecture). Principles of
atmospheric science as applied to gaussian modeling of pollutants. Includes
source review and receptor identification and modeling, National Ambient Air
Quality Standards and human health and welfare impacts, plume behavior, and
access of EPA models, running of EPASCREEN, and web site information. Special
topics covered include: scavenging; acid precipitation; weather modification,
green house enhancement; stratospheric ozone; scrubbers; and indoor air quality.
ENV 715. Principles of Bioremediation. (3) Three hours (Lecture). This course
uses modern knowledges in life sciences, as well as new developments in biotechnology
to address important issues related to environmental cleanup of hazardous wastes.
The nature of environmental pollution is reviewed, and basic concepts in molecular
biology, biochemistry, microbiology, and plant physiology are applied to demonstrate
the significance of bioremediation and phytoremediation in pollution control.
Therefore, an emphasis is put on the use of biological methods and processes
in the remediation of contaminated soils and water resources.
ENVL 715. Principles of Bioremediation. (1) Three hours (Laboratory). Laboratory
and field experiments are conducted to familiarize students with relevant bioremediation
techniques and methodologies. Identification and classification of microorganisms,
use of bacteria in toxicity assessment, biodegradation of organic contaminants,
and phytoremediation of toxic metals are discussed.
ENV 721. Solid Waste Management. (3) Three hours (Lecture). This course emphasizes
on waste control methodologies for both municipal and industrial wastes including
hazardous and non-hazardous waste under the Resource Conservation and Recovery
Act (RCRA). The students are familiarized with environmental legislation regulating
these wastes at state and federal levels. A thorough review is done on waste
handling, transport, treatment technologies including chemical, physical, biological
and thermal treatments, and disposal options such as land disposal of wastes.
Waste minimization techniques such as source reduction and recycling are also
discussed.
ENV 803.
Wetland Ecology. (3) Three hours (Lecture). This course is designed to provide
scientific knowledge for a better understanding of interactions between biological,
physical and chemical components of wetlands. The structure and function of
various types of wetlands; their biodiversity, biogeochemistry, and the impact
of pollution on their ecological characteristics are discussed. Discussions
are also done on how constructed wetlands can be used as water quality enhancers.
ENVL 803. Wetland Ecology. (1) Three hours (Laboratory). Emphasis is placed on field works designed to evaluate the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of wetlands.
ENV 830. Environmental Microbiology. (3) Three hours (Lecture). The general objective of this course is to study the roles of microorganisms in natural ecosystems. Attention is given to the examination of nutrient cycles, methods of analysis of microbial biomass and activities, and the functional roles of microorganisms. In addition, this course offers in-depth examination of the role of microbial processes related to environmental deterioration, its control and remediation, and ultimately its prevention.
ENVL 830. Environmental Microbiology. (1) Three hours (Laboratory). Laboratory designed to acquaint students with modern techniques for measuring microbial biomass and microbial degradative activities of natural and xenobiotic chemicals in natural environments. Specific projects of microbial analysis will be assigned to students.
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TIME LIMIT
No student will be granted a doctoral degree unless all requirements for the degree are completed within a period of five consecutive calendar years after admission to candidacy. Graduate credit for any course work which is more tha