Ph.D. Program Courses

AG 7310 Agriculture and Sustainable Aquatic Resources
Study of the impacts of agricultural on aquatic resources, including agricultural water requirements for various types of crops and soils, impacts of agricultural chemicals on aquatic ecosystems, efficiency of alternative irrigation practices, and means for altering or mitigating current practices that can adversely affect aquatic resources.

BIO 7102 Seminar in Aquatic Resources
Interactive discussion of timely issues and problems, designed to introduce students to the range of scientific, socioeconomic and policy issues likely to be encountered within the field of aquatic resources. All students seeking a doctoral degree in Aquatic Resources must enroll in BIO 7102 at least four times.

BIO 7302 Problems in Aquatic Resources
Individual study on specific state, national or international aquatic resources issues, under direct supervision of a doctoral or associate faculty member. Students may not enroll in BIO 7302 more than twice for doctoral credit without the approval of the Program Director.

BIO 7303 Research
Research course for students who have not yet passed their Candidacy Exam, typically under direction of research-dissertation supervisor. Pre-candidacy students must enroll in course every semester until admission to Candidacy, although the it may not be taken more than three times for doctoral credit without the approval of Program Director.

BIO 7405 Statistics and Experimental Design I
Introduction to inferential statistics, including exploratory and confirmatory data analysis, estimation and hypothesis testing, analysis of variance and regression, and non-parametric techniques, as applied to aquatic resource issues. Computer applications emphasized.

BIO 7406 Statistics and Experimental Design II
Introduction to the principles of experimental design, including randomization, replication, sample-size determination, completely randomized and randomized block design, factorial design, repeated measure design, and analysis of variance and covariance, as applied to aquatic resource issues. Computer applications emphasized. Prerequisite: BIO 7305 or consent of instructor.

BIO 7310 Global Aquatic Resources
Introduction to global, national and regional aquatic resource issues, including scientific, environmental policy and socioeconomic components and perspectives. Water quantity and quality issues and their root causes in different regions of the world are examined, with an emphasis on case studies.

BIO 7312 Government Policy and Aquatic Resources
Examination of aquatic resources issues in federal, state or local governments, including examination of goals and relations of different governmental entities to each other. Relevant international treaties, and federal and state statutes in which these policies are embodied, are examined.

BIO 7322 Scientific Method and Aquatic Resources
Analysis of the scientific method applied to ecological research, focusing on aquatic ecosystems. Topics include methods of reasoning and statistical inferences in research, strategies of scientific research in aquatic ecology, and scientific research as a social process.

BIO 7325 Wildlife and Recreation: Impact and Management
Introduction to the impacts of human recreational activities on wildlife habitats and populations. Management practices to enhance human-wildlife encounters or to minimize detrimental effects on wildlife populations are presented. Prerequisites: BIO 5423 and BIO 5435, or equivalent.

BIO 7346 Conservation Biology
Examination of the alteration of habitats and associated biological changes threatening the continued existence of species and basic ecosystems. Topics include conservation ethics, working paradigms, levels and loss of global biodiversity, conservation at population and ecosystem levels, restoration ecology, endangered species biology and conservation laws. Recent Advances are stressed.

BIO 7348 Aquatic Resources Economics
Examination of economic and related social issues for facilitation of sustainable aquatic resources for competing beneficial human uses and ecosystem maintenance, including valuation of aquatic ecosystem services. Prerequisite: BIO 7312.

BIO 7350 Aquatic Resources Law
Examination of treaties, state and federal laws, and regional and local regulations, affecting freshwater and coastal aquatic resources. The focus is on aquatic ecosystems, water quantity and quality and environmental conditions, including the availability, storage, use and protection of aquatic resources. Prerequisite: BIO 7312.

BIO 7352 Aquatic Resources Hydrology
Overview of the properties, distribution and movement of water over and under the land surface, in the atmosphere, and the relation to sustainable aquatic resources.

BIO 7355 Plant-Water Relations
Examination of the physiology and ecology of water use in higher plants, including the uptake, utilization and movement of water, transpiration and adaptation to variable water availability including drought, and the ecological role of water in structuring plant communities.
Prerequisite: BIO 3465 or equivalent, or permission of instructor.

BIO 7356 Pollution of Aquatic Ecosystems
Overview of the water quality degradation of aquatic ecosystems (rivers, lakes, wetlands, groundwater aquifers) and their living resources from point and nonpoint pollutant sources. Topics will include aquatic ecosystem pollution and impacts attributable to nutrients, heavy metals, organic chemicals, sediment, salinization and acid rain. Field trips may be required.

BIO 7360 Special Topics in Aquatic Resources
Examination of current or emerging state, national and international aquatic resources issues, including root causes and their human and ecosystem implications. The course may be repeated for credit, depending on the topic. No more than six hours can be counted for doctoral credit without the approval of the Program Director.

BIO 7360A Industry and Sustainable Aquatic Resources
Examination of industrial water needs and uses, the types and quantities of water pollutants produced by different industries, problems faced by industry regarding process water for different manufacturing activities, and the possibilities for industry to contribute to the goal of sustainable aquatic resources.

BIO 7360B Environmental Linkages and Sustainable Aquatic Resources
Introduction to the environmental relationships between humans and other living beings and the ecological systems in which they exist. Emphasis will be on the potential for individual environmental problems to have serious impacts on other environmental components, as well as the nature of these impacts.

BIO 7362 Environmental Impact Analysis
Examination of government regulations regarding environmental impact, content of environmental impact statements, procedure for impact studies, application of ecological principles to impact studies, and the review process for environmental impact statements, focusing on aquatic resources.

BIO 7366 Integrated Management of Aquatic Resources for Sustainable Use
Study of principles for the holistic, integrated management of aquatic resources for sustainable use, including watershed and regional planning processes and consideration of transboundary water systems. Linkages with other environmental components (climate change, biodiversity, etc.) will be discussed. Prerequisites: BIO 7310 and BIO 7312.

BIO 7368 Mathematical Modeling of Aquatic Resources and Ecosystems
Application of mathematical modeling, including regression and correlation analysis and systems modeling of natural processes, to sustainable aquatic resource and ecosystem issues. Computer applications emphasized. Prerequisite: MATH 2471/2472, or equivalent.

BIO 7399A Dissertation
Original research and writing in Aquatic Resources, to be accomplished under direct supervision of the dissertation advisor. While conducting dissertation research and writing, students must be continuously enrolled each long semester for at least 3 dissertation hours. Graded on a credit (CR), no–credit (F) basis.

BIO 7401 Assessment Techniques for Aquatic Resources
The rationale for designing and implementing monitoring and sampling programs for aquatic resources is examined. General field and laboratory methods for assessing water quantity, water quantity and the status of aquatic ecosystems and their living resources, will be introduced. Field trips will be required.

BIO 7402 Molecular Field Techniques
The application of molecular tools for identifying, quantifying, and interpreting biological diversity assessments in aquatic systems. The course focuses on micro organismal identification and vertebrate model systems.

BIO 7406 Instrumentation for Water Quality Analysis
An introduction to the theory and application of laboratory and field instrumentation and techniques for analysis of water quality. Prerequisite: CHEM 3410.

BIO 7408 Fish Ecology and Conservation
Examination of the linkages and interactions between fish assemblages and communities and their population ecology. Issues related to flowing and pooled water systems and fisheries conservation also are discussed. Field trips may be required.

BIO 7410 Aquatic Microbial Ecology
Examination of microbial organisms, communities and interactions affecting the form, structure and functional aspects of aquatic ecosystems. Field trips may be required. Prerequisite: BIO 2400/3440 (Microbiology) or consent of instructor.

BIO 7419 Stream Ecology
Study of ecological theories, concepts and processes occurring at the population, community and ecosystem levels of organization in running water. Laboratory includes sampling methods, descriptive and comparative studies, experiments and critical discussion of literature. Field trips may be required.

BIO 7421 Landscape Ecology and Aquatic Resources
Study of processes influencing energy flows, nutrient and mineral cycling, and pollution of aquatic ecosystems, emphasizing system and spatial analysis of watershed and land use features and characteristics. Use of geographic information systems and remote sensing techniques will be examined. Field trips may be required.

BIO 7422 Wetlands Ecology
Study of the characteristics, classification, conservation and management of marshes and other periodically-inundated ecosystems, emphasizing the interactions of physical, chemical and biological factors. Field trips may be required. Prerequisite: BIO 4416 or equivalent or permission of instructor.

BIO 7424 Phycology
Examination of algae (phytoplankton, periphyton) and their structure, taxonomy, ecology and distribution.

BIO 7426 Ecology and Management of Aquatic Macrophytes
Examination of aquatic macrophytes and their ecology, taxonomy, distribution and management. Field trips may be required.

BIO 7428 Waterfowl Management
Examination of the principles and practical methodology of waterfowl management, including techniques in monitoring and data collection related to population dynamics and habitat parameters of waterfowl species. Field trips may be required.

BIO 7440 Aquatic Toxicology
Introduction to principles for identifying and assessing the adverse effects of chemicals and other compounds and mixtures on aquatic organisms and ecosystems. Completion of BIO 7402 is recommended prior to enrollment in BIO 7440.

BIO 7466 Phylogenetics
Study of the use of phylogenetic methodologies in aquatic research, including practical data collection, management and analysis in the reconstruction of phylogenies. Laboratory exercises will introduce phylogenetic and DNA analysis software. Prerequisite: BIO 2450, 4369 and 5466, or with consent of instructor.

BIO 7468 Groundwater Resources
Study of the geological, physical, chemical and biological factors influencing sustainable groundwater resources, including hydrologic linkages and interactions with surface aquatic resources. Emphasis will be on the karst aquifer systems of Central Texas, and other groundwater aquifer systems of the United States.

BIO 7471 Reservoir Ecology
Study of the physical, geological, chemical, and biological factors that influence and form structural and functional aspects of reservoir ecosystems. Lab focuses on field, laboratory and mathematical approaches to quantifying and managing these important ecosystems. Field trips may be required. Prerequisite: Biology 4470 or 5470 or consent of instructor.

BIO 7475 Restoration of Polluted Aquatic Resources
Overview of methods for treating or restoring aquatic resources degraded by pollution and related anthropogenic impacts. Topics include point and nonpoint source pollution of surface waters and groundwater aquifers, pollution from storage and waste disposal sites, aquatic habitat rehabilitation and on-site methods. Field trips may be required. Prerequisite: BIO 7356 or consent of instructor.

BIO 7699A Dissertation
Original research and writing in Aquatic Resources, to be accomplished under direct supervision of the dissertation advisor. While conducting dissertation research and writing, students must be continuously enrolled each long semester for at least 3 dissertation hours. Graded on a credit (CR), no–credit (F) basis.

CHEM 7330 Environmental Chemistry
An introduction to environmental chemistry, with an emphasis on aquatic resources. Basic principles of geochemistry and atmospheric chemistry, as they relate to pollutant impacts on aquatic ecosystems, also will be examined. Prerequisites: CHEM 1341/1141, CHEM 1342/1142, CHEM 2341/2141, CHEM 2342/2142 and CHEM 3410.

ENG 7314: Specializations in Professional and Technical Communication Topics: Writing and Communicating about Aquatic Resources Issues
Provides theoretical and practical information for specialized types of technical and professional communication.

GEO 7316 Remote Sensing and the Environment
A detailed examination and implementation of sophisticated approaches for processing satellite digital images with emphasis on environmental applications.

GEO 7318 GIS and Environmental Geography
This course examines the nature of environmental problems and exploration of the potential of GIS for environmental modeling and management. The conceptual basis for using GIS as well as the framing of environmental research problems will be covered.

GEO 7334 Geographic Aspects of Water
This seminar is a critical analysis of developmental and current literature that defines water’s critical role in determining the physical and cultural characteristics of the earth. Principal focus will be placed on water’s role on land use and as a critical resource.

HR 7375 Aquatic Health Ecology and Human Disease
Introduction to the health consequences of human-environment interaction and aquatic pollution. Topics to include bacterial and toxic aquatic agents and their relation to human disease. Control of communicable and noninfectious diseases from water resources, and epidemiological principles important to research in waterborne human disease, will be examined.

PHIL 7323 Environmental Ethics and Sustainable Aquatic Resources
Examination of the ethical implications of environmental use and management policies and practices, with emphasis on sustainable aquatic resources.

POSI 7310 Resolution of Disputes Involving Aquatic Resources
Analysis of historically significant environmental disputes affecting aquatic resources and establishing precedents for resolution subsequent disputes. Techniques for resolving environmental disputes (e.g., litigation, arbitration, mediation, negotiation) and how science and scientists are used in each procedure. Design of systems for using dispute resolution procedures in appropriate sequence.