The Department of Civil Engineering offers graduate study in hydrology and hydraulic (H&H) engineering leading to master of science (MS) and doctor of philosophy (PhD) degrees.The H&H engineering specialization emphasizes engineering planning and design of urban infrastructure to preserve the urban water environment. H&H engineeringapplies hydrologic principles and hydraulic engineering technology to analyze water-related problems, to develop feasible alternatives, to evaluate the costs and benefits among various alternatives and to optimize the operation of a hydrologic system. The H&H program provides graduate course work in the areas of watershed hydrology, groundwater modeling, urban stormwater management, flood mitigation and river mechanics. Students can focus on the following specialty areas, including:
- Flood prediction and flash flood forecasting systems
- Stormwater best management practices and low impact developments
- Urban stormwater simulation and master drainage planning
- Floodplain hydraulics and modeling
- Highway and street drainage systems
- Laminar and turbulent flow numerical modeling
- Groundwater flow modeling
- Risk-cost approach and optimization techniques
Students in H&H engineering are encouraged to work in the hydraulics laboratory and in the on-campus stormwater detention test site.