Environmental Management (Ph.D.) - Graduate - 2009 University Catalog
You are viewing the 2009 University Catalog. Please see the newest version of the University Catalog for the most current version of this program's requirements.
The Montclair State Ph.D. program in Environmental Management is intended for students who have recently graduated from academic institutions with an appropriate baccalaureate or master's degree as well as for select early to mid-career professionals who would like to deepen their research credentials and their understanding of environmental management, thereby improving their qualifications for professional advancement. The program will emphasize investigations of the mechanisms and interconnections found within and among components of environmental systems (atmosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere, biosphere) and with associated human systems (political, legal, social, economic). The program offers extensive field and laboratory work allowing students exposure to cutting edge environmental research, environmental management issues, and access to state-of-the-art analytical instrumentation and computer-assisted technology. Graduates of the program will be fully prepared to enter post-doctoral research in the discipline, academic institutions, government agencies, profit or non-for-profit organizations, private sectors, etc. that deal with the environment, sustainability, and restoration issues.
The specific objectives of the Ph.D. program include:
- Primary emphasis on research, grounded in unique transdisciplinary approaches to address environmental issues that impact sustainability and future management.
- Preparation of scientists who are fully primed to continue with creative, cutting edge scientific discoveries that will lead to important answers and approaches within relevant issues geared towards sustainable management of the environment.
- Preparation of environmental scholars who will recognize and analyze relationships among scientific, technological, societal and economic issues, and will use research in a data-driven decision and policy making process, firmly rooted in current scientific knowledge and methodology.
- Development of research professionals who will emerge as leaders in environmental management within academia, industry and government institutions.
Consistent with other environmental Ph.D. programs around the country, the dissertation of an Environmental Management doctoral student entails extensive original research generating new ideas and new data. The dissertation consists of high quality collection and analysis of extensive original data and field work that are prepared for publication in appropriate national/international peer reviewed journals. In addition, all doctoral students are expected to present ongoing results at professional conferences and are guided to prepare and submit competitive research proposals to national, state, regional or private agencies and foundations for potential funding support of their work (e.g., NSF doctoral support programs, EPA Fellowships, Heinz Scholars for Environmental Research of dissertations, etc.). The Ph.D. program requires submission of at least one journal article for review and publication prior to a students’ dissertation defense. The precedence is well set by the 4 graduates of the program who share 12 peer-reviewed journal articles and many presentations between them. The existing students have more than 25 publications, including 6 journal articles to date. The doctoral students have received awards for their outstanding presentations at scientific conferences.
The PhD program takes advantage of the University's location, within the heavily impacted New York-New Jersey metropolitan region, effectively making the region a laboratory to study a broad spectrum of environmental problems. Focus is particularly on the collection of data, analysis, understanding, and consideration of solutions to environmental issues in urban areas, both locally and parallel issues around the globe. With increased and appropriate scrutiny from government and community groups, industry must increase its vigilance on environmental controls and enhance efforts to minimize environmental disruption. Thus, the need for sound, scientifically-rooted environmental scholars and managers continues to grow. While environmental “problems†may focus on a particular issue or region (e.g. New Jersey brownfields, contaminants in Passaic River sediments, etc.), the Ph.D. program prepares students with a transdisciplinary perspective and approach that is critical to proper understanding of geographically different yet coincident environmental issues. For example, the cause and impact of a point source pollutant in New Jersey and in Shanghai may be similar, but the approach to comprehensive recognition, understanding, and possible rectification of the problem could be widely different. Students are encouraged to compare regional environmental problems with other heavily urbanized sites in developed and developing world countries.
Research
Research in the PhD program is centered on three separate yet interlocking research themes: Water-Land Systems; Sustainability, Vulnerability, and Equity; and Modeling and Visualization. The faculty members from the various departments participating in the program are involved in a number of individual and cooperative research initiatives related to these themes. A sampling of the research initiatives from our faculty includes the following:
- Assessment and Management of Urban Environments
- Spatial Environmental Data Analysis
- Drivers and Impact of Land Use and Land Cover Change in Northern New Jersey
- Water Resource Management in Northern NJ and Long Island Drainage Basins
- Marine Geochemistry of the Newark Bay and New York Harbor
- Environmental Issues Pertaining to the Passaic River
- Other Environmental Research Activities
Program faculty participates in a wide range of activities concerning environmental issues and problems in New Jersey. For example, the Department of Earth and Environmental Studies hosts NJ Water Watch interns involved in a program aimed at collecting water quality data and at raising public awareness of pollution problems related to the Passaic River in Paterson. This program involves students from throughout the university. The Department of Earth and Environmental Studies is also a member of the New Jersey Partnership for Sustainability in Higher Education, a partnership partly funded by the Dodge Foundation to examine ways that higher education institutions can employ environmentally sustainable business practices. Another example of the input that faculty at the University have on New Jersey environmental activities stems from participation on various state agency committees. For example, Dr. R. Prezant served on the NJ Department of Environmental Protection Coastal/Estuarine Research Agenda Coordination Committee where he chaired the subcommittee on Habitat and Living Resources. This subcommittee produced a report emphasizing biocomplexity and the interdisciplinary nature that must address future coastal research in New Jersey. He also serves on the Hudson 400 Advisory Council.
In order
to administratively coordinate these and future research activities in
the area of Environmental Management, several Centers of Excellence and
a School have been created in the College of Science and Mathematics.
They include the following:
PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
Complete the following 7 requirement(s):
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CORE COURSES
Complete 4 courses for 12 semester hours:
BIOL 570 Ecology 3 ENVR 760 Organizational Environmental Management 3 ENVR 770 Earth Systems Science 3 LAWS 590 Environmental Law and Policy 3 -
REQUIRED RESEARCH COURSES
Complete 2 courses for 6 semester hours:
ENVR 895 Research Project in Environmental Management I 3 ENVR 896 Research Project in Environmental Management II 3 -
RESEARCH REQUIREMENTS
Complete the following 2 requirement(s) for a minimum of 36 semester hours:
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COLLOQUIUM
Complete for a minimum of 6 semester hours.
ENVR 704 Special Topics 1-4 -
DISSERTATION
Complete for a minimum of 30 semester hours.
ENVR 900 Dissertation Advisement 3-12
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ELECTIVES
Complete the following 2 requirement(s). Elective courses must be selected with committee approval.
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Complete 3 semester hours-18 semester hours from the following list.
ENVR 610 Seminar in Environmental Management 3 ENVR 655 Advanced Environmental Remote Sensing and Image Processing 3 ENVR 775 Modeling in Environmental Science 3 EUGS 680 Spatial Analysis 3 EUGS 770 Advanced Geographic Information Systems 3 STAT 541 Applied Statistics 3 -
Complete $H- 15 semester hours from the following list.
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QUALIFYING EXAMINATION/ASSESSMENT
Successfuly complete the qualifying examination or assessment requirement.
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ADMISSION TO CANDIDACY
Admission to candidacy may follow completion of pre-dissertation research courses and qualifying exam.
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DISSERTATION REQUIREMENT
Complete a dissertation in accordance with Doctoral Program requirements.
Course Descriptions:
BIOL532: Advanced Entomology
Examination of insects as model systems for biological inquiry. Topics include an integrative treatment of insect molecular biology, genetics, physiology, behavior, evolution and ecology. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: Matriculation in M.S. Biology program or permission of instructor.
BIOL550: Topics in Microbiology
Coverage of selected topics such as the microbial genetics, antibiotic action, bacteriophage, virus, cancer and microbial metabolism. Emphasis will be placed on practical applications of modern research in specific areas. May be repeated once for a maximum of 6.0 credits as long as the topic is different. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: Microbiology.
BIOL553: Microbial Ecology
Exploration of the essential role of microorganisms in the ecosystem. Lecture, field trips and laboratory will demonstrate the ubiquitous and highly adaptive evolution of microorganisms, their interrelationships and their profound influence on the biosphere. 4 sh.
Prerequisites: Microbiology.
BIOL570: Ecology
Basic ecological principles and concepts. Habitat approach to field exercises in fresh water and terrestrial ecology. Intra and interspecific relationships with all living members of the ecosystem, problems in plant and animal biology. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: Botany and zoology.
BIOL571: Physiological Plant Ecology
The effects of soil, light, and water on plant growth, as well as, toxic effects of metals and salinity are measured using growth chamber and greenhouse facilities. 4 sh.
Prerequisites: Botany and one course in field biology.
BIOL572: Wetland Ecology
Important biotic, chemical and physical parameters of New Jersey's estuaries. Evolution and successional trends of estuarine communities. Ecology of individual communities studied by field trips to Delaware Bay shore and to some Atlantic coast bays, marshes and offshore barrier islands. Also offered at the New Jersey Marine Sciences Consortium. 4 sh.
Prerequisites: Botany, and zoology, and field biology.
BIOL573: Shoreline Ecology
Community structure, trophic dynamics, species diversity and distribution of bottom dwelling organisms in relationship to their environment; lectures, laboratory work and field investigations of the marine benthos. Also offered at NJ Marine Sciences Consortium. 4 sh.
Prerequisites: Botany, and zoology, and field biology.
BIOL574: Behavioral Ecology
This seminar course explains the ecological consequences of animal behavior, viewed within the context of how behavior evolves and how populations adapt to their environments. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: Field biology and zoology.
BIOL580: Evolutionary Mechanisms
This course will provide students the opportunity to read primary resource material and interpret the findings of the data. This course will also teach students how to read, critique and present scientific data to a peer group. Students will analyze, discuss and present primary research articles with respect to scientific content, accuracy of the data and significance of the experiments. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: Matriculation in the biology master's program or permission of the instructor.
BIOL595: Conservation Biology: The Preservation of Biological Diversity
This course addresses concerns about the loss of biological diversity and genetic resources through species extinctions. Students will learn about the importance of maintaining biological diversity, the problems involved in monitoring and protecting sensitive and crucial habitat, the impact of human societies on biodiversity, the alternatives to the destruction of habitat/species, the prospects of restoration, and the policies needed to prevent the loss of biological diversity. Students will also learn about population processes that are directly related to species survival. This course is cross listed with CNFS 595. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: Botany, and zoology, and field biology.
CHEM534: Chromatographic Methods: Theory and Practice
A combined lecture/hands-on course in the theory and practice of chromatography; including GC, HPLC, GC-MS, GPC, and SFC, as well as computerized instrument control, data acquistion, and processing. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: CHEM 310 (Analytical Chemistry) and 311 (Instrumental Analysis) or equivalents.
CNFS510: Environmental Impact of Recreation on Natural Areas
Students will examine the impact of recreation on natural areas in four of New Jersey's major ecosystems: upland forest, pine lands, salt marsh and barrier beach. Investigation of recreation records and plans will allow for comparison and contrast of heavily used sites with those which have been relatively undisturbed. Students develop "recreation impact statements". CNFS 511 must be taken concurrently. 2 sh.
ECON501: Economic Analysis
The resource allocation and distribution of income implications of a market-oriented economy operating under various degrees of competition. Also analyzed are the determinants of consumer and market demand and the theoretical cost structure of firms. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: M.B.A. degree students, M.A. Environmental Studies majors with concentration in Environmental Management (ESEM), Doctor of Environmental Management (ENVM) students; or M.B.A. Director approval.
ECON503: Economic Problems of the Third World
A survey of major economic problems of the Third World; examination of the economic structure of developing countries and of general theories of economic development; critical evaluation of various policy alternatives for their development; analysis of possible economic relationships between First and Second Worlds with the Third World. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: ECON 501.
ECON508: Economics of Public Management
Computer-based applications of capital theory to the decision-making process of government. Analysis of alternative approaches to public sector project evaluation. Spreadsheet applications of project analysis in physical and human resource management areas covering water resources, public health, and education. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: ECON 501.
ECON544: Government and Business
The evolution of government influences on the functioning of the American economy. The causes and consequences of government regulation and control. The importance of economic analysis in the foundation of public policies. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: ECON 501.
ENVR508: Environmental Problem Solving
The purpose of this course is to train students to define environmental problems, develop their skills in solving these problems, as well as commitment to work toward their solution. Each lesson consists of student preparation of reading selected articles, classroom orientation, field trips, and the student-instructor follow-up. Field trip topics include pedestrian/vehicle conflict, school site development, plants as a city resource, urban/rural recreation, sign ordinances, transportation and similar topics. 3 sh.
ENVR509: Environmental Change and Communication
Prepare students as professional environmentalists: Communication and journalism strategies, theory of persuasion, and roles as catalyst, solution giver, process helpers, and resource person. 3 sh.
ENVR551: Natural Resource Management
Provide background in natural resource management; wildlife, fisheries, forests, water and related components. Includes field trips. 3 sh.
ENVR610: Seminar in Environmental Management
This is a methods seminar focusing on the techniques of managing a project with environmental significance. Students will design and plan in detail a project to improve an existing environmental problem or to implement an economically important project that would minimize environmental problems. 3 sh.
ENVR655: Advanced Environmental Remote Sensing and Image Processing
This course provides a forum to explore cutting edge advances in remote sensing of the environment afforded by new satellite and aircraft based imaging platforms and to provide facility with image processing (IP) and geographic information systems (GIS) software. Topics covered include multispectral, hyperspectral and multiangular reflectance data, very high resolution panchromatic imagery, active radar and lidar systems, microwave imagery, advanced spatial and statistical raster analysis, and interfaces to GIS. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: Matriculation in a graduate program or permission of the graduate program coordinator.
ENVR704: Special Topics
Special Topics is a detailed and literature intensive exploration of one particular focus in contemporary environmental management. The topic for the course will fall under one of several general areas. Topics will cover specific research areas in water-land systems, sustainability, vulnerability and equity, modeling analysis and visualization. This course is designed to fulfill elective requirements of the Doctoral Degree in Environmental Management. This course may be repeated twice for a maximum of 8.0 credits. 1 - 4 sh.
Prerequisites: Departmental approval.
ENVR760: Organizational Environmental Management
This course examines the impact of profit, non-profit and public organizations on the natural environment. It analyzes the pressure, the types, and the procedures for implementing an environmental management system (EMS); and case studies from various organizations. It also studies the internal and external strategies of organizations relative to environmental sustainability goals. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: Matriculation in a graduate program or departmental approval.
ENVR770: Earth Systems Science
This course investigates geosystems. In studying processes within the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and lithosphere, the course provides a holistic understanding of earth's historical, present, and future systems. Current techniques and tools for data collection and analysis, such as field methods, GIS, Remote Sensing, are included in the course. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: Matriculation in a graduate program or departmental approval.
ENVR775: Modeling in Environmental Science
This course introduces fundamental concepts of interphase and intraphase transfer and transport related to our living environment. It focuses more on natural interphase transfer, including pathways and fate, and is mainly designed to understand the mechanics and processess. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: One-year college-level courses in mathematics, physics, geology, biology or chemistry or departmental approval.
ENVR895: Research Project in Environmental Management I
The course is structured to provide doctoral students with the opportunity to develop or update the research skills needed to design and complete a dissertation. Students can either develop an independent topic for their research project in consultation with faculty advisors or they can choose to work on one of the University's on-going environmental studies research projects. 3 sh.
ENVR896: Research Project in Environmental Management II
The course is structured to provide doctoral students with the opportunity to develop or update the research skills needed to design and complete a dissertation. Students can either develop an independent topic for their research project in consultation with faculty advisors or they can choose to work on one of the University's on-going environmental studies research projects. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: ENVR 895.
ENVR900: Dissertation Advisement
While enrolled in Dissertation Advisement, students will work with their dissertation advisor and dissertation committee to write their dissertation. Credits are reported as IP (In Progress) while the dissertation is being written. At the successful conclusion of the dissertation defense, a final grade of pass or fail will be recorded. May be repeated without limit. 3 - 12 sh.
Prerequisites: Advancement to Candidacy.
EUGS603: Reading Seminar in Geography and Urban Studies
Required of all master's degree candidates concentrating in Geography and Urban Studies. This semester entails directed independent study in preparation for a 3-hour written comprehensive examination. 2 sh.
EUGS680: Spatial Analysis
This course will introduce students to techniques for the analysis of spatial data. The course will heavily utilize GIS and Remote Sensing data with particular attention to applications and manipulation techniques. Topics include characterizing spatial data, data sampling, visualization, data modeling, point pattern analysis, and spatial data interaction. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: A GIS course (EUGS 470 or higher).
EUGS770: Advanced Geographic Information Systems
This course will allow students with demonstrated knowledge and skills in the geographic information sciences (GIS and/or Spatial Analysis and/or Remote Sensing) to expand on the range of techniques at their disposal for analyzing and visualizing geographic and other spatial data sets. Students are expected to develop and effect a small but well-defined research project which will result in a paper and an oral presentation. The course will make much use of industry standard GIS and Remote Sensing software packages in data application, manipulation and visualization. The course will cover programming in 3GLs, 4GLs and macro languages for processing and analyzing extensive spatial data sets as well as the construction of customized graphical user interfaces for specific applications. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: One of the following: EUGS 470, EUGS 680, ENVR 455, ENVR 655, GEOS 455, or equivalent, or departmental approval.
GEOS501: Air Resource Management
Spatial distribution of energy in the atmosphere treated in terms of natural factors and man's induced changes (atmospheric pollution). Incoming sun energy as modified by man is traced through the atmosphere, vegetation, soil and water. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: For majors in the College of Science and Mathematics.
GEOS509: Water Resource Management
The spatial patterns of the water resource both as surface water and ground-water. Processes affecting availability and techniques of estimation are stressed. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: For majors in the College of Science and Mathematics.
GEOS513: Waste Management
This course examines liquid waste management (sewage, sewerage, septic, and acid mine drainage) and solid waste management (composting, incineration, dumps, sanitary landfills, ocean dumping, and resource recovery). Management of radioactive wastes is included. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: For majors in the College of Science and Mathematics.
GEOS525: Environmental Geoscience
In-depth study of the relationships between man and the physical environment of atmosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere. Particular attention to problems of mineral resource and fossil-fuel depletion; pollution of air, water and soils and waste disposal and recycling, simple computer modeling of environmental situations. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: For majors in the College of Science and Mathematics.
GEOS530: Paleoecology
Distribution and association of fossils as interpreted from the evidence presented in the geologic record. Detailed paleoecological field study made of selected faunal assemblages. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: Biology major, or Geoscience major, or Environmental Studies major with a concentration in Environmental Science.
GEOS552: Applied Groundwater Modeling
Introduction to groundwater flow and contaminant transport modeling, using a variety of current software packages. Saturated and unsaturated media will be considered. Emphasis is on application of models to the solution of common problems encountered in hydrology industry and research. 4 sh.
Prerequisites: Undergraduate hydrogeology course and college-level calculus or departmental approval.
GEOS560: Advanced Marine Geology
Development and evolution of the ocean basins; marine sedimentation; shoreline development and classification; submarine topography; mineral resources of the sea. Laboratory analysis of marine sediments and fossil assemblages. Required field trips. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: For majors in the College of Science and Mathematics.
GEOS571: Geophysics
Theory and application of conventional geophysical methods: seismology, magnetism, electricity and gravity. Laboratory includes the collection and interpretation of geophysical data. Field trips. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: Geoscience major.
GEOS575: Geochemistry
Chemical laws and principles applied to the earth, chemical composition of the earth, distribution and relative abundance of the elements. Radioactive materials, atmospheric precipitation of geochemicals, the geochemistry of polluted water (including solid and liquid wastes) study of meteorites. Required field trips. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: For majors in the College of Science and Mathematics.
HLTH502: Determinants of Environmental Health
Advanced study of health and safety aspects of the environment: air, water, industrial pollution and the impact of expanding population on health problems. 3 sh.
HLTH565: Foundations of Epidemiology
Provides an understanding of the epidemiologic method of identifying disease-causing agents. Emphasizes the generation of hypotheses based on descriptive epidemiologic data, the testing of hypotheses by analytical epidemiologic research design, the determination of causality and value of epidemiologic research in developing disease prevention programs. 3 sh.
INBS501: International Business: Concepts and Issues
This course offers students an in-depth introduction to international business concepts and issues in addition to exposure to the fundamentals of international business, students will become aware of the dynamics of global business environment, international competition in both the domestic and foreign markets as well as strategic issues in international business management and operations. The course adopts a critical approach; it presents both sides of an international business issue. Greater emphasis will be placed on managerial implications of information presented in the course. The course also includes discussion of ethics and social responsibility in the conduct of international business. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: ECON 501; M.B.A. degree students only.
INBS511: Global Business Endeavors
This course offers an in-depth analysis of critical components of global business management. It examines the challenges of the changing international competitive environment, as well as the political, economic, and legal influences on global corporate leadership. This course will help students outline multinational business strategies, understand internationalization process, and develop analytical skills necessary to succeed in dynamic global business activities. Cross listed with MGMT 511. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: INBS 501.
INBS520: Managing The Global Workforce
The objective of this course is to increase knowledge about managing a global workforce. The course provides a framework for understanding how individual, group, and organization factors impact global businesses and how organizations respond to them. Some focus will be placed on understanding cross-cultural issues within this context. Practical application, case analysis and effective management practices of international companies are emphasized. Cross listed with Management, MGMT 520. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: MGMT 505.
LAWS590: Environmental Law and Policy
The goal of this course is to provide students with the theoretical foundations and practical applications of Environmental Law. The course will utilize a model and method approach, which will present theory and procedure in a case problen context. The course will acquaint students with various traditional legal theories and compare and contrast them with law as it has evolved to meet new changes in society. Cross listed with Earth and Environmental Studies, ENVR 590. 3 sh.
MGMT510: Human Resource Management
This course examines how managers can utilize modern Human Resource practices in order to improve company performance and efficiencies. Topics include staffing for quality, outsourcing, use of core and contingent workforce, managing workforce commitment and performance, legal issues, managing careers, and reward systems. A case study approach is used. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: MGMT 505.
PHMS565: Tidal Marsh Ecology
Salt marsh development and physiography: community structure, energetics, and interrelationships. The role of salt marshes in estuarine and marine systems. The impact of man on the marsh. Offered at N.J. Marine Sciences Consortium. 4 sh.
Prerequisites: Departmental approval.
PHMS581: Coastal Geomorphology
Coastlines and their evolution; processes and materials of the coastal zone; shore zone hydrodynamics and sedimentation: beach and barrier systems with special emphasis on the New Jersey shoreline. Offered at the site of the New Jersey Marine Sciences Consortium. 4 sh.
Prerequisites: Departmental approval.
SOCI581: Sociological Perspectives on Health and Medicine
This course will introduce the student to the interesting and complex relationships that exist between society, health and health care. Class lecture discussions will focus on the connections between social structure, the quality of the physical and social environment and health. Special attention will be given to work environments. This course will also deal with the effects of social factors on the experience of one's body, the perception of disease and on the construction of medical knowledge. 3 sh.
STAT541: Applied Statistics
Review of estimation and hypothesis testing for one sample and two sample problems; introduction to non-parametric statistics and linear regression; fundamental principles of design, completely randomized design, randomized block design, latin square, and 2 factor design. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: STAT 330 or STAT 443 and permission of graduate program coordinator.
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