Hydrogeology Internship
USF offers a non-thesis M.S. degree option for the study of hydrogeology that culminates
with an internship experience with local companies or agencies in the environmental
field. This program is appropriate for professionals already working for geoscience
companies in the region, and for students interested in pursuing careers in environmental/water
science fields. The program requires 30 hours of structured course work, and a 3-credit
internship project.
Internship projects must be supervised by a Licensed Professional Geologist (PGs)
and are formally approved by the Internship Program Coordinator, Dr. Jeff Ryan.
Completing the program requires a passing a comprehensive examination based on completed
coursework and the internship project. Before sitting for this exam, the student
must submit an Internship Project Report approved by the supervising PG. The format
of the examination will be determined by the Hydrogeology Internship Examining Committee.
Normally, it is an oral examination of the student's presentation of the results
of the internship project.
For more information about the Hydrogeology Internship, contact
Jeff Ryan.
Introduction
The Hydrogeology Internship Track of the Geology MS Program aims to provide students
with both an academic background for a professional career in hydrogeology and an
interaction with career professionals. The program consists of a flexible 30-hr
program of courses, an internship supervised by a professional geologist, an internship
project report, and an exit exam. For questions contact
Dr. Jeff Ryan at (813) 974-1598, or by email (ryan@shell.cas.usf.edu).
Admissions
GPA and GRE requirements are the same as for our thesis-track Masters in Geology.
We also require that the students have satisfactory grades in a year of calculus,
physics, and chemistry; if they do not, they must take (or retake) those courses
before being admitted.
Students are expected to have a background of geology courses comparable to those
required in our own BS. Students with other backgrounds, however, are welcome, so
long as they have the required calculus, physics, and chemistry. Regarding undergraduate
deficiencies, we require that students arrange their programs so that they have
had 30 hours of structured geology courses by the time they graduate with the MS
with a distribution consistent with the education requirement for registration as
a Professional Geologist in the State of Florida.
Curriculum
The 30 hours of structured course work includes a core of four courses. The remaining
courses can be selected from a range of courses under three general headings.
The four core courses are:
Physical Principles
of Groundwater Flow
Advanced Hydrogeology
(GLY 6827C)
General Geochemistry
Groundwater Geochemistry
The other courses are selected from the following categories:
Category 1 courses are GLY courses that are specifically hydrogeology
courses (e.g., Advanced Hydrogeology) or essential prerequisites (e.g., General
Geochemistry). The four core courses are all Category 1 courses. Other courses include
Numerical Methods and General Geophysics. Internship students must complete at least
five Category 1 courses.
Category 2 courses are all the other graduate-level GLY courses.
Category 2 courses are included to allow the students to maintain general geology
interests. We particularly recommend courses in the general area of geomorphology,
sedimentology and stratigraphy and especially encourage students to participate
in the field excursion courses. Internship students may count up to 7 hours
of Category 2 courses.
Category 3 courses are nonGLY courses (i.e., taught outside the
Department of Geology) that are directly related to some aspect of applied or theoretical
hydrology. There are numerous courses to choose from the College of Engineering,
the College of Public Health, the College of Marine Science, the Department of Geography,
and the Department of Environmental Science and Policy. Internship students may
count up to 9 hours of Category 3 courses (approval required in advance).
At least 10 hrs of the program must be in structured 6000-level courses (standard
policy).
Courses that were counted toward a baccalaureate degree cannot be counted again
for the MS degree (standard policy).
Internship students must register for at least 3 hrs of 6905 (Independent Study,
internship section) before completing the degree.
The student must be registered for at least 2 hours in the semester of the student’s
exit exam.
Academic standards
The student’s final roster of courses must have a B average and include no
course with less than a C. A student will be placed on probation if the GPA drops
below a 3.0 and will be dropped from the program if the student, while on probation,
gets another C or lower grade. This is Departmental policy.
Internship
The student arranges and carries out an internship supervised by a professional
geologist. It is expected, though not required, that this internship be conducted
in the local area while the student is taking classes. Contact Dr. Ryan about professional
geologists in the community who have agreed to serve as Internship Project Supervisors.
The product of the internship is a written report of one or more projects conducted
by the student during the internship.
The internship projects must demonstrate that the student has performed professionally,
utilizing skills and knowledge consistent with the Masters degree. Specifically,
we expect that the projects include data collection and data interpretation of a
quantitative nature. Projects must require the student to exercise considerable
independent judgment, as opposed to simply following detailed instructions. It will
not be sufficient, for example, for the student to have acted as a technical assistant.
The projects, however, need not be original research; investigations of a more routine
nature are acceptable.
Lately, internship students have presented the results of their projects at an evening
public meeting hosted by the Geology Alumni Society at the Tampa office of SWFWMD.
The student’s final exam is an oral exam based on the Internship Project Report
and potentially ranging over the student’s coursework. Examiners are from
the Hydrogeology Internship Committee. The Student’s Internship Project Supervisor
is welcome to participate in this exam.