Graduate Calendar Archives: 2001 / 2002

Ottawa-Carleton Institute for Environmental Engineering

The Institute

Established in 2000, the Institute combines the research strengths and resources of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Carleton University and the Department of Civil Engineering and the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Ottawa. Programs leading to M.Eng., M.A.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Environmental Engineering are available through the Institute. Registration will be at the university with which the student's supervisor is affiliated. Requests for admission may be sent to the Director of the Institute. Related fields of study and research in environmental engineering are also available through the Ottawa-Carleton Institute for Civil Engineering (which offers graduate degrees in Civil Engineering) and the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Ottawa (which offers graduate degrees in Chemical Engineering).

Members of the Institute and Their Major Research Interests

Members of the Institute are listed below. The "home" department of each member is indicated by (C) for the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Carleton University, (CVG) for the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Ottawa, and (CHG) for the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Ottawa.

• Pascale Champagne, Passive Treatment Systems, Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) Mitigation (C)
• Ronald L. Droste, Water and Wastewater Treatment, Process Modelling, Watershed Modelling (CVG)
• Leta Fernandes, Agricultural and Solid Waste Management; Wastewater Treatment, Bioremediation (CVG)
• Deniz Karman, Air Pollution and Control, Motor Vehicle Emissions and Urban Air Quality (C)
• Kevin J. Kennedy, Waste Water Treatment (CVG)
• Boguslaw Kruczek, Membrane Gas Separation Processes (CHG)
• Takeshi Matsuura, Membrane Separation Processes (CHG)
• David D. McLean, Modelling, Control, Optimization and Robust Design of Waste Treatment Processes (CHG )
• Roberto M. Narbaitz, Physicochemical Water and Wastewater Treatment, Solid Waste Management (CVG)
• Wayne J. Parker, Waste Water Treatment, Fate of Contaminants in Engineered and Natural Systems, Biological Processes. (C)
• Gilles G. Patry, Wastewater Treatment Process Simulation and Control (CVG)
• T. Sampat Sridhar, Environmental Impact Assessment, Wastewater Treatment, Hazardous and Radioactive Waste, Pollution Control (C)
• F. Handan Tezel, Air Pollution Control, Water Pollution Control, Environmental Engineering (CHG)
• André Y. Tremblay, Synthetic Membranes, Process and Wastewater Treatment, Air Pollution and Control (CHG)
• Paul Van Geel, Groundwater Flow and Contaminant Transport, Waste Disposal (C)

Master's Program

Admission Requirements

Candidates are admitted under the general regulations of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. The normal requirement for admission to the Master's Program in Environmental Engineering is a four-year bachelor's degree in Environmental Engineering, other related engineering disciplines (Civil, Chemical, Mechanical, etc.), or Environmental Science disciplines.

All students entering the program are required to have courses in mathematics, probability and statistics equivalent to courses required in undergraduate engineering programs. Students admitted without full equivalency in these areas are expected to take appropriate undergraduate courses early in their studies. These courses will be additional to the normal degree requirements.

All students entering the program are also required to have taken undergraduate courses equivalent to the following:

These courses are considered to provide the minimum background in fluid mechanics, and in physical, chemical, and biochemical treatment principles, necessary to adequately follow environmental engineering courses at the graduate level. Depending on their background, students may have been exposed to these principles through a different combination of courses in their undergraduate curriculum. Students entering the program without an equivalent background in these topics are expected to take these courses early in their studies and they are considered additional to those normally required for the degree. The undergraduate courses required are specified in the Certificate of Admission.

Program Requirements

Study at the Master's level can be pursued through either a thesis or a project option The requirements for course work are specified in terms of credits: one credit = one hour per week for one term.

Thesis Option

The requirements for the Master's degree by thesis are as follows:

Completion of a minimum of 18 course credits, with at least one course (three credits) from each of at least three of the areas of study listed below;

Participation in the graduate seminar series (EVG 5800 /81.580). The seminar series consists of presentations by graduate students as well as speakers from outside the Environmental Engineering program. Participation in the series consists of attending seminars as well as making at least one presentation;

Completion and successful oral defence of

Project Option

The requirements for students who pursue the project option are completion of 37 credits, including 27 course credits, the one-credit seminar (EVG 5800 /81.580), and a project equivalent to the remaining nine credits.

Breadth Requirement

In keeping with the objective of ensuring a breadth of knowledge for graduates of the program, students in the Master's program are expected to take at least one graduate level course from each of at least three of the following areas of study:

* Air Pollution

* Water Resources Management and Groundwater and Contaminant Transport

* Management of Solid and Hazardous and Radioactive Waste and Pollution Prevention

* Water and Wastewater Treatment

* Environmental Impact Assessment

This requirement serves the objectives of educating graduate professionals who are not only specialized in one area but who are sufficiently familiar with problems and different approaches in the other areas to enable them to interact readily at a technical level with colleagues working in those areas. In addition to the courses associated with the individual areas, students will be encouraged to select courses from fundamental areas such as chemistry, numerical modeling, and applied statistics.

Master's or Ph.D. candidates transferring from another university must take at least half their courses at Carleton University.

Doctoral Program

Admission Requirements

The normal requirement for admission into the Ph.D. Program in Environmental Engineering is completion of either:

1. A Master's degree in Environmental Engineering

or

2. A Master's degree in an engineering discipline with an environmental specialization.

Students wishing to enter the program who do not have either of these backgrounds will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Additional course requirements may be specified in some cases.

Program Requirements

The requirements for the Ph.D. program (from a Master's degree) are as follows:

1. Completion of a minimum of 9 course credits;

2. Participation in the Environmental Engineering seminar series (EVG 7800 / ENVE 7800) (as defined under Master's regulations);

3. Successful completion of written and oral comprehensive examinations in subject areas determined by the advisory committee;

4. Successful presentation of the Ph.D. proposal before the advisory committee;

5. Completion and successful oral defence of a research thesis.

Master's students with outstanding performance in the Master's courses may request transfer into the Ph.D. program without completing the Master's degree. Students who are permitted to do so require 27 course credits for a Ph.D., including any credits transferred from the master's degree program.

Candidates in the Ph.D. program are expected to demonstrate a broad knowledge of the areas within environmental engineering (see Breadth Requirements under Master's Programs above). Successful completion of the comprehensive examinations indicates that a candidate has acquired this knowledge. The comprehensive examinations, which should normally be completed within twelve months of registration, consist of at least three written exams in areas that are determined by the advisory committee and the candidate, and the defense of a written research proposal. One of the written exams is within the specific area of research of the candidate and serves to assess the depth of the candidate's background in this area. The remaining two exams serve to satisfy the objective of assessing the candidate's breadth of fundamental knowledge in two other areas of environmental engineering. These exams are selected by the candidate from a list that is proposed by the advisory committee. Upon completion of the written exams, an oral exam is held if requested by one or more of the committee members. The thesis proposal should normally be defended within 4 months of completion of the written exams.

Graduate Courses

Course selection is subject to the approval of the adviser or the Advisory committee. Students may choose courses offered at either university from among those listed below.

The courses listed below are grouped by area of study. Students must complete at least one course in three of the five areas. The Director will decide when a course offered under a Special Topics or Directed Studies heading can be considered to meet the requirements of a given area. Course descriptions may be found in the departmental sections of the calendars concerned. Course codes in parentheses are for University of Ottawa (CHG and CVG), and those that begin with the prefix "81" or "82" are offered at Carleton. Only a selection of courses is given in a particular academic year.