Graduate students in several disciplines are conducting research related to air quality. In order to strengthen their educational programs and the quality of graduate education without detracting from existing graduate degree programs, an air quality certificate program has been developed.

Educational Objectives

The educational objectives of the air quality certificate program are as follows:

1. To prepare graduates for careers related to air quality

2. To encourage interdisciplinary educational experiences in air quality

3. To enhance the educational experiences of participating graduate students

Certification Requirements

The course requirements for the certificate program in air quality are as follows:

1. For the Ph.D. degree, 15 credit hours are required including two credits of Air Quality Seminar, at least one course which includes safety and health/toxicology, at least one course which includes air quality measurement and characterization, and at least one course which includes air quality management and control. To fulfill the interdisciplinary objectives of the program, the course list should include courses from at least three academic departments.

2. For the M.S. degree, 12 credit hours are required including one credit of Air Quality Seminar and courses from at least two of the three areas required for the Ph.D. The course list should include courses from at least three different departments.

A list of the approved courses for the certificate program is available below.  It is expected that special topics courses in air quality will be approved for the certificate program by the air quality graduate education committee upon request following the procedure described below.

Administration of the Air Quality Certificate Program

The air quality program administrative office is the Institute for Environmental Research in Seaton Hall. This office will administer the air quality certificate program.

Students working toward advanced degrees should submit a proposed list of courses to be used to meet certification requirements to the director of the air quality program. Where these courses are included in a program of study for an advanced degree, they should be approved by the student’s supervisory committee and the coordinator of the air quality certificate program. A copy of the approved program should be distributed to the student, major professor, and the graduate school. A file is maintained for each student who is in the certificate program by the administrative office in the Institute for Environmental Research.

Where some courses for the certificate program are not included in the advanced degree program of study, the course list should be approved by the major professor and the coordinator of the air quality certificate program. For example, the student may decide to complete the certificate program after the advanced degree program of study is already filed and nearly completed.

The air quality graduate education committee will review the air quality certificate program periodically, and they will have the authority to approve modifications to the approved list of courses.

Air Quality Faculty

Faculty who wish to participate in the air quality program are welcome to do this. Those not presently listed may submit a request to the director to be added to the list. A current list of the air quality faculty is available below.

Coordination

The air quality certificate program is coordinated by Larry Erickson, Department of Chemical Engineering, Durland Hall, and Mo Hosni, Institute for Environmental Research, Seaton Hall. All correspondence should be sent to the administrative office in the Institute for Environmental Research. Mo Hosni is the coordinator who officially approves course lists for the certificate program.

Air Quality Courses