The program is designed to prepare men and women for positions in research and consulting in industry, government and service organizations, and teaching and research positions in colleges and universities. Graduates will be able to:

1. Conceive, develop, and conduct original research leading to useful applications in energy and environmental systems.
2. Incorporate into their professional work considerations relating to scientific and social aspects of energy and environmental systems.
3. Demonstrate effective written and oral communication skills related to research issues in energy and environmental systems.

Students with B.S. degrees in a science, engineering, technology, or economics discipline and with superior credentials (general program admission requirements plus GPA>3.5, strong GRE scores, and strong reference letters) may apply for B.S. to Ph.D. admission. 

Students in the Energy & Environmental Program may co‑major with other Ph.D. programs offered by NC A&T State University or through the inter-institutional Ph.D. program.  This will require the approval of both Ph.D. programs and approval of the student's combined advisory committee. Co‑majors must meet all requirements for majors in both programs.  Only one degree is awarded and the co‑major is noted on the transcript.  Co‑majors are not permitted between Doctorate‑level and lower-level programs.

For students entering with a M.S. degree, the program requires 52 credit hours beyond the M.S. degree distributed as follows:

       28 credit hours for course work,
         3 credit hours for seminars,
         3 credit hours for professional practice/development,
and 18 credit hours for dissertation research. 

Students progress through the program by passing a written qualifying exam over the core courses and a preliminary exam over the student’s proposed research. As an indicator of their research competency, all students will be required to submit at least two refereed journal articles that have been approved by their dissertation committee before graduation. The program requirements are summarized as follows:

* Students are advised that 711 is only taught in the Fall, and 712 is taught in the Spring. 
**A minimum of three 800-level courses taken in these two groups must be part of the student’s academic program.

For students entering with a B.S. degree, the program requires 75 credit hours beyond the B.S. degree distributed as follows:

       48 credit hours for course work,
         6 credit hours for seminars,
         3 credit hours for professional practice/development,
and 18 credit hours for dissertation research. 

Students progress through the program by passing a written qualifying exam over the core courses and a preliminary exam over the student’s proposed research. As an indicator of their research competency, all students will be required to submit at least two refereed journal articles that have been approved by their dissertation committee before graduation. The program requirements are summarized as follows:

PROGRAM OPTIONS

CONCENTRATIONS

Atmospheric Sciences: EES 750 and 751 plus at least two of EES 752, 753, 754, 755, 785 (Atmospheric Sciences topic), or 885 (Atmospheric Sciences topic) along with dissertation research in Atmospheric Sciences.

Sustainable Bioproducts: EES 740 plus at least three of EES 741, 742, 743, 744, 785(Sustainable Bioproducts topic), or 885 (Sustainable Bioproducts topic) along with dissertation research in Sustainable Bioproducts.

Energy & Environmental Sciences and Economics: At least four of AGEC 710 (Microeconomics), AGEC 705 (Statistical Methods in Agricultural Economics), AGEC 708 (Econometrics), ECON 701 (Labor and Industrial Relations), ECON 705 (Government Economic Problems), ECON 710 (Economic Development and Resource Use), ECON 720 (Development of Economic Systems), EES 785 (Energy & Environmental Sciences and Economics topic), or EES 885 (Energy & Environmental Sciences and Economics topic)  along with dissertation research in Energy & Environmental Sciences and Economics.

CREDIT TRANSFER

The Energy & Environmental Program Director with approval of the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies is responsible for determining the applicability of transferred credits to program requirements. 

General rules governing transferred credit are:

1. To obtain approval to receive transfer credit, the student must submit a Request for Transfer of Credit form (available in the Graduate School office), approved by the Program Director, to the Dean of the Graduate School. If the courses being transferred are from another institution, the student must include an official copy of the transcript along with the request. The University is not obligated to accept any courses for transfer credit.
2. Transfer Credit is limited to 6 semester credit hours.
3. Undergraduate courses are not transferable for graduate credit.
4. The grade in any course accepted for transferred credit must be “A” or “B”. Courses that have been graded on a Pass/No Credit or Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory basis will not be accepted for transfer. It should be noted that, although the credit for a course may transfer, the grade will not be used to calculate the graduate GPA at North Carolina A&T State University.
5. To be considered for transferred credit, the courses must have been undertaken at a regionally accredited institution.
6. Transfer credit will only be considered for courses that are aligned with a coherent program of study.

Ph.D. COMMITTEE AND PLAN OF GRADUATE WORK

Initially, the Program Director will serve as the academic advisor for all new students entering the program. Each student in the Energy & Environmental Program is expected to select a research advisor by the beginning of the second year with the approval of the Director. The research advisor must hold a tenure or tenure-track, full-time faculty position at the university.  However, a co-advisor may have non-tenure-track/adjunct status. The Ph.D. Committee will consist of a minimum of four (4) graduate faculty members with the research advisor as its chairperson and a School of Graduate Studies representative.  The Ph.D. Committee will be recommended by the research advisor, with input from the student, to the Director of the Energy & Environmental Program, for approval by the Dean of Graduate Studies.

QUALIFYING  EXAMINATION

The qualifying examination is a written examination administered after the core courses are completed by a student. The examination covers the core course content.  It is prepared and graded by the Energy & Environmental Director and core course instructors.  A 75%  mark  is required to pass the qualifying examination.  A student may retake the exam only once if it is failed. The second attempt at passing the examination must be no earlier than two months after the first attempt. Failure of a student to pass the examination on the second try terminates their work in the program.

PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION

After passing the qualifying examination, a student submits their written dissertation proposal at least ten days before its oral defense to their research advisor, the Director of the Energy & Environmental Program, and the Dissertation Committee for review.  Generally, the preliminary exam should be scheduled during a student’s third semester in the program. Dissertation proposals are expected to include a thorough literature review and a detailed research plan with a timeline and anticipated results.  The proposal must be orally defended by the candidate before the Dissertation Committee.  Approval by a majority vote of the Dissertation Committee is required to pass the preliminary examination.  Approval may be conditioned, however, on the student's meeting specific requirements described by the Dissertation Committee.  Failure of a student to pass the examination terminates their work toward the Energy & Environmental degree unless the Ph.D. Committee recommends a reexamination.  No reexamination is given until one full semester has elapsed and only one reexamination is permitted. Passing the preliminary examination constitutes approval to proceed with the dissertation research. 

ADMISSION TO CANDIDACY

Admission to candidacy for the Energy & Environmental Ph.D. degree will require compliance with the following:

1. Completion of all core and elective courses approved for the student's program of study,
2. A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better, and
3. Successful completion of the preliminary examination.

FINAL ORAL EXAMINATION

The final oral examination is scheduled after the dissertation is determined to be complete by the research advisor and the Director of the Energy & Environmental Program and at least two refereed journal articles have either been accepted by the journals or have been approved by the Ph.D. Committee as likely to be accepted.  The examination is conducted by the student's Dissertation Committee and consists of the candidate's defense of methodology used and the conclusions reached in the research.  Approval by a majority vote of the Dissertation Committee is required to pass the final oral examination.  Approval may be conditioned, however, on the student's meeting specific requirements described by the Ph.D. Committee.  Failure of a student to pass the examination terminates their work in the program unless the Ph.D. Committee recommends a reexamination.  No reexamination is given until one full semester has elapsed and only one reexamination is permitted.

OTHER INFORMATION

See “Requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree” elsewhere in this catalog for information related to residence requirements and time limit.  Additional details of requirements for the program are outlined in the Energy & Environmental Program Student Handbook available from the Director of the Energy & Environmental Program.

Energy & Environmental Course Listings

Ph.D. Courses

EES 700               Introduction to Research Ethics
EES 710               Environmental Chemistry
EES 711               Energy & Environmental Economics I         
EES 712               Energy & Environmental Economics II
EES 720               Sustainable Energy Systems
EES 730               Research Proposal Writing
EES 740               Fundamentals of Biomaterial Sciences & Bioprocess Systems  
EES 741               Biomaterials Characterization  
EES 742               Biomass Thermal Conversion Processes  
EES 743               Biomass Biological Conversion Processes  
EES 744               Environmental and Policy Studies of Biomass Use  
EES 750               Physical Meteorology
EES 751               Dynamic Meteorology  
EES 752               Climatology
EES 753               Numerical Weather Prediction  
EES 754               Advanced Weather Analysis  
EES 755               Principles of Air Quality 
EES 785               Special Topics
EES 885               Doctoral Special Topics

Ph.D. Level Pass/Fail Courses

EES 990                Doctoral Supervised Practicum
EES 991                Doctoral Qualifying Examination
EES 992                Doctoral Seminar
EES 993                Doctoral Supervised Teaching
EES 994                Doctoral Supervised Research
EES 995                Doctoral Preliminary Examination
EES 996                Laboratory Internship
EES 997                Doctoral Dissertation
EES 999                Continuation of Doctoral Degree

Energy & Environmental Course Descriptions

EES 700.   Introduction to Research EthicsCredit 1(1-0)
This course will cover the policies regulating research at land grant universities and the ethical principles on which these policies are based.  Topics covered include use of humans in research; use of animals in research; research misconduct; authorship and peer review; intellectual property; proper experimental design, data collection, and statistical interpretation; and discipline-specific issues. Prerequisites:  Graduate standing and consent of instructor.

EES 710.   Environmental ChemistryCredit 3(3-0)
This course presents the chemical aspects of applied environmental science. Topics covered include the sources, reactions, transport, and fates of chemical species in water, soil, and air along with the analytical techniques used to study the chemicals.  Prerequisites:  Graduate standing and consent of instructor.

EES 711.  Environmental & Energy Economics ICredit 3(3-0)
This course presents theories of natural resource utilization and allocation. Topics covered include externalities, public goods, environmental quality, planning natural resource use and environmental quality, evolution of energy industries, and current energy and environmental regulatory systems. Prerequisites:  Doctoral Standing and consent of instructor.

EES 712.  Environmental & Energy Economics IICredit 3(3-0)
This course presents interrelationships of natural resource use and the environment. Topics covered include applied welfare and benefit-cost analysis, externalities and pollution abatement, and quantitative methodologies for analyzing energy, natural resource, and environmental problems. Prerequisites: EES 711.

EES 720.   Sustainable Energy SystemsCredit 3(3-0)
The course will cover the thermodynamic, mass and energy balance, economic, and environmental considerations of sustainable energy systems.  Alternative energy technologies and conventional energy technologies will be compared.  Prerequisites: Graduate standing and consent of instructor.

EES 730.   Research Proposal WritingCredit 3(3-0)
This course will guide the student to prepare a written research proposal that contains a thorough literature review, a clear hypothesis about an issue that has not been resolved in the literature, and appropriate methodologies for determining whether or not the hypothesis is correct.  Throughout the course, emphasis will be placed on developing critical thinking and technical writing skills. Prerequisites:  Graduate standing and consent of instructor.

EES 740.  Fundamentals of Biomaterial Sciences & Bioprocess SystemsCredit 3(3-0)
This course introduces the science and engineering of converting biorenewable resources into bioenergy and biobased products. Topics covered include the core physical, chemical, and biological principles that underlie the synthesis and modification of biomaterials and associated biopolymers into novel materials.
Prerequisites: Graduate standing and consent of instructor.

EES 741.  Biomaterials CharacterizationCredit 3(3-0)
This course presents the analytical and spectroscopic techniques and tools available for examining molecular and macroscopic structural features of naturally occurring materials with emphasis on the lignocellulosic substrate.  Topics covered will provide an appreciation for the fundamental principles behind the available techniques.  Prerequisites:  EES 740.

EES 742.  Biomass Thermal Conversion Processes Credit 3(3-0)
This course presents the available chemical and thermal methods and processes that are available to convert biomass into commodity chemicals and energy as part of a biorefinery concept. Topics covered include the conversion of biomass to specific end products or to complex mixtures of materials such as syngas and pyrolysis oils.  Prerequisites:  EES 740.

EES 743.  Biomass Biological Conversion ProcessesCredit 3(3-0)
This course presents the available biological conversion methods and processes that are available to convert biomass into commodity chemicals and energy as part of a biorefinery concept.  Topics covered will highlight the challenges of bioconversions in terms of cost, dewatering, and limited thermal and pH ranges.  Prerequisites:  EES 740.

EES 744.  Environmental and Policy Studies of Biomass UseCredit 3(3-0)
This course presents the ways in which biomass technological principles impinge upon policy issues.  Topics covered include lifecycle analysis, management issues, public policy development, and principles of green engineering and sustainability. Prerequisites:  EES 740

EES 750.   Physical MeteorologyCredit 3(3-0)
This course presents physical principles related to atmospheric environmental systems, processes, and measurements. Topics covered include atmospheric thermodynamics, atmospheric radiation transfer, and cloud microphysical processes.
Prerequisites:  Graduate standing and consent of instructor.

EES 751.  Dynamic MeteorologyCredit 3(3-0)
This course presents classical and physical hydrodynamics.  Topics covered include perturbation theory, scale analysis of dynamic equations, atmospheric boundary layers, atmospheric wave motions, the general circulation model, dynamics of tropical convections, middle atmosphere dynamics, atmospheric instabilities, and numerical weather forecasting.  Prerequisites:  EES 750.

EES 752.  ClimatologyCredit 3(3-0)
This course presents physical and chemical principles that influence climate. Topics covered include earth climate history and present-day climate, climate equilibrium, earth energy budget, climate in middle and high latitudes, climate change detection, and future climate scenarios. Prerequisites:  EES 750.

EES 753.  Numerical Weather PredictionCredit 3(3-0)
This course presents the physical and mathematical basis for numerical weather prediction with computer experiments to demonstrate principles and techniques. Topics covered include derivation of sets of prediction equations consistent with scale analysis and dynamical constraints, atmospheric waves and filtered equations, numerical methods and computational instabilities, filtered and primitive equation models, and National Weather Service operational models.  Prerequisites:  EES 751.

EES 754.  Advanced Weather AnalysisCredit 3(3-0)
This course presents the evolution of physical and dynamic structure of synoptic and mesoscale storm systems occurring in middle and high latitudes. Topics covered include recent advances in understanding these storm systems through intensive field experiments and computer modeling.  Prerequisites:  EES 753.

EES 755.  Principles of Air QualityCredit 3(3-0)
This course presents the chemical interactions, transport, and monitoring of trace gas, aerosol, and particulate pollutants in the atmosphere. Topics covered include risk assessment, health effects, regulations, air pollution statistics, estimation of emissions, air quality meteorology, dispersion modeling for non-reactive pollutants, and commonly used air quality models.  
Prerequisites:  EES 750.

EES 785.  Special TopicsVariable Credit 2(2-4)
This course allows the introduction of new topics on a trial basis.  The topic of the course will be determined prior to registration. Prerequisites: Graduate standing and consent of instructor.

EES 885.  Doctoral Special TopicsVariable Credit 2(2-4)
This course allows the introduction of new topics on a trial basis at the doctoral level.  The topic of the course will be determined prior to registration.  Prerequisites: Graduate standing and consent of instructor.

EES 990.  Doctoral Supervised PracticumCredit 3(0-6)
This course represents the supervised internship for the doctoral student that satisfies the 3 credits of required professional development.  Oral and written presentations on the experience will be provided to the faculty.  Grading is pass/fail evaluation only.  Prerequisites: Doctoral standing and consent of instructor.

EES 991.  Doctoral Qualifying ExaminationCredit 0(0-1)
This course will guide the student to take the qualifying examination.  The qualifying examination will consist of a written examination over the Energy & Environmental program core courses. Prerequisites: Doctoral standing and consent of instructor.

EES 992.  Doctoral SeminarCredit 1(1-0)
This course includes presentations delivered by the doctoral students, faculty, and invited speakers on topics related to energy and environmental issues and research.  Grading is pass/fail evaluation only.  Prerequisite: Doctoral standing.

EES 993.  Doctoral Supervised TeachingCredit 3(1-4)
This course represents the supervised teaching for the doctoral student that satisfies the 3 credits of required professional development.  This course introduces the doctoral student to classroom or laboratory teaching under the supervision of a faculty mentor.  Doctoral students who serve as teaching assistants or as instructors are required to take this course during the first semester they teach.  Grading is pass/fail evaluation only. Prerequisites: Doctoral standing and consent of instructor.

EES 994.  Doctoral Supervised ResearchVariable Credit 3(3-9)
This course is supervised research under the mentorship of a member of the graduate faculty before a student passes the preliminary exam.  This research should lead to the identification of a dissertation topic and written research proposal. Prerequisites: Doctoral standing and consent of instructor.

EES 995.  Doctoral Preliminary ExaminationCredit 3(3-0)
In this course dissertation advisors will guide their students towards completing the preliminary examination.  The preliminary examination will consist of a written proposal and oral defense of the student’s dissertation proposal.  Grading is pass/fail evaluation only.  Prerequisite: EES 991.

EES 996.   Laboratory InternshipCredit 3(0-6)
This course allows a student to explore various research areas first-hand by performing multiple projects in different laboratories under the mentorship of members of the graduate faculty.  It should be taken before a student passes the qualifying exam.  Grading is pass/fail evaluation only.   Prerequisites:  Doctoral standing and consent of instructor.

EES 997.  Doctoral DissertationVariable Credit 3(3-9)
This course represents the supervised research leading to the dissertation for the doctoral student.  Doctoral dissertation research will be conducted under the supervision of the dissertation committee chairperson and include regular meetings with the dissertation committee to evaluate progress on the dissertation.  Prerequisite or Corequisite: EES 995.

EES 999.  Continuation of Doctoral DegreeCredit 1(1-0)
This course is a continuation of work toward the doctoral degree.  Grading is pass/fail evaluation only.  Prerequisites: Doctoral standing.