Graduate requirements: Environmental Science and Engineering
In addition to satisfying the general Institute requirements, students must design a program of graduate study during their first year that includes a minimum of 135 units of graduate work. The PhD program must include three units of ESE 101 and three units of ESE 150 abc. A course in applied statistics and data analysis, such as ACM/ESE 118, is required for students lacking this preparation. Advanced courses in biology with a strong quantitative component may be substituted in appropriate cases upon petition by the student. Students must also take 18 units in each of the three core areas—Environmental Chemistry, Environmental Biology, and Environmental Physics—for a total of 54 units in the core courses. In cases of unusual preparation, students may petition to substitute an advanced elective course for a core course, but the substituted courses must be in the same area as the courses replaced. The remaining units required are to be fulfilled by taking additional courses in GPS, ESE or related disciplines.Units at Caltech nominally reflect the total hours a typical student will spend per week in the classroom, the lab and with homework. Thus, a nine unit course may involve three hours in the classroom, two hours in a laboratory and four hours doing homework each week.
