Frequently Asked Questions
About Us
Admission
- What is the deadline for undergraduate applications for admission?
- Is there anytime during the semester when an undergrad may not request admission to the major or minor?
- If I am on academic probation and wish to change my undergraduate major (or add a second major or add an undergraduate minor), are there any restrictions?
- What is the deadline for graduate applications for admission?
- What kind of undergraduate course work is required for graduate study?
- What are the most common undergraduate course deficiencies for the graduate degree programs?
- How many undergraduate course deficiencies may I have and still be eligible for admission to the graduate program?
- Does the number of undergraduate course deficiencies I have affect my eligibility for departmental financial aid?
- What kind of departmental financial aid is available to support graduate study? Is there a special form for this?
- How do I submit transcripts of course work?
- What constitutes an official transcript and/or diploma certificate?
- How do I submit letters of recommendation?
- How do I submit official exam scores?
- What if one of my Referees (or Recommenders) does not want to submit a letter or is late in submitting a letter of recommendation? May I ask another person to submit a letter if I have already submitted my application?
- When will my application be reviewed by faculty members?
- Am I an Arizona resident?
- How can I get additional information about a question not answered here?
Degree Programs and Courses
- How can I enroll in a course that is full?
- What undergraduate degree programs are offered by HWR?
- How can I learn more about completing an undergraduate degree, declaring a major, or declaring one of the minors in Environmental Hydrology and Water Resources (EHY)?
- What graduate degree programs are offered by HWR?
- What kind of undergraduate course work is required for graduate study?
- What is the general structure of the graduate degree programs?
Seminars and Workshops
Contact us by telephone:
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Main Office: 520-621-5082
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Business Office: 520-626-3241
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Graduate Advising: 520-621-3313
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Undergraduate Advising: 520-621-9715
Contact us by email:
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Click on Contact Us in the top menu or click here.
The department's main office is located in the J.W. Harshbarger Building, Room 122. The Harshbarger Building is #11 on the UA campus map.
Regular Postal Mail Address
Department of Hydrology and Water Resources
The University of Arizona
122 J.W. Harshbarger Building #11
P.O. Box 21011
Tucson AZ 85721-0011
The application deadlines for undergraduate admission depend on your residency status. Follow the Domestic Students link or the International Students link below for information about:
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Freshman Application for first-time attendance after high school
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Transfer Application for students who have attended a community college or university
No, there are no time restrictions related to discussing a change of major or minor or entering the degree program. If you wish to discuss admission to the undergraduate major or one of the undergraduate minors, you may contact the Undergraduate Coordinator, Dr. Martha Whitaker, by email at marthaw@email.arizona.edu or by telephone (520-621-9715) at any time during the semester.
For the Hydrology major, the application deadlines are:
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January 15 for Fall Semester (Fall Semester begins about the fourth week of August)
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October 1 for Spring Semester (Spring Semester begins about the second week of January)
For the Hydrometeorology major, the application deadline is:
For the Hydrology major, while a prior degree in hydrology and water resources is not required, fundamental science and math courses are required to begin graduate-level course work. Students should have completed the majority of undergraduate course work prior to beginning their study:
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2-semester course sequence in college chemistry (inorganic, analytical chemistry)
For students with a prior Bachelor of Science degree with a Major in the physical sciences, biological sciences, computer science, or similar fields of study, the most common undergraduate course deficiencies are:
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Fluid Mechanics or Hydraulics
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Vector Calculus
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Introduction to Ordinary Differential Equations
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Statistics-Probability for the Physical Sciences and Engineering
Because these undergraduate courses are pre-requisites or co-requisites to the graduate courses we offer, we encourage students to enter the program with no more than 3 undergraduate deficiencies.
You may list "courses in progress" on your Graduate College application for admission. "Courses in progress" are those for which you are currently enrolled, or will be enrolled prior to attending the University of Arizona, and the final grade has not yet been reported.
Faculty members do consider this when recruiting a student for a graduate assistantship position on a research project. A student with an excessive number of deficiency courses generally makes slower progress with a research project and may be a less viable candidate for such a position.
The most viable source of departmental financial aid is a Graduate Assistantship in Research. HWR funding sources for Graduate Assistantships in Teaching, Fee Scholarships, and Fellowships are limited. With the exception of a few recruitment fellowships, most Fellowships that become available are awarded to current students.
For the Application Review Process:
You may upload scanned photocopies of official transcripts to your Graduate College application. Please include a copy of the grading key or grading scale (usually found on the back of your transcript or on a separate page). Scanned transcripts will be accepted for the departmental review process.
You can read about what constitutes an official transcript at the Graduate College website for Transcript Requirements.
We no longer require hard copy (paper) letters of recommendation. The Graduate College Application for Admission includes a Recommendation section and will ask you to provide the names and email contact information for three people who will recommend you to our degree program.
When you enter the contact information into the application, the Referees (or Recommenders) will automatically receive an email message from the Graduate College with specific instructions about submitting a recommendation on your behalf.
All students must submit a report of the GRE (Graduate Record Exam) which has 3 numeric scores: Verbal, Quantitative, and Analytical (Written Analytical).
- Request that a report of your exam scores be submitted to the University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona (Code 4832)
Contact the HWR academic advisor if:
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You would like to designate another person to submit a letter on your behalf. The department can re-set this information in your Graduate College application for you.
Your application will be considered after you have submitted a complete application through the Graduate College website and the review committee has formally begun the review process:
- Early February for Fall Semester applications
- Early October for Spring Semester applications
You can find additional information about graduate admission at the Graduate College FAQs website.
If you have questions not answered here or at the Graduate College application website, contact the appropriate academic advising office:
If you would like to enroll in a course that is full, we encourage you to:
- Contact the instructor by email and ask if he or she will sign a Change of Schedule form to add you to the class
- Go to the class during the first week of classes to determine if another registered student has dropped the class (the instructor may be willing to sign your Change of Schedule form and add you to the class at that time)
HWR offers the following undergraduate programs:
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Bachelor of Science (BS) with a Major in Environmental Hydrology and Water Resources (EHY)
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Undergraduate (BS) minor with General Hydrology emphasis
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Undergraduate (BS) minor with Geohydrology emphasis
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Undergraduate (BS) minor with Water Resources emphasis
Contact Dr. Martha Whitaker, HWR Undergraduate Coordinator, at marthaw@email.arizona.edu or 520-621-9715 for assistance with:
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Completing a Bachelor of Science degree in EHY
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Declaring a First or Second Major in EHY
HWR offers the following graduate degree programs:
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Master of Science (MS) in Hydrology
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Master of Science (MS) in Hydrometeorology
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Doctor of Philosophy (PHD) in Hydrology
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Doctor of Philosophy (PHD) in Hydrometeorology
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Doctoral MInor (PHD) in Hydrology
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No Minors available at the MS level
For the Hydrology major, while a prior degree in hydrology and water resources is not required, fundamental science and math courses are required to begin graduate-level course work. Students should have completed the majority of undergraduate course work prior to beginning their study:
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2-semester course sequence in college chemistry (inorganic, analytical chemistry)
If you would like information about invited speakers or if you would like to subscribe to the weekly colloquium listserv, contact the staff in the main office by telephone (520-621-5082) or by email for details.
The department offers several types of seminars:
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A one-hour weekly colloquium (seminar) presentation usually given by an invited speaker
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Semester-long special topics courses in a seminar format, primarily at the graduate level (596-series, 696-series)
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Professional continuing education (CEU) workshops and seminars