WRS Student Handbook

Graduate School registration policy requires all students to register every fall and spring term to maintain active status. Students not enrolled are automatically discontinued from their program 2 weeks after the start of the term (fall and spring terms only).

1. Register before the first day of each term to avoid a late registration fee
2. Full-time registration is 6-14 credits.
3. Registration information, including dates and deadlines can be found online (Twin Cities or Duluth).

The Degree Requirements page outlines the courses you will need to take to fulfill your program. For more information about electives, please visit the Twin Cities Courses page or the Duluth Courses page.  Students enrolled in the Limnology and Oceanography track should review the L&O Track courses page first.

What if All My Coursework is Complete?

You have two registration options if you've completed all coursework - Advanced Status or GRAD 999. Please read the following thoroughly to decide which is right for you.

Advanced Status

The Office of the Registrar and the Graduate School have developed procedures that permit eligible Advanced Master’s and Doctoral candidates to be certified as “full-time” students when registered for only one credit. Faculty advisors and the Co-DGS on your campus will affirm that each student is working full-time on the thesis or dissertation. These courses are intended only for advanced Master’s and Doctoral students who have a GDP on file or approved GPAS, have completed all their program coursework and required thesis credits, but are still working full-time on the research or writing of their thesis or dissertation. Students who plan to register for Advanced Status need to apply well in advance of the term they plan to register and must file the application every semester they intend to utilize the benefit. Watch for emails from the WRS Program Coordinator for deadlines.

• Master’s students who plan to register for WRS 8333 can click here to find the application and more information on this procedure (.pdf). This process has strict deadlines so plan ahead! The student must have their advisor sign the form and then forward it to their DGS for a signature. The application is then sent by the WRS Graduate Program Coordinator to the Graduate School for processing.
• Doctoral students who plan to register for WRS 8444 must have completed and passed their preliminary exams. Click here to find the application and more information on this procedure. (.pdf) The student must have their advisor sign the form and then forward it to their DGS for a signature. This application is then submitted directly to the WRS Graduate Program Coordinator.

GRAD 999

For students who have completed all coursework and thesis credit requirements and do not have to be registered to meet any other internal/external agency registration requirement (e.g., students who do not hold RA or TA positions with the University), the Graduate School offers Grad 999 – a zero-credit, zero-tuition non-graded registration mechanism.

Students are free to register for their first uses of GRAD 999 without approval. However, registration for GRAD 999 for a third semester and beyond will require CFANS approval for Twin Cities students and UMD approval for Duluth students. Students wishing to register for GRAD 999 for a third semester or beyond must request a form from the WRS program coordinator each semester for which GRAD 999 registration is requested.  This form is necessary to remove the hold on your record.

More details about GRAD 999 and Advanced Status can be found here.

Students need to document their coursework and other details of their graduate program. It is the coursework contract between you and the University.

• M.S. candidates, before the end of the second semester, or after completion of 15 credits, whichever comes first.
• Ph.D. students, during the third semester of study.

ELECTIVES: Students who wish to take a course as an elective that is not on the WRS Approved List of Electives must complete a Request for Elective Approval form before completing their GPAS or GDP.

Access your GPAS (Graduate Planning and Audit System) by going through MyU. The University has put together an online guide for completing the GPAS planner.

Remember, you do not "plan" your Thesis Credits on your GPAS.

Credits from a minor can be used to fulfill your electives. Learn about Twin Cities minors and Duluth minors.

Talk with the Graduate Program Coordinator before you Request to Add a Minor with GSSP. Ideally, minors are requested prior to submitting your GDP/GPAS.

The Graduate School requires annual evaluations of all graduate students. You will complete the electronic WRS Annual Student Review form annually in March, which provides a brief self-evaluation and report of accomplishments, and discuss this form with your advisor(s). Watch for an email from the WRS Program Coordinator during Spring Semester.

After submitting the review form online, your advisor(s) will review the form and provide a brief summary assessment either on the form or in a separate e-mail to the Co-DGS. The information you provide will allow us to assess support of students and also enable us to highlight your accomplishments in Graduate School reports and in other efforts to promote the program. These evaluations should also serve to provide feedback on milestones and help ensure timely completion of your degree.

Failure to complete the annual review will result in a hold on your record, impeding your summer and fall registration. You should be sure to keep a copy of your annual review, as it will facilitate completing the form for the next year and may also be useful in resume and job application assembly.

Academic records need to be at a satisfactory level before you can graduate. Overall GPA of courses included on the Graduate Degree Plan must be a minimum of 3.0 for both doctoral and masters students. Minor GPA must be a minimum of 2.8.

Courses offered on both the A-F and S/N grade basis must be taken A-F with a minimum grade of C-.

WRS has funds to help with registration and travel expenses for students to present at regional, national, or international conferences.

Eligibility - Students are eligible for a scholarship based on the following criteria:

• Applicants must be full-time WRS students.
• Students must be presenting a session or a poster at a conference or meeting, not simply attending.
  • Other requests for travel related to professional development may be considered if funds are available. Students must go into detail as to how the travel is related to their research or future career and must exhaust all other funding opportunities.
  • Applications should be submitted even if the abstract is yet to be accepted. Funds will be released after verification is received.
• There is a limit of $500 per student per academic year (Aug. 1-July 31). Students who have met this limit will be eligible to apply again the next academic year.
  • To clarify, students can apply every semester as long as they don't exceed $500 in an academic year.
  • A time-time $500 scholarship will be considered for international travel.

Process - This is a taxable scholarship. Students should coordinate expenses with their faculty advisor far in advance of leaving for the conference. It is ideal if the faculty uses their P-Card for the pre-trip expenses, but students can use their personal funds. Students are required to review the Traveling on University Business page.

Conference scholarships must be requested before the start of the conference/activity. Students will receive an application by email from WRS. No requests for prior travel expenses will be accepted. No late applications will be accepted. Expenses need to be planned in advance because the amount you request must be very close to the amount you claim.

• Fall - Apply by October 1st for conferences in October-January (applications will be sent out around 9/15)
• Spring - Apply by February 1st for conferences in February-May (applications will be sent out around 1/15)
• Summer - Apply by May 15th for conferences in June-September (applications will be sent out around 5/1)

The student's advisor needs to match the request with departmental or research project funds (applications may be denied if personal funds are used).

• Situations with an insufficient match will be considered if appropriate justification is provided by the faculty.

Eligible expenses are:

• Registration fees and abstract fees. Membership to the host organization will be considered if the reduced registration fee + membership fee is less than registration without a membership.
• Air and/or ground travel, hotel, and meals not covered during the event.  

The DGS will assess all funding requests and notify students of their decision within two weeks of the application deadline.

Petitions for a one-year time extension may be submitted to the Graduate School (via the WRS Graduate Program Coordinator). No more than two, one-year petitions will be considered.

• Master’s degree candidates must complete all graduate work within five years of enrollment. Review and submit a Request for Extension to the Maximum Time Limit form (.pdf).
• Doctoral candidates must complete all requirements within eight years of initial enrollment. Review and submit a Request for Extension to the Maximum Time Limit form (.pdf). 

WRS students are expected to maintain active status through continuous registration from the time they matriculate until they graduate. Students who are not able to maintain active status are strongly encouraged to consult with their Director of Graduate Studies and advisor to determine whether requesting a leave of absence is the most appropriate course of action. Students who do not have an approved leave of absence and are not continuously enrolled may experience negative consequences related to academic, visa, financial aid, and other student issues. 

Students should review the University's Leave of Absence policy. The forms to request a leave or a reinstatement can also be found on that page.

Any grievances should be resolved through consultation with your advisor. Should a matter not be resolved at this point, or should the issue be inappropriate for discussion with your advisor, you should consult with the Co-DGS. For employment and departmental issues, consulting the head of the department in which you are housed may be more appropriate. If the Co-DGS or department head is not able to resolve the grievance, they may direct you to the Student Conflict Resolution Center.

At least 3 months before you are ready to defend, thoroughly review the Degree Completion Steps on OneStop. Follow these instructions carefully; everything must be completed, including payment of copyright and abstract fees, before you can graduate. You should notify the WRS Program Coordinator at least two weeks in advance of your defense with the date, time, location and/or Zoom link, and title of your defense presentation, as well as an abstract.

Details about who to assign to your committees and expectations for your final exam can be found on the Handbook page for Masters students and Doctoral students.

Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) and its use are rapidly evolving in research and scholarly settings. Water Resource Science emphasizes the importance of maintaining scholarly integrity. Specifically, all aspects of GAI in research fall under standard practices for Responsible Conduct of Research. As an interdisciplinary program, Water Resources Science acknowledges that individual authors, under the guidance of their advisers, are ultimately responsible for the originality, content, and ethical conduct of their scholarly products. The program emphasizes the importance of communication between the student and their committee chair and thesis/dissertation committee. The use of GAI to gather data or proof-read their thesis/dissertation should have upfront conversations with and approval from their advisor and committee. GAI is explicitly not to be used for text generation for written qualifying exams, theses, and dissertations. Should GAI be used for other research support tasks, including but not limited to: code assisting, generation, and/or debugging, visualization, and text refinement etc, the use of such tools must be fully acknowledged and appropriately cited within the scholarly product, specifying the tools used and the nature of contribution (see example statement below). It is expected that any use of GAI is conducted under human oversight and the student, under guidance of the adviser, should carefully and critically review and edit the output to ensure accuracy and originality. Authors are ultimately responsible and accountable for the contents of the work. It is expected that any manuscripts produced from thesis/dissertation research will follow the journal-specific guidelines.

Sample GAI use statement, based on that from Science of the Total Environment author guidelines: During the preparation of this work the author(s) used [NAME TOOL / SERVICE] in order to [REASON]. After using this tool/service, the author(s) reviewed and edited the content as needed and take(s) full responsibility for the content of the [THESIS, DISSERTATION, QUALIFYING EXAM, ETC].

Updated: June 20, 2025

Students will graduate with strong technical skills in disciplines relevant to water resources and a broad understanding of: 

1. The hydrologic cycle and associated ecosystems.

2. The interconnectedness of the sciences involved in managing aquatic resources.

3. The interplay between the biophysical sciences and social sciences in developing and implementing public policies related to water.

Core and elective coursework provide the foundation of disciplinary competence. Core courses are distributed among the fields of hydrology, environmental chemistry, limnology, and water policy. Students customize their coursework through approximately 3-6 elective classes chosen from the dozens listed on each campus. Learning objectives in each course are assessed by the course instructor. Assessment of student learning  outcomes is conducted via specific course requirements such as homework, exams, or writing assignments. Also, students must complete a thesis or dissertation that uses the theory and methods covered in each student's individualized research program. Student's thesis/dissertation work, i.e., written manuscript and oral defense, is examined by a thesis committee.

Through coursework and the mandatory first- year seminar (WRS 8100), students will learn and practice professional written and oral communication.

Students are evaluated by their individual committees on their written and oral communication skills at the time of the preliminary examination (Ph.D.) and final examination (M.S. and Ph.D.).

All graduate students are required to participate in a professional ethics course (WRS 8581 or equivalent). Furthermore, students are strongly encouraged to attend professional conferences and training both within the state of Minnesota and/or in professional societies related to their individual focus. The WRS program supports conference registration for all students to the Minnesota Water Resources Conference and financially supports additional professional development for students.

The ethics course assessment is done by the course instructor. The WRS program keeps records of students receiving professional development funds.

Students can learn about DEIJ through invited presentations as part of the WRS 8100 seminar series. Additionally, students are able to participate in DEIJ committees and opportunities through their home departments and colleges.

Program learning outcomes are communicated on our website. Also, course-specific learning outcomes are included in course syllabi. These course syllabi are archived and made available for all students to view on Canvas.

Academic Program Review: Individual students meet with the Graduate Program Coordinator annually to review their degree progress. Annual reviews are conducted between students and their faculty adviser to track holistic progress including non-course based learning outcomes (currently completed with WorkFlowGen as required by the Graduate School).

All program outcomes, including the number of graduating students and their placement, are monitored by the director of graduate studies and/or the graduate program coordinator and discussed at faculty meetings annually.