Program Concentrations

   Beyond the core requirements, a student needs to support doctoral research with enrollment in particular courses related to his/her research. For this reason, 15 credit hours have been reserved for specialized electives. The objective of these specialized electives is to provide an opportunity for students, their advisers, and the doctoral program committee to select a complementary set of specialized courses intended to focus the student’s area of interest and research. A student may also take all directed studies as focus area courses. 

Focus Area 1: Infrastructure and Environmental Systems Design (INESD). The design of infrastructure and environmental systems requires expertise in subject matter areas related to design methodologies including plan formulation, dimensioning of systems that could be structural and/or control systems, selection of material properties, and configuration of monitoring methodologies and approaches. Also, some basic knowledge of the functional requirements of the facilities needs to be provided to the student. It is anticipated that this area will be of interest primarily to engineering (civil) students. 

   A representative list of courses to be offered or planned for development in this focus area is shown below with the responsible department designated in parentheses.  

·        INES 8XXX    Special Topics (in respective departments)

·        INES 8XXX    Shaping the American City (ARCH)

·        INES 8XXX    Appropriate Technology &Sustainable Design Methods (ARCH)

·        INES 8XXX    Transportation Systems Analysis (CEGR)

·        INES 8XXX    Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering (CEGR)

·        INES 8XXX    Advanced Waste Containment Systems  (CEGR)

·        INES 8XXX    Sustainable Environmental Systems  (CEGR)

·        INES 8XXX    Optimization of Building Systems (CEGR)

·        INES 8XXX    Development of Codes and Standards (CEGR)

·        INES 8XXX    Engineering Systems Integration (EMGT)

·        INES 8XXX    Industrial Development (GEOG)

·        INES 8XXX    Site Planning and Development (GEOG)

·        INES 8XXX    Urban Planning (GEOG)

Focus Area 2: Infrastructure and Environmental Systems Science (INESS). Successful development and operation of infrastructure, including methods and approaches to managing the associated environmental and socio-economic impacts require baseline spatial and temporal information on the nature of the ambient environment. This implies that the INES student who has been exposed to critical issues and techniques in the central core and is interested in environmental systems and their response to and impact upon the operation of infrastructure needs to deepen his/her knowledge in the methods of geological, hydrological, physical, chemical and biological characterization of processes, materials and life support systems within the context of environmental systems. This focus area is expected to draw the interest of students with science backgrounds.

   A representative list of courses to be offered or planned for development in this focus area is shown below with the responsible department designated in parentheses.  

·        INES 8XXX    Special Topics (in respective departments)

·        INES 8XXX    Advanced Ecology  (BIOL)

·        INES 8XXX    Microbiology  (BIOL)

·        INES 8XXX    Air Quality Modeling (CEGR)

·        INES 8XXX    Water Quality Management and Modeling (CEGR)

·        INES 8XXX    Environmental Aquatic Chemistry (CEGR)

·        INES 8XXX    Advanced Analytical Chemistry  (CHEM)

·        INES 8XXX    Advanced Energy and Environmental Economics (PPOL/ECON)

·        INES 8XXX    Designed Experimentation  (EMGT)

·        INES 8XXX    Earth System Analysis: Biogeochemical Cycles (ESCI)

·        INES 8XXX    Hydrologic Processes (ESCI)

·        INES 8XXX    Environmental Site Characterization (ESCI)

·        INES 8XXX    Advanced Soil Science (GEOL) 

Focus Area 3: Infrastructure and Environmental Systems Management (INESM). To be able to efficiently and effectively plan and manage infrastructure systems or environmental system operations, INES students need to obtain, integrate, and utilize the knowledge in operations efficiency, effective policy development and deployment, legal issues and government regulations, intelligent support systems for decision making, effective environmental and/or socio-economic impact control measures, efficient systems project management, comprehensive evaluation of system performance, and smart systems implementation and management that includes the consideration of facility, people, policy, technology, economics, and procedures.  The students who choose to focus in this area of INES will obtain the expertise in effective systems management and implementation in infrastructure system and/or environmental system areas and will work as senior managers and/or researchers in the above areas.  This focus area will interest students from all academic backgrounds. 

   A representative list of courses to be offered or planned for development in this focus area is shown below with the responsible department designated in parentheses. 

·        INES 8XXX    Special Topics (in departments)

·        INES 8XXX.   Hazardous Waste Management (CEGR)

·        INES 8XXX    Urban Systems Engineering (CEGR)

·        INES 8XXX    Benefit-Cost Analysis (ECON)

·        INES 8XXX    Advanced Project Management (EMGT)

·        INES 8XXX    Legal Issues in Engineering Management (EMGT)

·        INES 8XXX    Engineering Systems Integration (EMGT)

·        INES 8XXX    Urban Planning: Theory and Practice (GEOG)

·        INES 8XXX    Economics of Decision-Making (MBAD)

·        INES 8XXX    Technology-Enhanced Decision Making (MBAD)

·        INES 8XXX    Organizational Leadership and Behavior I  (MBAD)

·        INES 8XXX    Qualitative Methods in Public Policy (PPOL)

·        INES 8XXX    Advanced Program Evaluation (PPOL) 

---

INES Home

Faculty   Ph.D Program    Admissions    Program Concentrations    Degree Requirements 

UNCCharlotte

University of North Carolina-Charlotte
Ph.D Program in Infrastructure and    Enviromental Systems
 9201 University City Blvd
 Charlotte, NC 28223
 Phone: (704) 687-2293 or 3688
 Fax: (704) 687-3182 or 3953
 Email:dyoung@uncc.edu
             or
   jadiemer@uncc.edu