Help me find a small college with degrees in hydrology or freshwater related

College Search & Lists
41

After doing some research I have taken an interest in these schools (in no particular order)…
-Michigan Tech
-Hobart and William
-Washington College
-Cal Poly Humboldt
-UW Superior
-CSU Warner College
I am not finished with my research and more schools will most likely be added. Thank you for your suggestions.

5 Likes
42

It would be a Geology major with a Hydrogeology concentration Geology Major | Admissions | Colorado State University

1 Like
43
44

Michigan Tech is an amazing school, just know that it is a school that can be very hard to get to. For us, it would be a 2 day trip due to layovers and when flights were scheduled. But, being on Lake Superior could be very beneficial.

Washington College has that small college feel that you are looking for with a lot of access to professors.

2 Likes
45

I know there’s a distinction between hydrology and hydrogeology, but in case this is of interest, it appears to be open to non-Clemson students as well: Clemson Hydrogeology Field Camp | College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences | Clemson University, South Carolina

2 Likes
46

My only hesitation with Washington College - and I look at the Colleges that have closed thread - a few years back they had huge budget issues.

Have those been resolved? Or what is the impact of them. I would check into that.

Everything might be great - but it’s something I’d look at.

To OP:

While U of Lynchburg includes Hydrology in one area of environmental sciences, they’d got academics with a focus and here’s a headline from 2020:

“Environmental science major wins Virginia Academy of Science award for hydrology research”

Perhaps it’s another to look at?

Environmental Sciences and Sustainability Major – University of Lynchburg

1 Like
47

It doesn’t look too awful from Atlanta. There are one-stop options connecting through O’Hare. But yes, the Upper Peninsula is definitely off the beaten path!

1 Like
48

Flights with connections in ORD do have a significant risk of delays and missed connections.

49

I have also added University of Idaho, Union College (NY), and Salisbury University to my list.

4 Likes
50

Not small but U of Wisconsin Milwaukee has a freshwater science bachelors and masters.

51

As a broader aspect to consider, would you like to become a hydrologist through the narrowest path feasible? Or would you like to become a geoscientist generally, with a particular expertise in hydrology? Your answer to this may help you determine a suitable list of colleges.

2 Likes
52

My interests are in freshwater so becoming a geoscienctist is not something I am against as long as I can specialize in working along waterways or watersheds. Going to a college or university with good geology or environmental programs that also offers opportunities with water are the ones I am most likely to consider.

1 Like
53

Would this be of interest?

https://www.smcm.edu/marine-science/academic-offerings/what-you-learn/
The college is located on the St Mary’s penninsula, by a river right by the Chesapeake Bay.

1 Like
54

You may benefit, then, from researching colleges from a geographical perspective. Upstate New York, for example, is intensively water oriented. Its two Great Lakes and its eleven Finger Lakes are remarkable water features. Even some the region’s lesser known lakes, such as Oneida Lake, would be prominent if located in a state with fewer water resources. For historical interest, you would be near the Erie Canal.

7 Likes
55

To go back to small schools with a chance to form close relationships with professors, you might want to look at Juniata (one of the Colleges That Change Lives) to see how your interests would relate to their offerings. Rather than majors, they have “programs of emphasis” where you can combine courses from different disciplines. They have many environmental offerings and a field station on Raystown Lake.

2 Likes
56

You can’t get a better lake to study on than Lake Superior. While Michigan Tech is a great program, it’s very isolated. There is a lot of talk about Duluth being the most advantageous spot to be due to climate change. You can look at University of Minnesota- Duluth which would give you the advantages of an R1 institution on Lake Superior with only 8,000 students in a more accessible city. They offer an environmental geology major with a hydrology specialization. The Duluth area would probably offer job opportunities in hydrology after graduation as well.

8 Likes
57

Hi, so I’m studying meteorology and I’d like to give you some context about big schools programs. Big schools like virginia tech and penn state have hydrology related fields in smaller colleges like the college of earth and mineral sciences and college of natural resources and environment. They are colleges of 1,000-3,000 students and have very tight nit communities. I was originally worried about the big schools until I learned about that. There are a lot of benefits to the big university, small college model for this field.

6 Likes
58

Great idea!
Also, both universities have Honors Colleges, which offer smaller classea or interactive seminars in lieu of large intro classes or gen eds. Penn State Schreyer is especially well-known for that (selection is based on essays, the subjects for which are published in July, as well as curriculum rigor.)

At VTech

At PSU

This major, with the “Water option”, sounds right up your alley
https://agsci.psu.edu/academics/undergraduate/majors/environmental-resource-management

2 Likes
59

A lot of students at UW-Stevens Point are Mud Majors - water and soil. A bazillion years ago, those two majors made you just a few classes short of chemistry and bio major requirements too, so many graduated with 4 majors. It has other environmental majors too like forestry. Very good financial aid too.

Also second U of Wyoming. Most majors are small and the professors easily available. My daughter is getting married and 4 or 5 of her professors are attending, even though the wedding is 1000 miles away. The departments are very tight (if the students want them to be). Her friend got married 2 years ago and her professors also attended, although only a 2 hour drive.

4 Likes
60

At Penn State, the geosciences degree also has a hydrogeology option. Also at Penn State, the college of earth and mineral sciences offer their own sections of calc 1 and 2. Those are very small classes with applications to work you might do later in your major.

At Virginia Tech there is the, “Water: Resources, Policy, and Management” Major in the College of Natural Resources and Environment. This major gives you a lot of freedom in the water sciences and might be right up OP’s alley.

These two schools were in my final two and since this field of study is quite similar to what I am doing. I really think big state universities with the “big university and small college model” is the best environment for someone in this field.

4 Likes