Environmental Science and Engineering MS Program
Program Mission:
The mission of the EnSE program is to educate and train postgraduate students to develop advanced knowledge, skills, and ethical responsibility in addressing environmental and sustainability challenges across the water–energy–food nexus. These challenges include securing water and food resources in drylands, mitigating and adapting to climate change impacts across agricultural, natural, and urban ecosystems, and developing scientifically robust, sustainable land restoration actions.. The program prepares graduates to contribute effectively to the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 and international environmental and sustainability goals through innovative research, technology development, and professional practice in environmental science and engineering.
Program Goals:
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Provide advanced education in environmental science and engineering, integrating scientific understanding with engineering design for sustainable solutions.
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Develop research and technical competencies to address regional and global environmental challenges in natural resource management and environmental sustainability.
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Focus on hands-on training and the application of state-of-the-art scientific knowledge to address real-world environmental challenges.
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Promote innovation through cross-disciplinary education and partnerships with academia, industry, and government agencies.
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Foster ethical and professional leadership in environmental protection and resource stewardship consistent with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030.
Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs)
Knowledge and Understanding:
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K1: Demonstrate deep and specialized understanding of environmental processes, principles, and technologies relevant to water, energy, food, and sustainability.
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K2: Explain advanced theoretical and practical frameworks in environmental chemistry, microbiology, and process engineering.
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K3: Critically assess environmental science and sustainability literature and data on recent developments and emerging challenges at multiple scales (from local to global) to generate evidence-based conclusions and propose innovative solutions.
Skills:
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S1: Use specialized principles, techniques, and research methods in environmental science and engineering to solve complex problems related to water treatment, pollution control, and resource management.
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S2: Design, execute, and evaluate experiments or engineering processes using advanced laboratory and computational tools.
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S3: Communicate scientific and technical information effectively through oral presentations, written reports, and digital platforms to specialist and non-specialist audiences.
Values, Autonomy, and Responsibility:
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V1: Demonstrate academic integrity, professional ethics, and environmental stewardship in research and practice.
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V2: Manage independent and team-based research projects with accountability and high autonomy.
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V3: Engage in professional development, lifelong learning, and collaborative activities that contribute to the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.
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V4: Contribute to improving societal quality of life through sustainable environmental practices and responsible innovation.
MS Course Requirements
MS students must complete the following requirements:
- Core Courses (12 credits)
- Elective Courses (6-12 credits)
- Research/Capstone (Thesis 18 credits, Non-Thesis 12 credits)
- Graduate Seminar (non-credit)
- Winter Enrichment Program (non-credit)
Core and Elective Courses must be technical courses and cannot be substituted with Research, Internship, or Broadening Courses to fulfill degree requirements.
Core Courses (12 credits)
Core Courses provide students with the background needed to establish a solid foundation in the program area. Students must complete 12 credits (4 Core Courses) and be aware that Core Courses may be offered only once per academic year.
| EnSE 202 | Aquatic Chemistry | 3 |
| EnSE 203 | Fundamentals of Environmental Microbiology | 3 |
| EnSE 205 | Principles of Environmental Sustainability | 3 |
| STAT 210 | Applied Statistics and Data Analysis | 3 |
Elective Courses (6-12 credits)
Elective Courses allow students to tailor their educational experience to meet individual research and educational objectives with the permission of the Academic Advisor. Thesis students must take two (6 credits) Elective Courses and Non-Thesis students must take four (12 credits) Elective Courses. The suggested list of elective courses is described below.
| EnSE 314 | Public Health Microbiology | 3 |
| EnSE 325 | Water Desalination | 3 |
| EnSE 344 | Modelling Bioprocess & Env. Engineering | 3 |
| BESE 302 | AI 4 Life Sciences and Medicine | 3 |
| STAT 270 | Statistical Design of Experiments | 3 |
| B 300 | Advances in Microbiome Sciences | 3 |
| CS 209 | Applied ML for Scientists and Engineers | 3 |
| ErSE 317 | Geo-Environmental Modeling & Analysis | 3 |
| PSE 205 | Climate Change | 3 |
Others upon approval of the Academic Advisor.
Graduate Seminars (non-credit)
All students must register for BESE 398 and receive a Satisfactory grade for two Semesters during their MS. For more details about BESE Seminars please contact your GPSA.
Winter Enrichment Program (non-credit)
All students must complete the Winter Enrichment Program (
WE 100) for credit at least once during their studies at KAUST. Students who have previously completed WEP will be exempt from this requirement in their future studies.
MS Thesis
Students planning to pursue the thesis option must complete a minimum of 12 credits of Thesis Research (EnSE 297). Students must complete any remaining degree credits through one or a combination of the options listed below:
- Broadening Experience Courses
- Internship: research-based summer internship (EnSE 295) – students can only take one internship
- 300-Level Courses
- Additional Thesis Research
For more details on the Thesis Application, Thesis Committee Formation, Thesis Defense Results, Thesis Document and Thesis Archiving please check the policy page
Thesis Application
Students must complete the application and have it approved by the Program Chair no later than the end of week one of their third Semester. The Thesis Advisor must be a full-time program-affiliated Assistant, Associate, or Full Professor at KAUST. The Thesis Advisor can only become project affiliated for the specific thesis project with the Program Chair’s approval. The application must include a Thesis Proposal endorsed by the Thesis Advisor and a timeline for completion.
MS Thesis students who meet the graduation requirements of the non-thesis track may drop the thesis up until the end of their third Semester. Students not able to complete their thesis after this deadline will face academic dismissal.
Petition to Defend Thesis
Students must submit a petition to defend their Thesis by the deadline published in the Academic Calendar. Students are responsible for scheduling the Thesis Defense Date. All committee members must attend the Defense. Students must defend their Thesis and obtain the final approval of the Defense within their duration of study (4 Semesters).
Thesis Committee Formation
The MS thesis defense committee must include a minimum of three members and may have up to four members. The composition of the committee is outlined as follows:
| Member |
Role |
Affiliation
|
| 1 |
Chair |
Primary or alternative affiliation within of the student’s program |
| 2 |
Faculty |
Primary or alternative affiliation within of the student’s program |
| 3 |
Faculty |
Primary or alternative affiliation outside of the student’s program |
| 4 |
Faculty or Research Scientist |
Affiliation within or outside of KAUST |
Notes:
- The committee must be approved by the Dean.
- Members 1-3 are mandatory, while member 4 is optional.
- The student’s advisor serves as the chair of the committee and must use the affiliation within the student’s program.
- Either member 1 or member 2 must have primary affiliation within the student’s program.
- The student’s co-advisor may serve as member 4.
- Professors of Practice and Research Professors may serve as members 1-4, depending on their affiliation and whether they are the student’s advisor or co-advisor.
- Adjunct Professors and Professors Emeriti may continue serving on committees in the roles they had at the time of their departure but are not permitted to serve on new committees.
- Visiting Professors may only serve as member 4.
- Once approved, any changes to the committee require the approval of both the student's advisor and the Dean.
Thesis Defense Results
The format of the Oral Defense is left to the discretion of the Thesis Committee. At the end of the Final Defense, students will be evaluated with one of the following outcomes:
- Pass: The Committee agrees with no more than one dissenting vote. The Thesis must be archived within two weeks of the defense, and the student must send the Thesis Result Form to the GPSA within two days of the defense.
- Pass with Conditions: All committee members must agree on the required conditions. If they cannot agree, the Dean will make the final decision. The student has up to three months to meet these conditions, unless the Committee unanimously agrees to change the deadline.
- Fail with Retake: If conditions cannot be met within three months, or more than one member casts a negative vote, one retake of the defense is allowed. The retake must occur within six months of the original defense unless the Committee unanimously agrees to a shorter timeline. If the student fails the retake, they will be dismissed from the University. The Committee Chair must immediately inform the GPSA to initiate the necessary actions.
- Fail Without Retake: The decision must be unanimous, resulting in the student’s dismissal from the University. The Committee Chair must inform the GPSA immediately to take the necessary actions.
Additional Guidelines:
- Students who have exceeded their duration of study must apply for an extension as per the Time Limit and Extension Policy. All conditions must be fulfilled by the end of the extension period, which takes precedence over the Committee’s set deadlines.
- The outcome of the Thesis Defense must be recorded by submitting the Thesis Defense Evaluation Form to the Office of the Registrar within two days of the defense.
- Additionally, students must submit the Defense Results Form by the deadline published in the Academic Calendar.
- The required forms are available on the webpage of the Office of the Registrar.
Thesis Document
Students must follow the Thesis and Dissertation Guidelines available on the KAUST Library webpage when they write their thesis. Once the thesis is ready to be examined, students must determine the Defense date with the agreement of all members of the Thesis Committee.
Thesis Archiving
Students must archive the Thesis in the KAUST Library two weeks from the defense date. This must not exceed the duration of study or the deadline published in the Academic Calendar.
MS Non-Thesis
Students wishing to pursue the non-thesis option must complete a total of 12 capstone credits, with a minimum of 6 credits of Directed Research (any course with the following code XX 299) .. Students must complete the remaining 6 credits through one or a combination of the options listed below:
- Broadening Experience Courses
- Internship: Summer internship (EnSE 295) – students can only take one internship.
- 300- Level Courses
- Additional Directed Research (Any course with flowing code XX299)