Online Graduate Certificate in Water Resources
Advance your career with KU’s Online Graduate Certificate in Water Resources. This flexible program helps working professionals build skills in construction leadership, project delivery, and risk management.
Online Graduate Certificate • Civil, Environmental & Architectural Engineering
What Is the Online Graduate Certificate in Water Resources?
KU's online graduate certificates provide an affordable, flexible way to build specialized engineering expertise in just 12 credit hours. Coursework may be eligible to transfer toward a related KU graduate degree, though admission to a master's or doctoral program requires a separate application and approval.
Expand your knowledge of hydrology, hydrogeology, water quality, contaminant transport, and related water resources systems. Designed for engineering and science professionals, this certificate provides specialized training in the theory and techniques used to address today's environmental and water management challenges.
See the Graduate Certificate in Water Resources in the KU catalog for courses and requirements.
Program requirements verified against the 2026–27 KU Academic Catalog. Last reviewed August 2026.
Certificate at a Glance
Everything a practicing professional usually scrolls to find, before you have to scroll.
Career outcomes
What Can You Do with a Graduate Certificate in Water Resources?
Water is the infrastructure problem that does not go away: supply, quality, flooding, and reuse all need people who can model the system and defend the number. Lightcast counts 30,998 U.S. jobs in the occupations this field serves, with 2,571 openings projected every year through 2030 and median earnings of $122,904.
A graduate certificate in water resources is a short, focused post-baccalaureate credential covering the movement, quality, and management of surface water and groundwater. At KU it requires four graduate courses and 12 credit hours, selected from fourteen options spanning hydrology, hydrogeology, contaminant transport, open channel flow, water quality modeling, stormwater design, and reuse.
Source for all labor market figures on this page: Lightcast Q3 2026 Data Set (August 2026), CIP 14.0805 Water Resources Engineering, United States, filtered to the share of the national workforce in these occupations holding a doctoral or professional degree. The occupation set is civil engineers, architectural and engineering managers, and environmental engineers. Figures are national aggregates, not KU outcomes, and no figure here is a guarantee of employment or salary.
Where water resources skills are hired
Water work splits into four practice settings. Each draws on the same hydrologic core and applies it to a different system, regulator, and time horizon.
Municipal water, wastewater, and reuse
Utilities and their consultants design, model, and permit the systems that deliver drinking water and return treated water to the environment. Environmental engineers are the occupation Lightcast adds to this CIP that the structural certificates do not have, and it is where reuse and water quality work concentrates.
- Environmental EngineerUtilities, consultancies, and regulators2,803 jobs · 261 annual openings · $51.49/hr median · +5.9% by 2030
- Water/Wastewater EngineerTreatment plant process and distribution design430 unique postings · 12-day median duration, fastest in the set
- Civil/Environmental EngineerMultidisciplinary municipal practice813 unique job postings, Jan 2010–Jul 2026
- Environmental Engineers, all titlesThe fastest-growing title group in this CIP2,076 unique job postings, Jan 2010–Jul 2026
Hydrology, hydrogeology, and groundwater
Surface and subsurface water behave as one system, and the courses that model them, physical hydrology, physical hydrogeology, chemical and microbial hydrogeology, and stochastic hydrology, are the analytical spine of this certificate. This is also where the certificate opens to science graduates as well as engineers.
- Water Resources EngineerBasin modeling, supply planning, and allocation846 unique job postings, Jan 2010–Jul 2026
- HydrogeologistGroundwater supply, remediation, and monitoringCivil engineering named in 15,242 postings across this occupation set
- Civil EngineerWater infrastructure design and planning17,528 jobs · 1,388 annual openings · $48.46/hr median · +8.9% by 2030
- Geotechnical EngineerSoil-water interaction and subsurface investigation1,682 unique job postings, Jan 2010–Jul 2026
Stormwater, rivers, and sediment
Open channel flow, stormwater treatment design, sediment transport, and erosion are the courses behind floodplain work, stream restoration, and the stormwater permits that now sit on nearly every construction project. Public agencies are among the largest employers in this space.
- Stormwater and Floodplain EngineerMunicipal and regional stormwater programsConstruction skills named in 7,959 postings across this occupation set
- River and Sediment EngineerStream restoration and channel stabilityPhysics named in 17,711 postings, 18.2% of the field
- Project EngineerDesign coordination on water infrastructure1,555 unique job postings, Jan 2010–Jul 2026
- Design Engineer, Public Water InfrastructureHNTB, WSP Global, AECOM, Bureau of ReclamationHNTB 3,453 · WSP Global 992 · AECOM 945 unique postings
Technical leadership and program management
Architectural and engineering managers carry the highest median earnings in this occupation set. In water practice the path usually runs through licensure and delivered projects, and a graduate credential is a common way for practicing engineers and scientists to evidence technical depth.
- Architectural and Engineering ManagerWater practice and program leadership10,667 jobs · 922 annual openings · $82.21/hr median · +9.5% by 2030
- Engineering ManagerTechnical team and portfolio leadership2,554 unique job postings, Jan 2010–Jul 2026
- Principal EngineerSenior technical authority and engineer of record2,259 unique job postings, Jan 2010–Jul 2026
- Director of EngineeringDivision and practice-area leadership1,737 unique job postings, Jan 2010–Jul 2026
Credentials employers ask for
Water work is licensed work wherever a design gets built or a permit gets signed. Across 101,417 unique U.S. postings in these occupations, the Professional Engineer license is requested more than any other credential, and at 14,293 postings it is the highest count of any certificate in this family.
- Professional Engineer (PE) License 14,293 postings
- Engineer in Training (EIT) 6,060 postings
- Master of Business Administration (MBA) 4,702 postings
- Project Management Professional (PMP) 1,595 postings
- AICP Certification 898 postings
- Six Sigma Black Belt 528 postings
Counts are unique U.S. job postings naming each qualification between January 2010 and July 2026, across the full occupation set for this CIP. This certificate is graduate coursework and does not itself confer licensure. Licensure is granted by state boards, and graduate credit hours may count toward the education or experience requirements in some states. Confirm the rules with the board in the state where you practice.
Software employers ask for by name
Water practice runs on modeling, drafting, and spatial tools. These are the packages named most often in postings across this occupation set.
- Microsoft Office 6,673
- Python 5,985
- Microsoft Excel 5,485
- AutoCAD 4,753
- MATLAB 4,691
- MicroStation 2,706
Skills employers hire for
Each percentage is the share of postings in these occupations that names the skill. The hydrology and hydrogeology core in this certificate maps to the civil and environmental engineering entries.
- Project management 29%
- Physics 18%
- Civil engineering 16%
- Chemistry 14%
- Construction 8%
- Project engineering 7%
- Engineering design process 7%
- Data analysis 7%
- Research and development 7%
Organizations that hire these skills
Transportation and infrastructure consultancies, state agencies, and federal water programs are the most active recruiters in this space. These ten posted the most unique U.S. openings in these occupations between January 2010 and July 2026.
- HNTB 3,453
- State of Louisiana 1,005
- WSP Global 992
- Exponent 989
- AECOM 945
- U.S. Department of Transportation 835
- Boeing 7,011
- Northrop Grumman 5,489
- RTX 1,342
- General Atomics 1,102
Figures are unique job postings per organization across the full occupation set for this CIP, which spans civil, environmental, and engineering management roles nationally. Employer listings reflect national hiring activity and are not placement guarantees or KU partnerships. Full methodology at Lightcast (opens in a new tab).
Curriculum
Four Courses, Chosen Entirely by You.
This is the most flexible certificate in the CEAE family. There are no required courses. You select any four of the fourteen graduate courses below and build a sequence around the water problem you actually work on, whether that is supply, quality, flooding, or reuse. Every course requires a minimum grade of B, and no credits transfer in from another institution.
The rule • 12 credit hours
Select any four courses
No core requirement and no prescribed sequence. All fourteen options below count toward the certificate, so you can go deep in one area or build across several.
Preparatory • before you start
MATH 126 or its equivalent
Admitted students must have completed MATH 126 or an equivalent course. This is the one preparatory requirement that sits outside the twelve certificate credit hours.
All fourteen course options
The physical processes that govern how water moves and is stored at the surface. The usual starting point for anyone building a basin or supply model.
Groundwater flow through porous media, aquifer behavior, and subsurface hydraulics, the groundwater counterpart to physical hydrology.
Chemical and microbial processes that govern groundwater quality, essential for remediation and wellhead protection work.
Fate and transport of contaminants through surface water and groundwater systems, the analytical core of site remediation.
Hydraulics of open channel systems, from natural streams to engineered channels. Foundational for floodplain and conveyance design.
Wetland hydrologic processes and the management approaches that follow from them, including regulatory context.
Analysis and design of pressurized pipe networks and distribution systems, the daily work of municipal water supply.
Mathematical modeling of water quality in surface water systems, used for permitting, TMDL work, and discharge planning.
Statistical and probabilistic methods for hydrologic analysis, which is how design storms, return periods, and hydrologic risk get quantified.
Design of stormwater capture, conveyance, and treatment systems, now a requirement on nearly every construction site.
Engineering and quality considerations for reclaimed and reused water, one of the fastest-moving areas of municipal practice.
Mechanics of sediment movement in rivers and channels, underpinning channel stability and reservoir sedimentation work.
Erosion processes, sediment yield, and sedimentation control across watersheds and construction sites.
Field measurement and monitoring techniques for environmental and water systems, the data collection side of every model above.
Course list from the 2026–27 KU Academic Catalog. The official catalog entry is the authoritative source for requirements.
Admissions
Who Can Apply
This is the one CEAE certificate that opens to science graduates as well as engineers, which widens who can take it considerably.
- A bachelor’s degree in engineering with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better, or a bachelor’s degree in a science field with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better.
- Completion of MATH 126 or its equivalent before beginning the program.
- Official transcripts showing the bachelor’s degree and any post-bachelor’s coursework or degrees.
- Proof of English proficiency for non-native English speakers. Applicants to online programs need Full proficiency.
- All applicants must meet the requirements in KU’s Admission to Graduate Study policy.
To complete the certificate, earn a minimum grade of B in every course applied toward it. No credits may be transferred from another institution for this certificate.
Next step
How to Apply
Three steps from where you are now to your first course.
Gather your materials
Official transcripts showing your engineering or science bachelor’s degree and your MATH 126 equivalent, plus English proficiency documentation if it applies to you.
Apply online
Submit the KU graduate application as a certificate-seeking student through the graduate application portal.
Plan your four courses
Work with the Civil, Environmental & Architectural Engineering department to sequence the four courses that fit your practice.
Coming from a science degree rather than engineering?
You are in scope for this one. The certificate admits a science bachelor’s with a 3.0 or better alongside the engineering route, provided you have MATH 126 or its equivalent. Tell us what your background looks like and we will tell you plainly whether the sequence will work for you.
Keep exploring
Related KU Engineering Graduate Certificates
Three more 12-credit CEAE certificates share this admission standard and the same stackable structure.
Learn more about this online program
Get more info on admission, deadlines, tuition and financial aid, career paths, and more when you fill out the form below. We’ll be in touch to answer any questions and help you get started.
Before you apply
Water Resources Certificate Questions, Answered
The questions engineers and scientists ask most — including the one that matters if your degree is not in engineering, and the MATH 126 requirement people miss.
It is a four-course, 12-credit-hour graduate credential from the University of Kansas covering the movement, quality, and management of surface water and groundwater. You select all four courses from fourteen options spanning hydrology, hydrogeology, contaminant transport, water quality modeling, stormwater design, and reuse.
The certificate requires four graduate courses totaling 12 credit hours. Your timeline depends on course load. Many working professionals take one course per semester and finish in about two years, while a heavier load compresses that. The CEAE department can help you build a realistic sequence.
None are required. This is the most flexible certificate in the CEAE family: all fourteen graduate courses count toward it, so you choose any four and build the sequence around the water problem you actually work on, whether that is supply, quality, flooding, or reuse.
Yes. This certificate admits a bachelor’s degree in a science field with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better, alongside the engineering route at the same GPA. It is the one CEAE certificate that opens this way, which makes it accessible to geologists, chemists, and environmental scientists.
Yes. Admitted students must have completed MATH 126 or its equivalent before beginning the program. That preparatory course sits outside the twelve certificate credit hours, so it does not count toward the four courses you take for the certificate itself.
Yes. Graduate courses taken for this certificate may be eligible to transfer for credit toward a KU graduate degree program. Many students complete the certificate first, then carry those 12 credit hours toward a master’s in environmental and water resources engineering, subject to the degree program’s policies.
Roles include water resources engineer, environmental engineer, hydrogeologist, and stormwater engineer. Per the Lightcast Q3 2026 Data Set, the aligned occupations show 30,998 U.S. jobs, 2,571 projected annual openings, 8.8 percent growth through 2030, and median earnings of $122,904.
The certificate is graduate coursework and does not itself confer licensure, which state boards grant. Graduate credit hours may count toward education or experience requirements in some states. The Professional Engineer license appears in 14,293 postings in this occupation set, the highest count in this certificate family.
Every course applied toward the certificate requires a minimum grade of B. No credits may be transferred in from another institution, so all four courses are completed at the University of Kansas. Plan your course load with both standards in mind from your first semester.
KU’s CEAE department offers companion 12-credit certificates in Structural Analysis, Structural Design, and Structural Forensics. Those three require an engineering bachelor’s degree.