Graduate Degree Programs

Numerous graduate-level study opportunities are available through the academic departments and research centers associated with the College of Science at UAH. Students can also take advantage of our location in the technology-rich Cummings Research Park, the second largest research park of its kind in the US. Unique opportunities for research at the forefront of science and technology also exist in interdisciplinary programs.

Atmospheric Science MS, PhD

The Atmospheric Science research program at UAH is one of the top 10 in the country. The foundation of the graduate program includes physical, dynamic, and synoptic meteorology, with strong emphases on space and ground-based remote sensing, radiative transfer, global climate change, atmospheric chemistry, cloud processes, lightning, air pollution, and earth system science. The program's objective is to produce research-oriented scientists who can make fundamental contributions to the understanding of atmospheric, climate and other earth system processes, and who can interact effectively with scientists in earth-centered fields of study.

For more information, visit the Atmospheric Science Department page. 

Biological Sciences MS

A variety of options for graduate study leading to the Master's degree are available, including emphasis in Molecular and Cellular Biology, Microbiology, Structural Biology, Ecology, Developmental Biology and Biotechnology. Programs leading to certification for secondary education are also available. Research projects span a breadth of environments from deep-sea vents to tropical rainforests and even to space. The HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology is located just 10 minutes away, leading to an array of collaborative projects and access to world class facilities.

For more information visit the Biology Department's Graduate Student page. 

Chemistry MS

The Department of Chemistry provides graduate education with a special emphasis in biotechnology and materials science. Our goal is to provide our students with life-long learning skills allowing them to adapt to an ever-changing environment that requires an understanding and appreciation of chemistry. To accomplish this we offer an American Chemical Society accredited program. Affiliated with the Chemistry department are The Laboratory for Structural Biology, with facilities for high resolution X-ray crystallography of large molecules, and the NMR Facility, which is equipped with both 800 and 500 MHz NMR spectrometers, allowing protein and small molecule structure determination. The Hudson Alpha Institute for Biotechnology provides additional opportunities for graduate research.

For more information visit the Chemistry Department's Graduate Degree page. 

Computer Science MS, MSSE, PhD

Our faculty members are dedicated teachers who are actively involved in advancing the state-of-the-art in such exciting fields as information technology, software engineering, neural networks, pattern recognition, biomedical imaging, numerical computation, graph theory, distributed systems, computer networks, modeling and simulation, and database security. Students can pursue a Master of Science, a Master of Science in Software Engineering or the PhD degree. Collaboration with numerous technology companies and government agencies in Huntsville provides significant employment opportunities during and after graduate school.

For more information visit the Computer Science Department's Graduate Degree page. 

Earth Systems Science MS

The Earth System Science research program at UAH has grown significantly since 2014 to meet the needs of our expanding collaboration with NASA as co-located with UAH, and to prepare students for today’s jobs in fields such as geospatial analysis, GIS and remote sensing, and relating human activity to land surface processes. The focus of the graduate program includes GIS/remote sensing, hydrology, land-surface processes, with an overarching emphasis on space-based remote sensing and earth system science. The program's objective is to produce scientists versed in land-surface processes and remote sensing tools who can tackle a wide variety of applied problems related to the earth-human systems and processes, while leveraging powerful geospatial analysis methods. Students obtaining Master’s degrees in Earth System Science are trained to effectively solve problems in earth-system applications.

For more information visit the Earth Systems Science Department Graduate Degree page. 

Mathematical Sciences MA, MS, PhD

Programs of study can lead to either the Master of Arts or the Master of Science in Mathematics or to the PhD in Applied Mathematics, or to the Alabama Class A teaching certificate. Research includes applied dynamical systems, combinatorics, continuum and fluid mechanics, Fourier analysis, functional analysis, generalized functions, graph theory, linear algebra, mathematical biology, mathematical meteorology, mathematical modeling, matrix theory, nonlinear operator theory, numerical analysis, ordinary and partial differential equations, probability, and stochastic processes.

For more information visit the Math Department's Graduate Degree page. 

Physics MS, PhD

UAH offers the Master of Science and PhD degrees in Physics, as well as the MS in Optics and Photonics Technology, which emphasizes business management as well as advanced optics. Research in the Department of Physics and Astronomy is focused on astrophysics, space science, and optics, and the faculty have international reputations in all three fields. Our graduate program gives you the breadth and depth of knowledge to pursue a large range of careers from medicine to finance to a lifelong study of physics and the Universe.

For more information visit the Physics Department's Graduate Degree page. 

Biotechnology Science and Engineering PhD

UAH offers an interdisciplinary PhD program in Biotechnology Science and Engineering through the departments of Biological Sciences, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering. Students are prepared for research positions in academic, government and industrial settings. Collaborations with the nearby Hudson Alpha Institute for Biotechnology and various local biotechnology companies provide access to a broad range of research topics.

For more information visit the Biotechnology Program's site. 

Materials Science MS, PhD

The Materials Science PhD Program of The University of Alabama System (UAS) is an interdisciplinary doctoral program linking the three universities that make up the UAS: the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa (UA), the University of Alabama in Birmingham (UAB), and The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH). Research in Materials Science focuses on the fundamental relations that exist between the structure of materials, their properties and the methods for synthesizing and processing them.

For more information visit the Materials Science Program site. 

Optical Science and Engineering PhD

Optics is central in communication technology, biotechnology, nanotechnology, information processing, storage, and display as well as in health care and life sciences, remote sensing, national defense and industrial manufacturing. This unique program is multi-disciplinary and begins with a core of basic optics, followed by a wide variety of advanced course work and research in both fundamental and applied subjects. In addition to the resources of the academic departments, the OSE program has access to, and utilizes the resources of the Center for Applied Optics (CAO) on the UAH campus, the National Space Science and Technology Center, and NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center.

For more information visit the Optics Program site.