Interdisciplinary Programs
Water Science and Policy
Welcome from our Interim Director
I am delighted to be appointed by the provost and the dean as the interim director of the University of Delaware Graduate College’s interdisciplinary program in water science and policy. Established in 2014 by authorization of the Faculty Senate, the program began as an experiment in multidimensional thinking and is the oldest interdisciplinary degree program housed in the Graduate College. We have awarded close to four dozen doctoral and master’s degrees over the last decade to students who come from all over Delaware, America and the world to study about water.
Interdisciplinary graduate programs have the benefit of flexibility by allowing the students, with their advising faculty, to design their own course curriculum and choose from the full depth and breadth of the colleges and departmental programs at our University. As the foundation of our planet’s environment and economy, water is found in all strands of society and therefore it's entirely appropriate that our graduate program in water science and policy have an interdisciplinary approach to thinking and learning. Because after all, isn't this our real mission here at UD: to take a broad-based approach to critical thinking and create new knowledge? That's exactly what water science and policy students have been doing here by researching and studying and then going on to get good jobs in the public, private and nonprofit sectors.
Our graduates are working on climate science in Spain, drought in California, the Puget Sound in Seattle, drinking water in New York City, water management in West Chester, Pennsylvania, and water treatment in Wilmington, Delaware. They are doing great things for society and before long, they become our next generation of leaders, which is reassuring to me in today’s world. So welcome to the interdisciplinary graduate program in water science and policy. I hope you consider joining us!
Gerald Joseph McAdams Kauffman, Jr.
Director and Associate Professor
University of Delaware - Water Resources Center
Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration
Institute for Public Administration
By choosing to study Water Science & Policy at the University of Delaware, you will be embarking on an exciting intellectual journey that will challenge you to synthesize knowledge from a number of different fields. No matter what aspect of water you choose as your research focus, you’ll be encouraged to look at how it intertwines with other natural and human aspects of water quality and quantity.
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Helping gardens and interns grow
January 16, 2026 | Written by Michele Walfred | Photos by Katie Young and Michele Walfred and courtesy of Andrew AdamsUniversity of Delaware Botanic Gardens Nursery and Collections Manager Andrew Adams oversees a diverse botanical selection that comprises 11 specialty gardens across 15 acres — soon to be 16 — when the Townsend East Lawn and Garden project is complete. Adams credits his own academic career path at UD directly to his UDBG intern experiences in 2016. -
Alumnus Mark Richardson integrates conservation and plant collections
December 19, 2025 | Written by Molly Schafer | Photos courtesy of The Morton Arboretum and New England Botanic Garden at Tower HillUniversity of Delaware plant and soil sciences alumnus Mark Richardson is the new vice president of collections and horticulture at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois, a world-renowned center for scientific research that studies trees and how to sustain them. With an eye on global plant conservation, Richardson encourages the horticulture field to fully integrate science and conservation efforts into public gardens and plant collections. -
Outdoor classroom
November 17, 2025 | Written by Katie Peikes | Photos by Evan KrapeRetired Extension specialist Gordon Johnson teaches the UD course, Vegetables, Herbs and Natural Plant Products (PLSC 302). It’s one of three courses where Students get hands-on experience growing various crops outside at UD's working farm and greenhouse on campus. The courses solidify what it takes to grow fresh vegetables and where food comes from.
Connect
234 Hullihen Hall, Newark, DE 19716 USA grad@udel.edu General: (302) 831-6824 Fax: (302) 831-8745