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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Phosphorus detective
July 16, 2026 | Written by Katie Peikes | Photos by Kathy F. Atkinson and courtesy of Deb JaisiPhosphorus gives plants their daily nutritional needs. But whatever phosphorus a plant can’t consume creeps into waterways and speeds up algae growth that can kill fish and aquatic plants. Fascinated by these properties, University of Delaware professor of Environmental Biogeochemistry Deb Jaisi has dedicated his academic career to exploring phosphorus and its presence in the environment. His innovative research has unlocked new ways to pinpoint where the phosphorus causing environmental damage is coming from. -
Lewes' living shoreline
July 15, 2026 | Written by Adam Thomas | Photos by Evan Krape | Video by Jeffrey C. ChaseUniversity of Delaware researchers installed a living shoreline on UD’s Lewes Campus to help infrastructure and ecosystem. These nature-based structures use natural materials like plants, sand, rocks and oyster shells to stabilize shorelines and protect them from erosion. UD’s Bachelor of Landscape Architecture program partnered with the College of Earth, Ocean and Environment, the College of Engineering and the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary on the project. -
The U.S. Forest Service wants to move west and close regional offices
May 26, 2026 | Written by Alan Yu | WHYYThe U.S. Forest Service plans to move its headquarters from Washington, D.C. to Salt Lake City, Utah, and will consider closing regional offices around the country, including four in Pennsylvania. Scientists, foresters, and some in the lumber industry are concerned about losing important programs that only the Forest Service can do.
Connect
234 Hullihen Hall, Newark, DE 19716 USA grad@udel.edu General: (302) 831-6824 Fax: (302) 831-8745