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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History Matters: Trailblazer Marian Coffin’s quiet influence on Delaware’s gardens and grounds
June 02, 2025 | Written by Kyle McKinnon | Delaware Public MediaAnna Wik, University of Delaware associate professor of landscape architecture is interviewed by Delaware Public Media on its program "The Green" about Marian Coffin and the impact she had on Delaware. Coffin was one of the first female architects in the U.S. She created the look and feel of UD's campus. Coffin also designed the Mount Cuba Center and the gardens at Winterthur Museum. -
Rethinking food systems
May 21, 2025 | Written by Nya WynnMany students seeking careers in agriculture grew up on or near a farm, but for Evyn Appel, a senior honors sustainable food systems major and the 2025 convocation speaker, an interest in food systems grew while living in Philadelphia. She was surrounded by not only fantastic restaurants and international flavor, but also the food system problems and its lack of access and affordability. She is motivated to find solutions. -
Carbon credit quality
May 20, 2025 | Written by Katie Peikes | Photo by Evan KrapeUniversity of Delaware’s Rodrigo Vargas is among a group of leading forest scientists around the U.S. arguing in a new review that forest carbon market protocols are flawed and don’t ensure that issued carbon credits accurately account for reduced and removed CO2 emissions. The researchers say improvements could boost forest carbon credits’ quality and drive up demand as well as confidence in the market.
Connect
234 Hullihen Hall, Newark, DE 19716 USA grad@udel.edu General: (302) 831-6824 Fax: (302) 831-8745