Environmental Studies
Graduate work leading to the Master of Science in environmental studies is developed around an interdisciplinary program of coursework and research. The following five areas of concentration constitute available curricular concentrations:
Life sciences--courses selected from biological sciences and environmental and plant biology
Physical and earth sciences--courses selected from chemistry, chemical engineering, civil engineering, geography, geology, industrial and systems engineering, and mechanical engineering
Environmental policy and planning--courses selected from business, civil engineering, economics, industrial and systems engineering, geography, and political science
Environmental monitoring--courses selected from biological sciences, chemical engineering, chemistry, civil engineering, environmental and plant biology, geology, and geography.
Environmental archaeology--courses selected from anthropology, biological sciences, plant biology, geography, geology, history, and political science.
Specific requirements for each concentration area are available upon request from the program director.
In addition to conventional programs of study developed around the five areas of concentration, you have the option of pursuing a combined master's degree program that allows you to combine the breadth of environmental studies with the focus of a departmental discipline. See the Degree Requirements section, in which university regulations for combined master's degree programs are discussed.
Admission
Admission to the graduate program in environmental studies requires an undergraduate degree in agriculture, biology, botany, chemistry, ecology, economics, environmental studies, engineering, forestry, geography, geology, microbiology, zoology, or other cognates. If you lack a suitable background in one of these fields, you may be admitted to the program but required to take additional coursework. A transcript of undergraduate work and three letters of recommendation are required with your application for admission. Deadlines for admission are January 1 for fall quarter, October 1 for winter quarter, and February 1 for spring quarter. To be considered for financial aid, submit your application by January 1 of the academic year preceding admission.The minimum undergraduate grade-point average (g.p.a.) necessary for unconditional admission is 3.0 (of 4.0). Some students with a g.p.a. between 2.8 and 3.0 are admitted on conditional status but must acheive a g.p.a. of 3.0 in their first 15 hours of graduate coursework.
Requirements
You are required to complete at least 45 credit hours of graduate coursework. Of these, at least 17 credits (three courses) are core courses, and at least 20 additional credits (four to six courses) are in your area of concentration. The balance of the 45 hours comes from other graduate courses, plus thesis research.
Students may select their remaining courses from one of the five curriculum concentrations: Life Sciences, Physical and Earth Sciences, Environmental Monotoring, Environmental Archaeology, or Environmental Policy and Planning.
The core area course requirement is satisfied by successful completion of ES 659 Environmental Studies Seminar, and the following courses: GEOG 547 Resource Management, BUSL 570 Environmental Law, POLS 525 Environmental and Natural Resources Policy, plus one graduate ecology course: BIOS 577 Population Ecology, BIOS 578 Community Ecology, MICR 575 Microbial Ecology, GEOG 517 Landscape Ecology, ANTH 578 Human Ecology, PBIO 536 Plant Community Ecology, or PBIO 537 Ecosystem Ecology.
The program takes two years to complete. Each student completes interdisciplinary graduate coursework and independent research as a thesis or as a non-thesis research report. The non-thesis research report includes written comprehensive examinations.
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