Environmental Conservation MS

The Nelson Institute's professional programs offer environmental leadership training in areas of identified and emerging need across our sector, convening people and perspectives from around the world and equipping graduates with the necessary environmental knowledge to tackle their next career challenge. We have two professional master's programs. Within the Environmental Conservation master of science degree, students can select a named option in either Environmental Conservation or in Environmental Observation & Informatics.

Upon degree completion, graduates will receive anM.S. in Environmental Conservation with a named option in one of the above. The curriculum in our professional programs is designed in close consultation with leaders in environmental practice to meet emerging global challenges and demands. We offer our professional master's in an accelerated, 15-month blended curriculum with on-campus and remote experiences to accommodate working professionals and busy lives. Students are in Madison for the summer and fall semestertwo of the most beautiful seasons in Wisconsinand then have classes online in spring that can be taken wherever you are in the world. The final, fourth semester is spent completing the student's M.S. leadership project.

Learn more about:

• environmental conservation named option

• environmental observation & informatics named option

1. Apply the principles of conservation science and sustainability to real world environmental problems. (Environmental Conservation Named Option)
2. Explain the interconnections between environmental conservation and human well-being, and identify social, economic, and institutional conditions that favor sustainability. (Environmental Conservation Named Option)
3. Conceptualize, strategize, design, and implement innovative environmental problem-solving techniques. (Environmental Conservation Named Option)
4. Demonstrate competence in core professional skills related to conservation practice, including: written, verbal, and visual communication; conflict resolution; interdisciplinary team building and problem definition; conservation planning; and program evaluation. (Environmental Conservation Named Option)
5. Recognize and apply principles of ethical and professional conduct in environmental conservation. (Environmental Conservation Named Option)
6. Apply the principles of conservation science and sustainability to real world environmental problems. (Environmental Observation and Informatics Named Option)
7. Explain the interconnections between environmental conservation and human well-being, and identify social, economic, and institutional conditions that favor sustainability. (Environmental Observation and Informatics Named Option)
8. Choose and apply the most appropriate and powerful platforms and technologies to address environmental challenges related to both human activities and natural dynamics. Interpret remotely-sensed earth observation data and apply those data to complex environmental problems. (Environmental Observation and Informatics Named Option)
9. Construct models of environmental phenomena to better understand natural processes and human actions, to predict and project future outcomes and scenarios, and to quantitatively evaluate those scenarios to enable more informed management and policy decisions. Conduct robust statistical analyses to examine quantitative model output and distributed environmental data, and interpret resulting patterns and trends. (Environmental Observation and Informatics Named Option)
10. Drive strategic thinking to design and manage the use of observation technologies to advance policy and program direction, and engage with organization leadership. (Environmental Observation and Informatics Named Option)
11. Conceptualize, strategize, design, and implement innovative environmental problem-solving techniques. (Environmental Observation and Informatics Named Option)
12. Demonstrate competence in core professional skills related to earth observation practice including written, verbal, and visual communication; conflict resolution; interdisciplinary team building and problem definition; mission planning; and program evaluation. (Environmental Observation and Informatics Named Option)
13. Recognize and apply principles of ethical and professional conduct in environmental observation and informatics. (Environmental Observation and Informatics Named Option)

A bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or a comparable degree from an international institution is required. International applicants must have a degree comparable to a regionally accredited U.S. bachelor’s degree. You must have completed your undergraduate degree, or similar, before starting graduate school.

A minimum undergraduate grade-point average (GPA) of 3.00 on the equivalent of the last 60 semester hours (approximately two years of work) or a master’s degree with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 is required. Applicants from an international institution must demonstrate strong academic achievement comparable to a 3.00 for an undergraduate or master’s degree. The Graduate School will use your institution’s grading scale. Do not convert your grades to a 4.00 scale.

Every applicant whose native language is not English, or whose undergraduate instruction was not in English, must provide an English proficiency test score. TOEFL scores must be submitted electronically via ETS. IELTS scores can be submitted electronically or by paper.  Our office address is: UW-Madison Graduate School, Office of Admissions, 232 Bascom Hall, 500 Lincoln Drive, Madison, WI 53706.  Your score will not be accepted if it is more than two years old from the start of your admission term. Country of citizenship does not exempt applicants from this requirement. Language of instruction at the college or university level and how recent the language instruction was taken are the determining factors in meeting this requirement.

Applicants are exempt if: