The MA degree in Environmental Studies prepares students to address complex environmental problems using a highly interdisciplinary approach and significant student-faculty design of the course of study that may align with one of the emphasis areas but is not required to do so. Students gain proficiency in critical analysis, development, conservation, and management frameworks of environmental studies for careers in business, government, planning, consulting, teaching, and research.
Emphasis Areas
Environmental Policy
Emphasizes environmental policy and especially the ecological, economic, political, and social factors that affect environmental governance processes.
Faculty advisors include Troy D. Abel, Kate Darby, Steve Hollenhorst, Mark Neff, Rebekah Paci-Green, and Grace Wang.
Geography/GIS
Focuses on the science of place and space and links the social and natural sciences together, studying the relationships between human activity and natural systems.
Faculty advisors include Andy Bach, Gigi Berardi, Patrick Buckley, Aquila Flower, Michael Medler, and David Rossiter.
Urban Planning and Sustainable Development
Concentrates studies in processes of urban planning and decision making with a combination of sustainable design, law, and policy.
Faculty advisors include Nabil Kamel, Steve Hollenhorst, Tammi Laninga, James Miller, Gigi Berardi, Rebekah Paci-Green, Paul Stangl, and Nicholas Zaferatos.
Energy Policy
Emphasizes coursework in energy system transitions, stakeholder engagement, advanced energy policy, and environmental politics/policy.
Faculty advisors include Steve Hollenhorst, Tammi Laninga, Imran Sheikh, Charles Barnhart, Froylan Sifuentes, and Xi Wang.
Student Designed
Coursework will be developed in conjunction with your specific faculty advisor.
Faculty advisors must be tenure-track graduate faculty in the College of the Environment, or listed as members of the Environmental Studies, MA Graduate Faculty, and often serve as the chair of your committee.
Application Information
Deadline: Students generally will be admitted into the MA in Environmental Studies fall quarter only. The Graduate Program Committee will begin reviewing application materials until the enrollment limit is reached or on June 1, whichever comes first. Because maximum student enrollment is limited, all applicants are strongly encouraged to submit application materials by February 1.
TA Deadline: To be considered for a graduate teaching assistantship, applicants must submit their application materials by February 1.
Specific Test Requirements: Graduate Record Exam, General Test is not required to apply, but if submitted will be considered as part of a whole person review.
Supporting Materials: An application for admission into the MA program in Environmental Studies must include a one- to two-page statement of purpose addressing the following questions:
- Why do you wish to pursue a graduate degree in Environmental Studies at the College of the Environment?
- Please describe the emphasis area (Environmental Policy, Geography/GIS, Urban Planning and Sustainable Development, Energy Policy) or student-defined inquiry focus you are interested in pursuing and why. How has your prior experience prepared you to work in that area?
- What coursework are you interested in taking (See University Catalog) towards your specialization?
- What is your research topic idea (thesis or project) and who are potential faculty advisors?
Requirements
Students with a 4-year degree in Environmental Studies or related fields, who meet the requirements of the Graduate School and who show evidence of superior scholarship, are encouraged to apply.
Thesis Project
The thesis option requires satisfactory completion of a research project emphasizing original theoretical or applied research and resulting in a comprehensive written thesis, grounded in the appropriate literature. The candidate will provide a public seminar based on the thesis as part of an oral defense and acceptance of the thesis by the candidate's thesis committee
The project option requires satisfactory completion of a project with a scale and scope of work that is commensurate with the scale and scope of work for the thesis option. The project option requires satisfactory completion of a project emphasizing a tangible product or outcome, for an identified audience, that produces new knowledge and disseminates it in a form that includes a written report. The candidate will provide an individual public seminar based on the project as part of an oral defense and acceptance of the project by the candidate's project committee.
Committee Makeup
The thesis committee will have three members. The chair, and at least one other member, must be a tenure-track graduate faculty in the College of the Environment or be listed as a member of the Environmental Studies, MA Graduate Faculty. The third member, with approval of the Environmental Studies Graduate Committee and Graduate School, can come from elsewhere on campus or another university or can be a professional in the field. Your committee should be formed by the third quarter of residency (Thesis Topic Approval esign form).
The project committee must have at least two members. The chair and second member must be a tenure-track graduate faculty of the College of the Environment or be listed as a member of the Environmental Studies, MA Graduate Faculty. An optional third member, with approval of the Environmental Studies Graduate Committee and Graduate School, can come from elsewhere on campus or, another university, or can be a professional in the field. Your committee should be formed by the third quarter of residency (Project Approval esign form).
Students should meet monthly with the committee chair to report progress on their thesis/project, and with the entire committee as needed. Failure to make satisfactory progress on the thesis/project over an extended time may result in the student's termination from the program.
Thesis Project Approval & Proposal Presentation
Students may file a Thesis or Project Approval esign form as soon as fall quarter of their first year. The proposal presentation will then be held when the student and the committee agree, typically by the second or third quarter of residency. The purpose of this presentation is to allow the student to share the proposed thesis/ project with a broader audience than the committee to facilitate further refinement of the work. Major changes to the thesis/project topic will require a new presentation at the discretion of the committee.