MS in Environmental Sciences and Policy / Certificate in Geographic Information Systems
The use of geographic information systems (GIS) has become standard for many professionals and is one of the most powerful and versatile tools for solving today's environmental and sustainability issues. To enable students to exploit the complementary nature of the fields, we have eliminated the overlap between the MS in Environmental Science and Policy and the graduate certificate in GIS. This enables students to earn both the MS degree and the Graduate Certificate by completion of a total of 13 courses rather than the 15 courses that would be required to complete the programs separately. At least one course must satisfy the residency requirement. Interested students, including those already enrolled in either program, should apply to both the MS in ESP and the Graduate Certificate in GIS program concurrently.
Admissions Criteria for all Advanced Academic Programs
Program Specific Requirements
- One semester of undergraduate level calculus, statistics and chemistry.
- For the GIS certificate component quantitative background or technology oriented experience is required.
Program Requirements
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses - Customizable | ||
| At least one course must be in residence. | ||
| Select five of the following: | ||
| Geological Foundations of Environmental Science | ||
| Environmental Applications of GIS | ||
| Hydrology & Water Resources | ||
| Oceanic & Atmospheric Processes | ||
| Principles & Methods of Ecology | ||
| Environmental Policymaking and Policy Analysis | ||
| Electives | ||
| Select any three ESP electives as listed below: | ||
| Maritime Law and the Environment | ||
| Climate Justice | ||
| Agroecology | ||
| Sustainable Business | ||
| Sustainability Science: Concepts and Challenges | ||
| Forest Ecosystems | ||
| Environmental Restoration | ||
| Environmental Consequences of Conventional Energy Generation | ||
| Managing Responsible Organizations for the Ecosystem | ||
| Terrestrial and Marine Conservation Biology | ||
| Climate Dynamics | ||
| Ecotoxicology | ||
| Freshwater Ecology & Restoration of Aquatic Ecosystems | ||
| Ocean Stewardship and Sustainability | ||
| Ecology and Ecosystem Management in Coastal and Estuarine Systems | ||
| Great Lakes Ecology and Management | ||
| Ecology and Management of Wetlands | ||
| Drinking Water,Sanitation & Health | ||
| Tropical Ecology and Conservation of African Wildlife | ||
| Field Methods in Stream & Water Quality Assessment | ||
| Air Quality Management and Policy | ||
| Conservation Biology | ||
| Coastal Zone Processes and Policy | ||
| Landscape Ecology | ||
| Natural Resources Law and Policy | ||
| Public Lands-Private Interests:The Struggle for Common Ground | ||
| U.S. Environmental History | ||
| Sustainable Cities | ||
| Transportation Policy and Smart Growth | ||
| International Environmental Policy | ||
| Environmental Risk in Decision Making | ||
| Environmental & Natural Resource Economics | ||
| Environmental Impact Assessment & Decision Methods | ||
| Management for Environmental Results with Performance-based Measurement | ||
| Strategies in Watershed Management | ||
| Climate Change on the Front Lines: The Study of Adaptation in Developing Countries | ||
| Community Development and Sustainability in developing countries | ||
| Analysis of Environmental & Ecological Data | ||
| Sustainable Food Systems | ||
| Applied Sustainability | ||
| Sustainability Leadership | ||
| Global Land Use Change | ||
| Environmental Ethics | ||
| Ecology and Evolution of the Galapagos | ||
| Applied Energy Policy in the 21st Century | ||
| Geology and Tropical Ecology of Hawai’i | ||
| Global Scarcity in Freshwater Systems: Crisis and Solutions | ||
| Spatial Statistics | ||
| Nature Conservation and Sustainability in Cuba | ||
| International Water: Issues and Policies | ||
| Climate Change Adaptation and Development in Nepal | ||
| Science Communication and Policy Engagement | ||
| Environmental Health | ||
| Open Source GIScience for Environmental Research | ||
| Practical Engineering Approaches to Climate Adaptation | ||
| Natural Resources Sustainability: Field Study in Alaska | ||
| Newfoundland and Labrador: A Journey Through Time | ||
| Independent Research Project in Environmental Sciences and Policy | ||
| Internship and Capstone Thesis | ||
| GIS Certificate (any 5 of the following) | ||
| Web GIS | ||
| Geographic Information Systems (GIS) | ||
| Geospatial Statistics | ||
| Spatial Analytics | ||
| Programming in GIS | ||
| Drones in Geospatial Decision Making | ||