Environmental Studies Specialization

A masters-level specialization in environmental studies is available to any student who pursues a master’s degree within any of the participating departments and programs. Successful completion of the requirements will be indicated on the student’s final transcript following the name of the student’s academic discipline, for example, Natural Resource Sciences, with a specialization in Environmental Studies.

• A master’s degree in one of the participating departments or programs
• Nine (9)-credit hours of environmentally-related courses from departments or programs outside the student’s major department. The purpose of this specialization is to provide the student the ability to improve their abilities to work across disciplinary boundaries and to integrate the knowledge and understanding of the earth and ecological systems, the built and engineered environment, or human dimension disciplines (socioeconomic, legal, and/or political) into their graduate work.
• When Option I (thesis) is available in the student’s program, a thesis that deals with an environmentally-relevant issue and integrates disciplinary-knowledge with the knowledge gained from their selected option area. The master’s degree will be granted in one to the basic disciplines and students must be formally admitted to a degree objective in one of the participating departments.

A doctoral-level specialization in Environmental Studies is available to any student who pursues a PhD degree within any of the participating departments and programs. Successful completion of the requirements will be indicated on the student’s final transcript in parentheses following the name of the student’s academic discipline, for example, Chemistry (Environmental Studies).

• A doctoral degree in one of the participating departments or programs;
• Fifteen (15)-credit hours of environmentally-related courses from departments or programs outside the student’s major department. The purpose of this emphasis area is to provide the student the ability to improve their abilities to work across disciplinary boundaries and to integrate the knowledge and understanding of the earth and ecological systems, the built and engineered environment, or human dimension disciplines (socioeconomic, legal, and/or political) into their graduate work.
• A dissertation that deals with an environmentally-relevant issue that integrates disciplinary-knowledge with the knowledge gained from their selected option area. Environmentally-related courses completed by a student for an Environmental Studies Specialization at the master’s level may be counted toward meeting the requirements for an Environmental Studies Specialization at the PhD level. The PhD degree will be granted in one of the basic disciplines and students must be formally registered in one of the participating departments.