The M.S. in Environmental Studies is flexible. Students, with their academic advisors, design their own study programs by choosing from courses within Environmental Studies and throughout the University.

The UM Graduate Student Advising Guidelines, designed to help both students and faculty and to offer best advising practice resources, are available for review and reference at Graduate Student Advising Guidelines.

Master of Science - Environmental Studies

Degree Specific Credits:

• Thesis option: 33 credits        
• Professional paper option: 33 credits                        
• Portfolio option: 36 credits

Required Cumulative GPA: 3.0

THESIS, PROFESSIONAL PAPER OR PORTFOLIO

Students have three options for demonstrating their critical and analytical abilities and their written communication skills: thesis, a professional paper, or portfolio. The formulation of a topic is encouraged by April of the first year of study.

Thesis Option

Students choosing this option must develop a substantive, original scholarly work that includes either the collection and analysis of data to answer a research question (as in original field research in the natural sciences or survey research in the social sciences) or the production of an innovative, interpretive, or critical work (as in the humanities or fine arts). Upon completion of the thesis, students are given a one-hour oral examination.

Professional Paper Option

Students choosing this option must develop a substantive report directed to a specific audience that demonstrates the student's ability to participate in professional discourse. Upon completion of the professional paper, students are given a one-hour oral examination.

Portfolio Option

In consultation with an Environmental Studies advisor, students choosing this option select courses, internship experience(s), and portfolio project(s) directed toward specific career goals. Portfolios include three discrete elements, one of which is an internship or work experience, and demonstrated coherence between these pieces, the student's course of study, and the student's goals. Upon completion of the portfolio, students are given a one-hour oral examination that focuses upon the integrity of each portfolio piece and coherence between the pieces.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

• Environmental Studies graduate students who do either a thesis or a professional paper must register for at least one credit of ENST 599, ENSC 599 or ENST 597, respectively, in the semester during which they defend.  The minimum number of credits required for graduation with a thesis or professional paper is 33.
• Portfolio-option students must take a total of 36 credits, but there are no semester specific credit requirements nor any portfolio credits per se. Their only requirement, which applies to all students, is that they must abide by the continuous registration rule of the Graduate School, registering for at least three credits each semester.
• An approved natural systems ecology is required if a student has not taken a biologically-grounded ecology course(s) as an undergraduate equivalent to ENSC 360.
• Students are required to take at least one 3-credit class from each of four distributional area requirements (our core areas of study): Scientific Approaches, Policy Approaches, Thought & Writing, and Engagement. Additional courses meeting the distribution requirements are offered periodically. 

Minimum Required Grade: C