Skip to Main Content

Environmental Science M.En.

Master of Environmental Science (M.En.) Degree

The Master of Environmental Science (M.En.) is a professional degree program that emphasizes an interdisciplinary approach to environmental problem solving and sustainable practices. The program is designed to prepare students, upon graduation, for immediate employment as an environmental professional.

Request Information

Loading...

Master of Environmental Science emphasizes:

  • Problem-solving skills
  • Interdisciplinary training
  • Teamwork and management
  • Effective communication
  • Quantitative analysis

 

Professional Science Masters

The IES Masters of Environmental Science degree is designated as a national Professional Science Master's (PSM) program based on it its professional skills, experiential learning, and interdisciplinary breadth. PSM programs prepare students for science careers in business, government, or nonprofit organizations, where workforce needs are increasing.

Combined Bachelors and Masters in Environmental Science

The combined M.En. program allows students to complete an M.En. degree with 1 year of additional study beyond the bachelor's degree, and is available to qualified, tuition-paying students with any undergraduate major.   Please contact the Institute for the Environment and Sustainability Director for more information at levyj@miamioh.edu.
Students installing solar panels with professionals

Students complete 20 semester hours of core courses. These courses provide students with a core set of competencies widely applicable to professional careers in environmental science and sustainability:

  • Problem-solving methodology
  • Effective communication
  • Teamwork
  • Project management
  • Quantitative skills

The Professional Service Project component (IES 610, IES 610.G) is designed for students to develop their skills and experience by working with real clients.

Students must maintain a GPA of 3.0 while in residence.

Students take all of these courses.

Students installing solar panels with professionals

Students complete 12 semester hours of courses in an area of concentration. These courses supplement the core courses by providing depth in 5 professional areas of specialization:

  • Applied Ecology and Conservation
  • Land and Water Resources
  • Energy and Environment
  • Environmental Toxicology and Pollution Control
  • Sustainability in Management and Planning

The concentrations allow students to choose courses to build on existing strengths from undergraduate or employment experience or a student may opt to develop a new area of specialization to meet their individual career goals.

Students installing solar panels with professionals

The professional experience requirement is designed to provide an opportunity for students to apply their core and specialized training to a capstone experience by choosing among 3 options.

Complete 1 of the following:

  • Internship (3 months or 400 hours)
    Work with an employer for at least 3 months or 400 hours.
  • Practicum
    Work to provide a client with a solution and deliverables for an applied problem.
  • Thesis
    Develop a new scholarly contribution to environmental science and sustainability.

About 60% of students choose an internship, 30% complete the practicum experience, and 10% conduct research leading to a thesis.

 Learning Outcomes

  1. Apply general principles of problem-solving methodology to specific environmental problems;
  2. Manage interdisciplinary team projects for clients;
  3. Communicate scientific and environmental information to non-specialist and government audiences;
  4. Apply statistical design and analysis to environmental measurements;
  5. Synthesize knowledge from a disciplinary concentration in environmental science and sustainability with its application to a professional experience.

Students Solving Real-World Problems

Each year, Masters of Environmental Science student teams provide help to 3 clients that have requested assistance in solving environmental problems or to improve the sustainability of their organizations and practices. A client can be a community, organization, or individual in the tri-state area (Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky).

These teams of graduate students from diverse backgrounds work for academic credit under the supervision of environmental professionals and Miami University faculty.

Becoming a Client Organization

To qualify, projects must deal with real-world environmental or sustainability problems and be of such a scope that they can be completed within 6 months. If you are interested in cooperating with a student team on such a project, please email us at ies@MiamiOH.edu.

Apply to the Environmental Science MEn

Institute for the Environment & Sustainability

The Institute for the Environment and Sustainability is an umbrella organization for undergraduate and graduate education and research on the environment and sustainability at Miami University.

Contact Us

118 Shideler Hall
250 S. Patterson Ave.
Oxford, OH 45056
513-529-8183
ies@MiamiOH.edu

facebook   twitter  


The M.En. degree was designated as a national Professional Science Master's (PSM) program based on it its professional skills, experiential learning, and interdisciplinary breadth.
Learn more at the Professional Science Master's website.