M.A. in Environmental Studies

 

Program Faculty and Application

Graduate Program Coordinator:   Ed Weber

Program Advisor:  Dr Mark Neff

Applications are done through the Western Graduate School. 

Program Mission

The MA degree in Environmental Studies prepares students to address complex environmental problems using a highly interdisciplinary approach. The program prepares students in the analysis, development, conservation, and management frameworks of environmental resources for careers in business, government, planning, consulting, teaching, and research.

Program specializations include:

Environmental Policy

Coursework in this area emphasizes critical engagement with the roots of environmental controversies, environmental injustice, disaster vulnerability and material impacts of natural resource use. It explores existing and emerging approaches to governance that might bypass entrenched political disagreements and interests to achieve just social and environmental outcomes. 

Emphasizes environmental policy and especially the ecological, economic, political, and social factors that affect environmental governance processes.

Core faculty advisors include Kate Darby, Mark Neff, Rebekah Paci-Green, Xi Wang, and Cam Whitley.

The major research programs led by these faculty include:

  • Environmental justice
  • Science, environmental controversies, and decision making
  • Environmental governance
  • Disaster studies
  • Sustainable development
  • Human dimensions of natural resource management

Geography/GIS

Geography is the science of place and space. Environmental Geography links together the social sciences and natural sciences, studying the relationships between human activity and natural systems. We draw on knowledge from many different fields of study to give us the big picture view of how and why socio-ecological systems and cultural and natural landscapes vary over space and time.

Many environmental systems and issues involve spatial patterns that can be analyzed, visualized, and communicated through Geographic Information Science (GIS) techniques. We offer a sequence of advanced GIS courses that provides students with in-depth training in GIS theory and techniques. Our students gain advanced skills in the creation, development, management, analysis, and visualization of spatial data. MA students can also complete our Graduate Certificate in GIS.

Core faculty advisors include Andy Bach, Patrick Buckley, Aquila Flower, Francisco Laso, Michael Medler, David Rossiter, Laurie Trautman, and Xi Wang.

The major research programs led by these faculty include:

  • Agricultural geography
  • Biogeography
  • Climate change
  • Economic geography
  • Geographic Information Science
  • Historical geography
  • Long-term environmental change
  • Political ecology
  • Pyrogeography
  • Remote sensing
  • Salish Sea and US-Canada regional geography
  • Soils science
  • Transboundary management and environment

Energy Policy

Emphasizes coursework in energy system transitions, stakeholder engagement, advanced energy policy, innovation policy, and environmental politics/policy.

Core faculty advisors include Mark Neff, Imran Sheikh, Charles Barnhart, Froylan Sifuentes, and Xi Wang.

The major research programs led by these faculty include:

  • Energy studies
  • Energy efficiency
  • Energy system transitions

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.

ENVS Graduate Program Goals

Students who graduate from the ENVS Graduate Program will be able to:

  1. Critically understand an environmental issue using appropriate knowledge
  2. Investigate that environmental issue using an interdisciplinary framework
  3. Effectively communicate through written, visual, and oral means
  4. Independently design, implement and complete a research project

ENVS Graduate Program Learning Objectives

Upon graduation, Environmental Studies masters students will be able to:

  1. Identify and explain the complexity of issues and processes which contribute to an environmental problem.
  2. Describe how their research is situated in the history and scope of environmental studies.
  3. Identify a range of theoretical frameworks and methodologies used in environmental studies and explain the appropriate contexts for their application.
  4. Demonstrate a fundamental knowledge of disciplines relevant to their research topic.
  5. Explain, justify, and correctly execute a method(s) appropriate to their research topic.
  6. Use effective verbal presentation skills to share their research plans and results.
  7. Use writing skillfully to communicate theory, methods, results, and relevance of their research project.
  8. Independently design, implement, and complete a research project (thesis or field project).

Prerequisites

  • 4-year BA or BS degree or higher. 
  • Specific test requirements: The GRE exam is not required to apply, but can often provide additional insight into your academic ability.   If you include your GRE scores, they will be evaluated as part of our whole-person review in conjunction with your transcripts.

Program Requirements (45 credits minimum)

  • Core Requirements (19 credits)
    • ENVS 501-Research and Projects in Environmental Studies (3-credits)
    • ENVS 502-Environmental Research and Projects Frameworks (3-credits)
    • ENVS 503-Communicating Research Results  (1-credit)
    • Choose:   ENVS 690-Thesis (12-credits) or ENVS 691-Field Project (12-credits)
  • Elective courses selected under advisement to total 45 credits
    • A maximum of 10 credits of approved 400-level work may be included in the program
    • A maximum of 4 elective credits of ENVS 595-Teaching Practicum, may be used towards this degree
    • A maximum of 10 credits of ENVS Directed Independent Study (ENVS 500)
    • Students are also encouraged to take up to two quarters of ENVS/ESCI 599 (Environmental Speaker Series), and those who hold Teaching Assistant positions are should enroll in ENVS 510 (Professional Development for TAs) their first quarter on campus.   Students are also encouraged to seek out other coursework in other departments, if applicable to your studies.  

Application

  • Generally admitted during fall quarter only.   Application Deadline:   1 Feb
    • Admission for subsequent quarters will be considered on a space-available basis and would require strong support/advocacy of faculty advisor 
  • Applications are all done online with the WWU Graduate School.
  • GRE Test is now optional. If you take it, your score will be used as part of our whole-person review process.
    • There is no minimum score requirement