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Accelerated B.A./Master's Degree Program:
Environmental Science & Policy
Overview
The environmental field in the 21st century is evolving fast to respond to complex interdependencies between the natural environment and human development.
Clark’s innovative Environmental Science and Policy master’s degree develops students’ abilities to integrate natural and social sciences to respond to local and global challenges. ES&P’s expertise in risk and vulnerability assessment, environmental justice, institutional dynamics, watershed stewardship, renewable energy, and capacity building resonate worldwide. Classes and experiential learning give students essential skills for analysis, planning, implementation, and evaluation.
As a member of a closely knit family of graduate programs including International Development & Social Change, Community Development & Planning, and Geographic Information Sciences for Development & Environment, our ES&P Program is unique. Students are exposed to multiple perspectives and creative, integrated thinking in the classroom and in research.
Hallmarks of Clark’s ES&P Program:
- A pioneering spirit: ES&P has been a leader in understanding the relationships among science, technology, environment, and society for three decades. Clark is world-renowned for its work on the human dimensions of global environmental change.
- Global relevance: ES&P covers the globe, with courses, research, and field work that include the U.S. as well as transitional and developing countries. ES&P students gain practical skills by working on projects addressing issues in the U.S., Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Europe.
- Dynamic faculty-student research: As the smallest and one of the oldest U.S. research universities, Clark offers elbow-to-elbow research experience with professors who are recognized leaders in their fields.
ES&P graduates become highly sought-after cross-disciplinary professionals, able to bridge disciplines, interests and cultures to champion more sustainable futures in both developed and developing countries. They work with and between stakeholders to understand needs and priorities; to design and implement solutions that are flexible, cost-effective, and sustainable; and to monitor performance.
Visit the ES&P web site www.clarku.edu/departments/idce/environmentalscience/grad/index.shtml to learn more details about the program.
Departmental eligibility requirements:
The Accelerated BA/Master's Degree Program provides intensive graduate study of Environmental Science and Policy that combines well with a liberal arts B.A. degree. Students in any undergraduate field are accepted for the M.A. degree, though Environmental Science and Policy undergraduate majors do have a significant advantage in preparation. Qualified Environmental Science and Policy majors can be admitted into the Accelerated Degree Program without any additional requirements, while majors in other disciplines that have demonstrated appropriate experience in ES&P related courses may also apply to the program. Domestic or overseas field experience related to environmental issues is highly desirable.
Students with a g.p.a. of 3.25 or better must apply for this program by the junior year to receive full tuition remission. A cumulative average of 3.25 or better must be maintained throughout the senior year.
A request for admission to the Accelerated Degree Program is made to the ES&P program advisor during the junior year and will be granted in the senior year on presentation of an acceptable program of undergraduate study. Both acceptance into the graduate program and the granting of full tuition remission for the fifth year are subject to the approval of the ES&P Graduate Admissions Committee and the Dean of Graduate Studies.
For more information, visit www.clarku.edu/departments/idce/environmentalscience/grad/index.shtml.
Program of study
The master’s degree in Environmental Science & Policy requires a minimum of 12 graduate course units. These include five required core courses, two skills courses, and five elective courses to provide breadth and depth. The electives typically focus on a topic reflecting the student’s particular environmental interest. The ES&P program culminates in a thesis or critical review paper, based on research participation with ES&P faculty or approved affiliated faculty.
- Two course units (300-level courses) are taken in courses in the senior year.
- Ten additional course units are
earned by completing the remaining requirements.
ES&P Required Courses (5)
IDCE 301 Research Projects
IDCE 363 Decision Methods for Environmental Management
IDCE 382 Management of Environmental Pollutants
IDCE 30287 Fundamentals of Environmental Science
IDCE 30209 Interdisciplinary Topics Seminar
(2 half-course modules, Spring Year 1 and Fall Year 2)
Skills Courses (a sampling; 2 required)
IDCE 305 Qualitative Research Methods: Skills and Application
IDCE 310 Introduction to GIS
IDCE 324 Computer and Quantitative Methods in Risk Analysis
IDCE 332 Environmental and Social Impacts Assessment
IDCE 349 Advanced Topics in Spatial Analysis
IDCE 352 Technology and Environmental Assessment
IDCE 357 Dynamic Environmental Modeling
IDCE 366 Principles of Negotiation and Mediation
IDCE 367 Quantitative Modeling
IDCE 371 Digital Image Processing
IDCE 372 Groundwater Hydrology and Management
IDCE 388 GIS and Local Planning
IDCE 395 Participation and Environmental Management
IDCE 30290 Participatory Research Methods
Elective Courses
Elective courses provide students the flexibility of designing much of their coursework to suit their own needs and to provide depth in a chosen area of focus. Students may take courses offered by the other three graduate programs in IDCE (International Development & Social Change, Community Development & Planning, Geographic Information Sciences) or in other departments, as approved by the ES&P Graduate Program advisor. These courses might include: Applied Ecology; Limits of the Earth; Environmental Law; Corporate Environmental Management; Watershed Stewardship; Cancer: Science and Society; Environmental Toxicology; Environmental Chemistry; Economics of Natural Resources; Urban Ecology; GIS and International Development; Community Planning; Tropical Ecology; Environment & Development in the Middle East; Gender, Environment and Development; Social Movements, Globalization and the State; Development Theory and others. Electives may be formal courses or directed research that supports the student’s final research project.
Final Research Project
Students are required to complete either a) a critical review paper on a selected topic, comprising analysis, synthesis, interpretation and discussion of the literature, and significant original critical thought; or b) a thesis on a selected topic comprising the same elements as the paper, plus more in-depth original research and fieldwork that contributes new knowledge. The thesis is a preferred option for those considering graduate study in a Ph.D. program once they complete the M.A.
Program Advisor (Signature Required on Application: Part 1)
Professor Sam Ratick
sratick@clarku.edu
Student profiles:
- Michael Miller (ES&P MA ’02) is a corporate environmental health and safety engineer at Textron, Inc., where he is involved with environmental metrics development, systems work for data, policy compliance, and remediation management.
- Kevin Moran (ES&P BA ‘01) is founder of Moran’s Environmental Service, which conducts environmental health and efficiency auditing and planning for public buildings and private residences.
- Anna Makri(ES&P MA ’99)is a research associate at the Center for Risk Science and Public Health at George Washington University.
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