School of Earth, Environment and Society

Program Details | Environmental Science & Management MEM

In the Masters of Environmental Management (MEM) program, students complete a project done for a community partner (e.g., an agency, NGO, or business). The structure and focus of the project is developed in partnership with the student’s community partner and faculty advisor. Some projects may look very similar to an MS thesis, especially to the extent that the community partner has an applied or basic research need, but it also may be more of a program review or site-specific management plan.

MEM students make a public presentation of their project work, and pass an oral defense administered by their graduate advisory committee, which includes their community partner. The product of an MEM degree at PSU is a project report that is submitted to the school and community partner, and chapters from the project report may be submitted for peer review and publication in a refereed journal, if appropriate.

Requirements

Courses

  • Core courses (one from each core area and selected from program list - 12 credits)
  • ESM 551 Project Management for Scientists (4 credits)
  • ESM 507 Speakers Series Seminar repeated 3 times, 1 credit per term (3 credits)
  • ESM 509 Practicum (1 credit)
  • Quantitative analysis (selected from program list - 4 credits)
  • A course in an appropriate field of research methods, experimental design, or statistical analysis, is required to ensure students have sufficient skills for environmental research.
  • Area of concentration (12 credits)
  • Elective and supporting courses (4 credits)
  • ESM 506 Project (5 credits)

Total Credit Hours: 45

 

Physical Systems

  • ESM 525 Watershed Hydrology 
  • ESM 527 Watershed Biogeochemistry
  • ESM 558 Snow Hydrology 
  • ESM 560 Air Quality
  • ESM 571 Atmospheric Physics 
  • ESM 579 Fate and Transport of Toxics in the Environment

Core Courses

Ecological Systems

  • ESM 517 Applied Watershed Restoration 
  • ESM 518 Landscape Ecology 
  • ESM 520 Ecological Toxicology 
  • ESM 524 Wetland Ecology 
  • ESM 526 Ecology of Stream & Rivers 
  • ESM 544 Forest Ecology 
  • ESM 575 Limnology & Aquatic Ecology 
  • ESM 580 Coastal Marine Ecology 
  • ESM 585 Ecology & Management of Bio-invasions

 

Environmental Management

  • ESM 516 Ecosystem Restoration 
  • ESM 528 Urban Ecology 
  • ESM 529 Environmental Impact Assessment
  • ESM 535 Natural Resource Policy and Management
  • ESM 540 Ecology & Management of Wildfire
  • ESM 563 Water Quality Policy and Management
  • ESM 564 Climate Adaptation: Managing Risks & Vulnerability
  • ESM 583 Marine Conservation Science & Management
  • ESM 587 Environmental Justice
  • ESM 588 Environmental Sustainability

Quantitative Analysis

A course in an appropriate field of research methods, experimental design, or statistical analysis, is required to ensure students have sufficient skills for environmental research.

Elective Courses

Elective courses are to be defined in the student’s program of study, and agreed upon by the student’s adviser and graduate committee. Courses may be selected to provide additional background, to explore new areas, and to add depth to a scholastic program. 

Students can use professional development courses (e.g. communications; policy, laws and regulations; project management; and professional ethics) to fulfill area of concentration or elective and supporting credits with approval of their graduate committee.

Thesis or Project

A central purpose of the MEM degree is to teach students the process of problem solving and research. A minimum of 6 credits is required. Students working toward the MEM degree will be required to complete a project in lieu of a thesis. MEM students will take: 1 unit of ESM 509 Practicum at the beginning of their program, and 5 units of ESM 506. 

This project is expected to be the product of original work in cooperation with an agency, organization, firm, or other community partner involved in environmental management activities. The project plan, approach, and project report must be approved by the advisory committee in a manner parallel to that for thesis research. The project report must be presented at a public seminar to be followed by an oral defense of the work conducted by the student’s graduate committee.