Environmental Science and Management (ESM) Degree Program

Student observing offshore wind turbine

Join us for an integrative approach to our common environmental future
 

Looking to make a real impact on the environment? UD's Master of Science in Environmental Science and Management program may be the perfect fit for you. Our curriculum is designed to provide you with the skills and knowledge you need to address pressing environmental challenges, including climate change, fisheries, land use, and just energy transition.

Early consideration for applications is December 15; final deadline is May 15. Note: This program begins in Fall semesters.

This professional degree equips students with practical decision-making and management skills applicable to jobs in the environmental sector.

Students select a specialized course track—climate, earth resources or marine—and are assigned an individual faculty advisor. They begin the program in the fall and end the program with a group capstone experience that considers a real-world issue for an outside client, completing the 36-credit degree program in 21 months.

Students admitted to ESM often hold undergraduate degrees in environmental science or studies, natural resource management, biology, geology, marine science, meteorology, economics, policy, planning and sociology.

KEY NUMBERS

About the program

Students graduating with the Master of Science in ESM will be prepared to become environmental planners, environmental scientists, project managers, and environmental compliance specialists at all levels of government and in the private sector.

Area

Requirements

Credit Hours

 

Management Foundation

 

Choose one:

 

UAPP 707 Public Policy Analysis

UAPP 690 Seminar: Public Administration

 

and (required)

 

MAST 675 Natural Resource Economics

 

6

Environmental Science Foundation

ENSC601 Fundamentals of Environmental Science

 

3

 

Data Analysis

 

Choose two:

 

SPPA 704 Advanced Quantitative Methods

SPPA 721 Data Science Tools for Evidence-based Policy

GEOG 604 GIS for Environmental Research

 

6

 

Science-Management Connections

 

Choose one:

MAST 610 Coupling Human to Natural Systems

MAST 628 Offshore Wind Power

 

3

 

Marine Science Track

 

Pick two science courses:

 

MAST602 Physical Oceanography
MAST609 The Ocean and Climate Change
MAST621 Coastal Field Biology
MAST627 Biological Oceanography
MAST637 Geological Oceanography
MAST646 Chemical Oceanography

 

Pick two management courses:

 

MAST614 Environmental Justice in Disasters (SPPA614/GEOG614)

MAST628 Offshore Wind Power

MAST662 Climate Change: Policy, Equity and Mitigation
MAST674 Legal Aspects of the Coastal Zone
MAST 676 Environmental Economics

 

12

 

Climate Science Track

 

Pick two science courses:

 

MAST609 The Ocean and Climate Change
GEOG612 Physical Climatology
GEOG657 Climate Dynamics
GEOG658 Paleoclimatology

 

12

 

Pick two management courses:

 

ENEP626 Climate Change: Science, Policies & Political Economy
GEOG616 Climate Fiction, Science and Communication
GEOG619 Climate Change Adaptation
MAST639 Renewable Energy and Climate: Law, Regulation, and Environment

MAST662 Climate Change: Policy, Equity and Mitigation

MAST688 Climate Change Economics

  

Earth Resources Track

 

Pick two science courses:

 

GEOL612 (1 credit) Geology of Strategic Mineral Deposits and GEOL613 (2 credits) Analytics of Minerals for Risk Management
GEOL621 Environmental and Applied Geology
GEOL628 Hydrogeology
GEOG632 Environmental Hydrology
PLSC640 Field Methods in Soil-Water-Air
PLSC621 Nonpoint Source Pollution

 

Pick two management courses:

 

MAST 676 Environmental Economics
GEOG 622 Resources Development and the Environment
UAPP 611 Regional Watershed Management
APEC 820 Experimental Economics
GEOG655 (1 credit) Certification Systems for Sustainable Development and
GEOG669 (2 credits) Minerals and Ecological Economics

12

 

Capstone Experience or Analytical Paper

 

Required:

MAST 663 Decision Tools for Policy Analysis and

Capstone Experience

MAST 664 Environmental Issue Capstone

 

             or

 

Analytical Paper

MAST 865 MMP Analytical Paper

 

6

 

 

TOTAL CREDIT HOURS

 

36

Normal, full-time progress (capstone option) follows the below schedule:
 

Year 1 Year 2

Fall (9 credit hours)

MAST 675 Nat Res Economics

MAST 610 Coupling Natural & Human Systems or MAST 628 Offshore Wind Power

ENSC 601 Fundamentals of Env Science

Fall (9 credit hours)

UAPP 707 Policy Analysis

MAST 663 Decision Tools for Policy Analysis Track Elective 2 or Data Analysis Elective 2

Spring (9 credit hours)

Data analysis elective 1

Track Elective 1

Track Elective 2 or Data Analysis Elective 2

Spring (9 credit hours)

MAST 664 Environmental Issue Capstone Track Elective 3

Track Elective 4

The capstone is a central part of the student experience. It is designed to address a specific real-world policy problem and is sponsored by an outside client. Students work in small groups on the assigned project using skills and knowledge acquired in the classroom. The outside sponsor can be at the local, national, or international level and might, for example, include agencies such as Delaware’s Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of the Interior, the World Bank, or the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. At the beginning of your second year, ESM faculty will find sponsors who need a talented group of graduate students to assist them with a real-world project that can be completed in one semester. Deliverables could include a report, presentation, budget, or work plan. Sponsors change from year to year. Each capstone group will be advised by at least one ESM faculty member.

Capstones reflect the applied nature of this program and will prepare students for working in government, non-profit, and for-profit organizations. It is a 3-unit course (MAST 664 Environmental Issue Capstone) in your last semester. The capstone course is only open to students in the MS in Environmental Science and Management and the MS in Environmental Economics. Students entering the capstone course will be required to take Decision Tools for Policy Analysis, MAST 663/UAPP 663, in the preceding semester. Capstone projects will develop and build practical research, collaboration, and communication skills that employers value. 

Analytical Paper option

In special circumstances (e.g., if interested in seeking a research experience and continuing to a PhD), a student may write an analytical paper—an article-length paper targeting publication in an appropriate peer-reviewed journal—in lieu of the capstone experience. To do so, the student however must secure the approval of a CEOE-affiliated faculty member to offer guidance, direction, and development of the paper.  The paper is evaluated by the faculty research advisor, although actual publication is not required.

Admitted students will be required to select a track within the ESM degree. The three tracks are climate science, earth resources, and marine science.

Climate science track

Students visiting offshore wind turbine

Subject areas: offshore wind power, adaptation to climate including sea level rise, and weather extremes

Year 1 example curriculum

Fall (9 credit hours)

MAST 675 Nat Res Economics

MAST 610 Coupling Natural & Human Systems or MAST 628 Offshore Wind Power

ENSC 601 Fundamentals of Env Science

Spring (9 credit hours)

GEOG 604 GIS for Environmental Research

GEOG 612 Physical Climatology

GEOG 619 Climate Change Adaptation


 

Year 2 example curriculum

Fall (9 credit hours)

UAPP 707 Policy Analysis

MAST 663 Decision Tools for Policy Analysis

MAST 609 The Ocean and Climate Change

Spring (9 credit hours)

MAST 664 Environmental Issue Capstone

ENEP626 Climate Change: Science, Policies & Political Economy

SPPA 704 Advanced Quantitative Methods

Earth resources track

Students conducting coring tests in the field

Subject areas: hydrology, environmental geology and critical minerals
 

Year 1 example curriculum

Fall (9 credit hours)

MAST 675 Nat Res Economics

MAST 610 Coupling Natural & Human Systems or MAST 628 Offshore Wind Power

ENSC 601 Fundamentals of Env Science

Spring (9 credit hours)

GEOG604 GIS for Environmental Research

GEOG632 Environmental Hydrology

UAPP611 Regional Watershed Management


 

Year 2 example curriculum

Fall (9 credit hours)

UAPP 707 Policy Analysis

MAST 663 Decision Tools for Policy Analysis

GEOL621 Environmental and Applied Geology

Spring (9 credit hours)

MAST 664 Environmental Issue Capstone

MAST676 Environmental Economics

SPPA 704 Advanced Quantitative Methods

Marine science track

Man on boat retrieving data collection device from water

Subject areas: fisheries, offshore wind power, sea level rise, and coastal land use
 

Year 1 example curriculum

Fall (9 credit hours)

MAST 675 Nat Res Economics

MAST 610 Coupling Natural & Human Systems or MAST 628 Offshore Wind Power

ENSC 601 Fundamentals of Env Science

Fall (9 credit hours)

MAST 675 Nat Res Economics

MAST 610 Coupling Natural & Human Systems or MAST 628 Offshore Wind Power

ENSC 601 Fundamentals of Env Science


 

Year 2 example curriculum

Fall (9 credit hours)

UAPP 707 Policy Analysis

MAST 663 Decision Tools for Policy Analysis

MAST621 Coastal Field Biology

Spring (9 credit hours)

MAST 664 Environmental Issue Capstone

MAST 609 The Ocean and Climate Change

MAST 676 Environmental Economics

Meet our students


Interested in learning more about current ESM students and what they're studying? Check out their profiles below!

Maddie Brien
mbrien@udel.edu

Degree track: Marine science
 

Lydia Clark
lrclark@udel.edu

Degree track: Marine science
Personal website
 

Lannis James Dodge

Lannis James Dodge
ldodge@udel.edu

Degree track: Marine science
Personal website

Christina Marchak

Christina Marchak
cmarchak@udel.edu

Degree track: Marine science
Personal website
 

Travis Pluck

Travis Pluck
tpluck@udel.edu

Degree track: Climate science
Personal website
 

Kayla Rexroth

Kayla Rexroth
krexroth@udel.edu

Degree track: Marine science
Personal website

How to apply

Admission is competitive. It is based on grades, letters of recommendation, and an application essay. A GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale is expected. The program admissions committee will evaluate each applicant for admission and may interview applicants over phone, video conferencing, or in person. A four-year U.S. bachelor’s degree (or its equivalent) in any academic field from an accredited college or university is required.

Admitted students will be required to select a track within the ESM degree. The three tracks are climate science, earth resources, and marine science.

Students who apply will be expected to answer the following questions:

  • Why are you seeking a graduate degree in Environmental Science and Management at the University of Delaware?
  • The Environmental Science and Management degree is interdisciplinary, asking you to engage with both natural and social sciences. How do you see the degree, including the knowledge and skills that will be gained and your selected track (climate, earth resources or marine) supporting your interests and goals?
  • The graduate student experience and life generally involve a range of challenges. Describe an example of how you have shown resilience and/or perseverance in pursuing your academic goals or in your personal life and how you have grown as a result.
  • [Optional] Please add anything you would like to say in support of your application or anything that puts your application in a broader context that is not addressed by these questions (e.g., other relevant certifications or standardized examinations, uneven academic success).

Applicants will also have the opportunity to provide information on meaningful community service; formal or informal leadership roles; and any significant barriers they may have surmounted.  

The deadline for early consideration is December 15; all other applications, May 15. Given visa delays, we strongly recommend early application by international applicants. Admission decisions will be made on a rolling basis beginning in January

 

International student applications must include TOEFL, TOEFL Essentials, or IELTS scores or a waiver of proof of English Proficiency and certified English translation of all materials when applicable. International students must have a TOEFL score of 90 or higher, and TOEFL Essentials score of 9 or higher or an IELTS score of 7 or higher. Alternatively, international student applicants can show proof of having graduated from an undergraduate or graduate program in a country where English is the primary language. TOEFL or IELTS scores must be within the last two years.

A waiver of proof of English Proficiency is allowed when:

  • A bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree has been or will be earned from a university recognized by the ministry of education in a country where English is the primary language. Our list of approved countries includes Anguilla, Antigua, Australia, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Cameroon, Canada (except the province of Quebec), Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Ghana, Guyana, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, Liberia, Montserrat, New Zealand, Nigeria, Puerto Rico, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Singapore, South Africa, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks and Caicos, The United Kingdom, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
  • A bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree has been or will be earned from a college or university located in the United States and accredited by a regional accrediting association.

 

The ESM Master of Science degree, being a professional, as opposed to a research degree, is structured around students funding their education through personal or external funds. The cost per credit hour is $1,028. Additional information on costs and fees can be found here.

A limited number of partial or full tuition scholarships for the first year may be available from the ESM program to qualified ESM applicants.

Additional information on financial support can be found at the following links:

You do not need to be in communication with a faculty member to apply. Should you be offered admission, a faculty member will be appointed as your advisor no later than shortly after you accept admission.