Environmental Science and Management (ESM) Degree Program
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 tract—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
21 months
Program duration
$1,028
Cost per credit
36
Credit hours
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
Pick two management courses:
MAST614 Environmental Justice in Disasters (SPPA614/GEOG614) MAST628 Offshore Wind Power MAST662 Climate Change: Policy, Equity and Mitigation |
12 |
Climate Science Track |
Pick two science courses:
MAST609 The Ocean and Climate Change |
12 |
Pick two management courses:
ENEP626 Climate Change: Science, Policies & Political Economy 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
Pick two management courses:
MAST 676 Environmental 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
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
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
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 |
Maddie Brien
mbrien@udel.edu
Degree track: Marine science
Lydia Clark
lrclark@udel.edu
Degree track: Marine science
Personal website
Lannis James Dodge
ldodge@udel.edu
Degree track: Marine science
Personal website
Christina Marchak
cmarchak@udel.edu
Degree track: Marine science
Personal website
Travis Pluck
tpluck@udel.edu
Degree track: Climate science
Personal website
Kayla Rexroth
krexroth@udel.edu
Degree track: Marine science
Personal website
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.