Graduate Area of Study Summary
Description
The Environmental Studies specialization provides graduate students a broad, interdisciplinary environmental perspective through coursework in the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities, allowing graduate students an opportunity to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to understand the multiple dimensions of today’s environmental problems. Students will develop a broad, interdisciplinary environmental perspective through the courses in the Environmental Studies specialization.
The purpose of this specialization is to provide the student the ability to improve their abilities to work across disciplinary boundaries and to integrate the knowledge and understanding of the earth and ecological systems, the built and engineered environment, or human dimension disciplines (socioeconomic, legal, and/or political) into their graduate work. Coursework, tools, and methods from a variety of disciplines are offered to analyze and construct arguments about complex environmental challenges.

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Director
Dave Gosselin
dgosselin2@unl.edu
402-472-8919
Campus Address
149 Hardin Hall
Lincoln NE 68583-0951
How it's offered
A specialization in Environmental Studies is available within the following degree programs:
- MS in Agricultural & Biological Systems Engineering
- MS in Agronomy
- PhD in Agronomy and Horticulture
- MA in Anthropology
- PhD in Biological Engineering
- MS or PhD in Chemistry
- MCRP in Community and Regional Planning
- MS or PhD in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
- MS in Horticulture
- MS in Leadership Education
- MA or MS or PhD in Mathematics
- MA or PhD in Political Science
- MA or PhD in Sociology
How to apply
1. Apply for admission to a graduate degree program, get admitted, and enroll.
Apply to one of the participating degree programs and follow the steps to admission.
2. Declare an Environmental Studies specialization.
If Environmental Studies wasn't already established as part of your program during the application and admission process, declare an Environmental Studies specialization when completing your Memorandum of Courses (master's) or Program of Study (doctoral). Consult the Director of Environmental Studies regarding specialization coursework and approval of the environmentally related thesis or dissertation.
Requirements for completion
A specialization in Environmental Studies is available to any student pursuing a degree in one of the participating master's or doctoral programs.
Interdisciplinary areas
To achieve this specialization's interdisciplinary intent, each student's plan of study will include courses from outside their primary department or area, chosen in consultation with their committee and the director of Environmental Studies.
A student's specialization coursework is chosen from one of the following three areas:
- Human dimensions (socioeconomic, legal, and/or political)
- Science (earth systems, ecological systems)
- Built and engineered environment
Requirements
At the master's level, each student is required to complete:
- A master's degree in one of the participating programs.
- Nine credit hours of environmentally-related courses outside the student's major department.
- When Option I (thesis) is available in the student's program, a thesis that deals with an environmentally-relevant issue and includes knowledge from their interdisciplinary area.
At the doctoral level, each student is required to complete:
- A doctoral degree in one of the participating programs.
- Fifteen credit hours of environmentally-related courses outside the student's major department. Courses completed for an Environmental Studies specialization at the master's level may be counted toward an Environmental Studies specialization at the PhD level.
- A dissertation that deals with an environmentally-relevant issue and includes knowledge from their interdisciplinary area.
Courses
- Students work with an advisor to choose courses, create a plan of study, and follow the Steps to Degree Completion. See courses in:
- Cost of attendance differs from one student to another. Try our Cost Estimator or see Tuition, Fees, and Funding for details.
This summary page is maintained by Graduate Studies.
For additional details inquire via the Contacts tab form or listed contacts.
Departments: Have an update for this summary? Contact Kurt Mueller.