Master of Environmental Studies
Course Requirements
The MES degree requires the completion of 12 course units (c.u.s), including the completion of an independent research Capstone project. Each student in the MES program will work with a faculty advisor who will guide the student's course selection and research. Additional student supervision will be given by members of the IES faculty as well as other faculty at Penn working in various areas of environmental research.
The MES Curriculum (12 c.u.s)
Degree Requirements
- The Proseminar
- Four foundation courses
- Five courses in the student's professional concentration
- One research methods course
- A Capstone Project
The Proseminar - Contemporary Issues in Environmental Studies - acquaints students with issues, debates and current knowledge in the study of the environment. Its content is drawn from many disciplines at Penn.
Foundation Courses
Each student takes at least four foundation courses selected from a list of topics presented below (to be selected in consultation with the student's advisor). These courses are a source of interdisciplinary breadth for each student.
- Environmental Biology
- Environmental Chemistry
- Environmental History
- Environmental Geology
- Environmental Law
- Environmental Policy
- Environmental Literature
Each student must complete a research methods course that prepares him/her to enter the Capstone phase of the program.
Each student undertakes an independent research Capstone exercise (typically less comprehensive than a traditional master's thesis) that demonstrates the student's mastery of the subject matter that he or she has addressed. The Capstone exercise documents the student's ability to define a research question; design a protocol to address that question; acquire the data necessary to clarify, if not resolve, that question; critically assess the quality of the data acquired; draw defensible conclusions from those data; and communicate that process and those conclusions to professional colleagues with clarity and precision. A student who elects to pursue a two-c.u. Capstone project may choose to reduce the professional concentration by one c.u.
Professional Concentrations
When applying, students identify a professional concentration. This specific area of environmental studies will be their focus while in the program. To fulfill this concentration, students work with their advisors to select five courses directly related to their chosen areas of study. These courses may be taken in any school in the University, drawing from Penn's strengths across many disciplines. Some students develop their own concentrations, or they can choose from the list below:
- Environmental Advocacy & Outreach
- Environmental Biology
- Environmental Health
- Environmental Humanities
- Environmental Geology
- Environmental Policy
- Resource Management
- Urban Environment
The Capstone Project
Toward the end of the program, each student undertakes a Capstone Project, an independent, one-semester research exercise that demonstrates the student's mastery of the subject matter. While less comprehensive than a traditional master's thesis, the Capstone documents the student's ability to define a research question; design a protocol to address that question; acquire the data necessary to clarify, if not resolve, that question; critically assess the quality of the data acquired; draw defensible conclusions from those data; and communicate that process and those conclusions to professional colleagues with clarity and precision.
Time Frame
Admitted students may attend on either a part-time or full-time basis. Full-time students can complete the program in two years, including summers. Part-time students must complete their work in no more than four years.