Programs

Bloomington Campus

Master of Public Affairs Dual Degree Programs

Master of Public Affairs–Master of Science in Environmental Science

This combined master’s program is a 60-credit ­hour program that gives the student more depth and breadth than is possible in a single degree.  M.P.A. and M.S.E.S. degrees are awarded concurrently after the student has completed the requirements for both degrees.

Application and Admission

The student must apply to and be accepted by both the Master of Public Affairs program and the Master of Science in Environmental Science program. The normal criteria for admission to each program apply.

Program Requirements

(60 credit hours) The combined M.P.A.–M.S.E.S. program requires a minimum of 60 credit hours distributed among four components: environmental science core, public affairs core, environmental science and policy concentration, and professional experience.

Public Affairs Core
Required Courses (15 credit hours)
SPEA-E 543 Environmental Management (3 cr.)
SPEA-F 560 Public Finance and Budgeting (3 cr.)
SPEA-V 506 Statistical Analysis for Effective Decision Making (3 cr.)
OR
SPEA-E 538 Statistics for Environmental Science (3 cr.)
SPEA-V 517 Public Management Economics (3 cr.)
SPEA-V 540 Law and Public Affairs (3 cr.)
Environmental Science Core Competencies

Each student should demonstrate a competency in the following areas of environmental science: mathematics, statistics, chemistry, engineering principles, and ecology. The selection of courses may vary according to the students background. Some or all of the following course categories may be appropriate to be determined in consultation with the gatekeepers for each course category.

Required Courses (12 credit hours)
SPEA-E 526 Applied Mathematics for Environmental Science (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 527 Applied Ecology (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 536 Environmental Chemistry (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 552 Environmental Engineering (3 cr.)

Tool Skill Courses (3 credit hours)

Tools courses provide students with quantitative, technical and analytical tools to enhance problem-solving abilities. Strategic choices in tool courses can deepen or broaden your skill set; discussions with advisors, including the program director, may be appropriate. The course list below includes many of the most commonly used tools courses, but other courses may be approved by an advisor, including appropriate topics courses (E555 and V550).

SPEA-E 502 Water Quality Modeling (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 518 Vector-based Geographic Information Systems (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 529 Application of Geographic Information Systems (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 554 Groundwater Flow Modeling (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 555 Introduction to Coding for Environment and Policy (1 cr.)
SPEA-E 555 Python Programming for Environment and Policy (1 cr.)
SPEA-E 555 Using R for Environment and Policy (1 cr.)
SPEA-E 560 Environmental Risk Analysis (3 cr.)
SPEA-P 507 Data Analysis and Modeling for Public Affairs (3 cr.)
SPEA-P 539 Management Science for Public Affairs (3 cr.)
SPEA-P 541 Benefit Cost Analysis (3 cr.)
SPEA-P 562 Public Program Evaluation (3 cr.)
Capstone
Required Course (3 credit hours)

Choose one of the following courses:

SPEA-E 517 BMP Design for Healthy Urban Watersheds (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 546 Stream Ecology (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 560 Environmental Risk Analysis (3 cr.)
SPEA-V 600 Capstone in Public and Environmental Affairs (3 cr.)
*GLOBASE Capstone in Global Business and Social Enterprise (3 cr.)

*Please note only second year students can count GLOBASE as a capstone.

Program Options

Dual degree students can pursue one of six concentration options.

1. Environmental Management Concentration
(24 credit hours)
Required Courses
In consultation with an advisor, choose four of the following courses:
SPEA-E 515 Fundamentals of Air Pollution (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 520 Environmental Toxicology (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 528 Forest Ecology and Management (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 539 Aquatic Chemistry (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 540 Wetlands Ecology and Management (4 cr.)
SPEA-E 542 Hazardous Materials (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 545 Lake and Watershed Management (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 562 Solid and Hazardous Waste Management (3 cr.)
SPEA-R 643 Natural Resource Management and Policy (3 cr.)
Electives (12 credit hours)

In consultation with an advisor, choose four of the following, including at least two law/management/policy-focused electives.

Science-Focused Electives:

SPEA-E 502 Water Quality Modeling (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 514 Changing Landscape of Toxic Chemical Regulations (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 534 Restoration Ecology (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 544 Subsurface Microbiology and Bioremediation (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 554 Groundwater Flow Modeling (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 555 Soil and Soil Management (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 564 Organic Pollutants: Environmental Chemistry & Fate (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 574 Energy Systems (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 591 Climate Change Impacts on Natural Resources (3 cr.)

Law, Management, and Policy-Focused Electives:

SPEA-E 512 Risk Communication (3 cr.)
SPEA-R 512 Climate Law and Policy (3 cr.)
SPEA-R 521 Domestic Environmental Policy (3 cr.)
SPEA-R 531 Water Law (3 cr.)
SPEA-R 532 Water Policy and Economics (3 cr.)
SPEA-R 533 Public Natural Resource Law (3 cr.)
SPEA-R 563 Sustainability in a Tri-sectoral World (3 cr.)
SPEA-R 564 Environmental and Natural Resource Policy Design and Implementation (3 cr.)
SPEA-R 625 Environmental Economics and Policy (3 cr.)
SPEA-R 643 Natural Resource Management and Policy (3 cr.)
SPEA-R 645 Environmental Law (3 cr.)
SPEA-R 674 Energy Economics and Policy (3 cr.)

Tools Electives:

SPEA-E 518 Vector-Based Geographic Information Systems (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 529 Application of Geographic Information Systems (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 555 Intro to Coding for Environment and Policy (1 cr.)
SPEA-E 555 Python Programming for Environment and Policy (1 cr.)
SPEA-E 555 Using R for Environment and Policy (1 cr.)
SPEA-E 560 Risk Analysis (3 cr.)
SPEA-I 516 Public Management Information Systems (3 cr.)
SPEA-M 547 Negotiation and Dispute Resolution for Public Affairs (3 cr.)
SPEA-M 654 Public Program Management and Contracting (3 cr.)
SPEA-P 507 Data Analysis and Modeling for Public Affairs (3 cr.)
SPEA-P 541 Benefit Cost Analysis (3 cr.)
SPEA-P 562 Public Program Evaluation (3 cr.)
2. Environmental Systems Analysis and Modeling Concentration
(27 credit hours)
Required Courses

The following three courses:

SPEA-E 560 Environmental Risk Analysis (3 cr.)
SPEA-P 507 Data Analysis and Modeling for Public Affairs (3 cr.)
SPEA-P 539 Management Science for Public Affairs (3 cr.)
Electives (18 credit hours)

In consultation with a concentration advisor, select a total of 6 classes, including at least 2 classes from the Sciences section and 2 classes from the Policy and Administration section.

Science (choose at least two of the following courses):

SPEA-E 502 Water Quality Modeling (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 515 Fundamentals of Air Pollution Control (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 518 Vector-Based Geographic Information Systems (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 529 Application of Geographic Information Systems (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 539 Aquatic Chemistry (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 554 Groundwater Flow Modeling (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 555 Fluid Mechanics (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 555 Intro to Coding for Environment and Policy (1 cr.)
SPEA-E 555 Python Programming for Environment and Policy (1 cr.)
SPEA-E 555 Using R for Environment and Policy (1 cr.)
SPEA-E 564 Organic Pollutants: Environmental Chemistry and Fate (3 cr.)
*GEOG-G 588 Applied Spatial Statistics (3 cr.)

Policy and Administration (choose at least two of the following courses):

SPEA-P 541 Benefit Cost Analysis (3 cr.)
SPEA-P 562 Public Program Evaluation (3 cr.)
SPEA-R 625 Environmental Economics and Policy (3 cr.)
SPEA-R 674 Energy Economics and Policy (3 cr.)
3. Energy Concentration
(24 credit hours)
Required Courses (6 credit hours)

The following courses are required:

SPEA-E 574 Energy Systems (3 cr.)
SPEA-R 674 Energy Economics and Policy (3 cr.)
Electives (18 credit hours)

In consultation with a concentration advisor, students select a mixture of science and policy courses related to energy in accordance to professional goals. At least two courses must be taken from each group. Examples include:

Natural Science Elective Group (6 credit hours):

SPEA-E 503 Natural Gas: Technical and Policy Challenges (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 515 Fundamentals of Air Pollution (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 518 Vector -based Geographic Information Systems (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 529 Application of Geographic Information Systems (3 cr.)
*EAS-G 571 Principles of Petroleum Geology (3 cr.)
*EAS-G 576 Climate Change (3 cr.)
*EAS-G 587 Organic Geochemistry (3 cr.)
*GEOG-G 532 Physical Climatology (3 cr.)
*GEOG-G 544 Climate Change Impacts (3 cr.)

Economics, Public Policy and Law Elective Group (6 credit hours):

SPEA-E 501/X511 Human Behavior and Energy Consumption (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 535 International Environment Policy (3 cr.)
SPEA-P 541 Benefit Cost Analysis (3 cr.)
SPEA-R 512/LAW-L 660 Climate Law and Policy (3 cr.)
SPEA-R 521 Domestic Environmental Policy (3 cr.)
SPEA-R 533 Public Natural Resources (3 cr.)
SPEA-R 563 Sustainability in a Tri-Sectoral World (3 cr.)
SPEA-R 564 Environmental and Natural Resource Policy Design and Implementation (3 cr.)
SPEA-R 590 Energy Policy from a Nation-State Perspective (3 cr.)
SPEA-R 625 Environmental Economics and Policy (3 cr.)
SPEA-R 626 Energy Policy (3 cr.)
SPEA-R 643 Natural Resource Management and Policy (3 cr.)
SPEA-R 645 Environmental Law (3 cr.)
SPEA-S 596 Sustainable Development (3 cr.)
SPEA-V 550/*LAW-L 644 Energy Law and Policy (3 cr.)
4. Water Management Concentration
(25 credit hours)

Required Courses (10 credit hours)
SPEA-E 556 Limnology (4 cr.)
SPEA-R 531 Water Law (3 cr.)
or
SPEA-R 532 Water Policy and Economics (3 cr.)
One physical science class from the list below (3 cr.)
Water Science (6 - 9 credit hours without overlap with courses used for requirements)

Physical Sciences:

SPEA-E 502 Water Quality Modeling (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 539 Aquatic Chemistry (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 554 Groundwater Flow Modeling (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 555 Fluid Mechanics (3 cr.)
*EAS-G 690 Fluvial Processes and Sediment Transport (P: SPEA-E 555 Fluid Mechanics) (3 cr.)

Ecology and Management:

SPEA-E 460 Fisheries and Wildlife Management (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 461 Fisheries and Wildlife Management Lab (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 517 BMP Design for Healthy Urban Watersheds (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 540 Wetlands Ecology and Management (4 cr.)
SPEA-E 545 Lake and Watershed Management (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 546 Stream Ecology (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 555 Soil and Soil Management (3 cr.)
Policy and Administration (6-9 credit hours without overlap with courses used for requirements) 
SPEA-P 541 Benefit Cost Analysis (3 cr.)
SPEA-P 562 Public Program Evaluation (3 cr.)
SPEA-R 512 Climate Law and Policy (3 cr.)
SPEA-R 521 Domestic Environmental Policy (3 cr.)
SPEA-R 531 Water Law (3 cr.)
SPEA-R 532 Water Policy and Economics (3 cr.)
SPEA-R 563 Sustainability in a Tri-sectoral World (3 cr.)
SPEA-R 564 Environmental and Natural Resource Policy Design and Implementation (3 cr.)
SPEA-R 625 Environmental Economics and Policy (3 cr.)
SPEA-R 643 Natural Resource Management and Policy (3 cr.)
SPEA-R 645 Environmental Law (3 cr.)
SPEA-X 511 Human Behavior and Energy Consumption (3 cr.)
*GEOG-G 553 Water and Society (3 cr.)
5. Specialized Concentration

(21 credit hours) Select four M.S.E.S. courses from one of the listed M.S.E.S. concentrations and three M.P.A. courses from one of the listed M.P.A. concentrations.

6. Any M.S.E.S. or M.P.A. Concentration

Any M.S.E.S. concentration plus 9 additional credit hours from MPA concentration courses outside of the E series of SPEA courses, with the exception of E535 International Environmental Policy, which will be an acceptable course.

Or

Any M.P.A. concentration plus 12 additional credit hours from the M.S.E.S. tools and concentration courses in the E series of SPEA courses (excluding E535 International Environmental Policy).

Experiential Requirement

Each MPA-MSES student must obtain professionally relevant experience through one of the following options: an approved internship (includes research internships) (SPEA-V 585 or SPEA-E 589; 0-6 credit hours), completion of the MSES thesis concentration, or the award of prior professional experience credit. Students are encouraged to discuss with faculty members the relative merits of their experience opportunities, according to individual career objectives.

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