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.