Programs

Bloomington Campus

Master of Science in Environmental Science Joint Degree Programs

Dual M.S.E.S.-M.S. in Geological Sciences

Master of Science in Environmental Science–Master of Science in Geological Sciences (M.S.E.S.–M.S.)
Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences

Students must earn at least 51 credits in total, including a minimum of 21 credit hours in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences as well as in the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. Note that double-counting of courses among components is permitted, so long as overall credit requirements are met. In double-counting, multiple requirements may be met by a single course, but credits only count once towards credit totals. Degrees are awarded concurrently after the student has completed the requirements for both degrees.

Program Requirements (51 credit hours)

The combined M.S. in Geological Sciences–MSES program requires a minimum of 51 credit hours distributed among six components:

  • Geological Sciences Core
  • Environmental Science Core
  • Economics, Policy, and Law Competencies
  • Tool Skills
  • Dual Geological Sciences-Environmental Science Concentration
  • an experiential component or an environmentally focused thesis project

The student must complete a minimum of 21 credit hours in the Department of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences as well as in the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. Note that double-counting of courses among components is permitted, so long as overall credit requirements are met. In double-counting, multiple requirements may be met by a single course, but credits only count once towards credit totals.

Geological Sciences Core (9 credit hours)

Select course from the following list:

EAS-X 429 Field Geology in the Rocky Mountains (6 cr.)
EAS-G 513 Seismology I (3 cr.)
EAS-G 517 Optical Mineralogy (3 cr.)
EAS-G 520 Mechanics for the Earth Sciences (1 cr.)
EAS-G 524 Carbonate Facies and Environments (3 cr.)
EAS-G 554 Fundamentals of Plate Tectonics (3 cr.)
EAS-G 559 Earth Surface Processes (3 cr.)
EAS-G 561 Paleoecology (3 cr.)
EAS-G 572 Basin Analysis and Hydrocarbons (3 cr.)
EAS-G 576 Climate Change Science (3 cr.)
EAS-G 581 Surficial Geology (3 cr.)
EAS-G 583 Isotope Geochemistry (3 cr.)
EAS-G 587 Organic Geochemistry (3 cr.)
EAS-G 589 Geomicrobiology (3 cr.)
EAS-G 591 Physical Sedimentology (3 cr.)
Environmental Science Core (9 credit hours)

Select three courses from the following list:

SPEA-E 515 Fundamentals of Air Pollution (3 cr.)
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 538 Statistics for Environmental Science (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 539 Aquatic Chemistry (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 552 Environmental Engineering (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 564 Organic Pollutants: Environmental Chemistry and Fate (3 cr.)
Eonomics, Management, and Policy Core Competencies (6-9 credit hours)

Students are encouraged to acquire competency in these areas of environmental management. The selection of courses will vary according to the student’s professional objectives and an advisor can approve alternative courses that may be relevant.

SPEA-E 513 Environmental Project Management (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 535 International Environmental Policy (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 543 Environmental Management (3 cr.)
SPEA-P 507 Data Analysis and Modeling for Public Affairs (3 cr.)
SPEA-P 541 Benefit Cost Analysis (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 564 Environmental and Natural Resource Policy Design and Implementation (3 cr.)
SPEA-R 590 Energy Policy: A Nation State Perspective (3 cr.)
SPEA-R 625 Environmental Economics and Policy (3 cr.)
SPEA-R 626 Energy Policy Seminar (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.)
SPEA-S 596 Sustainable Development (3 cr.)
SPEA-V 517 Public Management Economics (3 cr.)
Tool Skill Courses (3-6 credit hours)

Students are encouraged to acquire competency in analytical methods by focusing on tool skills appropriate to their professional objectives. Students pursuing the research option (see below) may use research-course credits to satisfy the Tools requirement, if appropriate.

SPEA-E 502 Water Quality Modeling (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 518 Vector-based Geographic Information Systems (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 529 Applications of Geographic Information Systems (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 538 Statistics for Environmental Science (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 554 Groundwater Flow Modeling (3 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.)
EAS-G 520 Mechanics for Earth Sciences (3 cr.)
EAS-G 544 Methods in Analytical Geochemistry (3 cr.)
EAS-G 562 Geometric Morphometrics (3 cr.)
EAS-G 563 Quantitative Paleontology (3 cr.)
EAS-G 582 Computational Methods for Earth Scientists (3 cr.)
EAS-G 583 Isotope Geochemistry (3 cr.)
EAS-G 586 Geochemical Modeling (3 cr.)
EAS-G 612 Inverse Methods in Geophysics (3 cr.)
EAS-G 685 Evolution of Ecosystems (3 cr.)
Dual Geological Sciences – Environmental Science Master’s Concentration

Required Courses (Typically 15 to 18 credit hours)

This concentration supports the Geological Sciences and MSES degrees with courses in laboratory and environmental chemistry, toxicology, and risk assessment, as well as energy-related courses. Courses taken to satisfy the core requirements may not also satisfy concentration requirements. Students pursuing the research option (see below) may use research-course credits to satisfy part of the concentration requirement.

At least two courses should be selected from the Earth & Atmospheric Sciences Department and at least two courses should be selected from the O’Neill School. An advisor can approve alternative courses that may be relevant.

SPEA-E 502 Water Quality Modeling (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 503 Natural Gas: Technical and Policy Challenges (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 512 Risk Communication (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 514 Changing Landscape of Toxic-Chemical Regulation (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 515 Fundamentals of Air Pollution (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 517 BMP Design for Healthy Urban Watersheds (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 520 Environmental Toxicology (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 536 Environmental Chemistry (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 539 Aquatic Chemistry (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 542 Hazardous Materials (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 544 Subsurface Microbiology and Bioremediation (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 545 Lake and Watershed Management (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 552 Environmental Engineering (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 554 Groundwater Flow Modeling (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 555 Fluid Mechanics (1 cr.)
SPEA- E 560 Environmental Risk Analysis (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 562 Solid and Hazardous Waste Management (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 564 Organic Pollutants: Environmental Chemistry and Fate (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 574 Energy Systems (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 591 Climate Change Impacts on Natural Resources (3 cr.)
EAS-G 532 Physical Climatology (3 cr.)
EAS-G 551 Physical Hydrology  (3 cr.)
EAS-G 559 Earth Surface Processes (3 cr.)
EAS-G 561 Paleoecology (3 cr.)
EAS-G 572 Basin Analysis and Hydrocarbons (3 cr.)
EAS-G 576 Climate Change Science (3 cr.)
EAS-G 581 Surficial Geology (3 cr.)
EAS-G 583 Isotope Geochemistry (3 cr.)
EAS-G 587 Organic Geochemistry (3 cr.)
EAS-G 588 Paleobiogeography (3 cr.)
EAS-G 589 Geomicrobiology (3 cr.)
EAS-G 685 Evolution of Ecosystems (3 cr.)
Capstone Course (3 credit hours) Professional-Degree students

Each candidate for the M.S. in Geological Sciences- M.S.E.S. dual degree program should take a 3-credit hour course during which they participate in a team to carry out an integrative project that addresses a multidisciplinary problem. Capstone course credit may be double-counted in either Concentration or Tool Skill requirements, if appropriate. The capstone requirement may be met in one of the following ways:

  1. SPEA-V 600 Capstone in Public and Environmental Affairs, sections with an environmental focus.
  2. An approved alternative course with a similar structure, such as SPEA-E 517 BMP Design for Healthy Urban   Watersheds, SPEA-E 560 Environmental Risk Analysis, EAS-G 690 Environmental & Energy Diplomacy, or other approved course.
Experiential Requirement (0-3 credit hours) Professional-Degree Students

Each candidate for the M.S. in Geological Sciences-MSES dual-degree program must obtain professionally relevant experience through one of the following options.

  1. Approved Internship (0-3 credit hours) The student will work with the O’Neill Career Hub and the Department of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences to arrange for a suitable internship. Internships vary greatly according to the expectations and requirements of the sponsor. Students are expected to give careful attention in the selection of an internship suitable to their professional goals. Typically, students do not use credit hours for the internship, and as a result, have no fees for the experience. However, students who want the additional credit hours can receive up to 3 credit hours for an internship involving the appropriate amount of work; these students will owe fees to the relevant school for the 3 credit hours.
  2. Professional Experience (3 credit hours) Students who have had significant environmental management, technical or administrative work experience in the past may receive 3 credit hours. Students must apply to receive Professional Experience credit and their experience must meet O’Neill guidelines. Professional experience credit and transfer credit, together, may not total more than 18 hours. Students receiving prior professional experience credit should carefully plan the balance of their program with their faculty advisors.
Research Requirement (6-9 credit hours) Research-Option Students

Candidates choosing to focus primarily on research may replace the capstone experience with a graduate-level research project that culminates in a master’s thesis (following EAS thesis or report option definition but not O’Neill thesis definition) or research project. The research/thesis may be directed by a member of the graduate faculty from either the Department of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences or the O’Neill School, but the advisory committee must include at least one member from both departments. Up to nine hours of research, either from EAS-G 810 or SPEA-E 625, may be counted in either the Concentration or Tool Skill requirements as appropriate. The capstone and experiential (internship) requirements are waived for students taking the research option.

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