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 (18 credit hours)

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)

Capstone (3 credit hours)

Choose one of the following courses:

Program Options

Dual degree students can pursue one of six concentration options.

1. Energy and Climate Change Solutions Concentration
(24 credit hours)

Required Courses (9 credit hours)

The following three courses are required:

Electives (15 credit hours)

Students seek a mixture of science and policy courses related to energy in accordance to professional goals. No double counting with program core courses is permitted. At least two courses must be taken from each group. Students interested in including other, related courses may substitute with permission of a concentration advisor.

Group I - Natural Science Electives (6-9 credit hours):

Group II - Economics, Public Policy and Law Elective (6-9 credit hours):

2. Environmental Management Concentration
(24 credit hours)

Required Courses (12 credit hours)

Electives (12 credit hours)

In consultation with an advisor, choose four of the following, including at least two law/management/policy-focused electives. Required courses from the first part of this concentration may also be used as Science-Focused Electives.

Group 1 - Science-Focused Electives:

Group II - Law, Management, and Policy-Focused Electives:

Group III - Tools Electives:

3. Environmental Systems Analysis and Modeling Concentration
(24 credit hours)

Required Courses (6 credit hours)

The following two courses:

Electives (18 credit hours)

In consultation with a concentration advisor, select a total of six courses, including at least two courses from the Science section and two courses from the Policy and Administration section.

Group I - Science Electives (choose at least two of the following courses):

Group II - Policy and Administration Electives (choose at least two of the following courses):

Group III – Tools and Methods Electives:

4. Food and Farming Sustainability Concentration
(24 credit hours)

Core Natural Sciences (6 credit hours)

Core Social Science, Policy, and Governance  (6 credit hours)

Choose two of the following courses:

Electives (12 credit hours)

Choose four courses from this list or courses not used to satisfy concentration core requirements from the above lists. Additional courses possible with approval of an advisor.

5. Water Management Concentration
(24-25 credit hours)

Required Courses (10 credit hours)

Water Science (6 - 9 credit hours without overlap with courses used for requirements)

Physical Sciences:

Ecology and Management:

Policy and Administration (6-9 credit hours without overlap with courses used for requirements) 

6. Specialized Concentration

(24 credit hours)

A student, whose educational and professional goals are not satisfied by O’Neill’s concentrations, may design a Specialized Concentration that best suits his or her needs in consultation with a faculty advisor with final approval required by the relevant faculty program director(s). The student, the student’s advisor, and the appropriate Faculty Program Director must sign a Specialized Concentration Form that specifies the courses that will comprise the customized concentration. This form is available in the Forms section of the Current Student Portal. The completed Specialized Concentration Form must be submitted prior to enrolling in the courses outlined. Students are strongly encouraged to declare their concentration within the first 24 credit hours of the student’s academic program.

Dual MPA-MSES specialized concentrations consist of a minimum of 24 credit hours. Specialized concentrations associated with other dual degrees vary in credit hour requirements. See specific guidelines associated with the respective degree design.

Although no specific guidelines exist for the courses to be included in a Specialized Concentration, students should include a balance of MPA and MSES concentration courses, typically with at least 3 courses from each side. At least two MSES concentration courses must be focused on science content. MSES concentration courses beyond the minimum of two science-focused courses may include tools/methods courses such as E512 Risk Communication, E518 Vector-based GIS, E529 Applications of GIS, E555 Conservation Planning and E555 coding courses. Specialized MPA-MSES concentrations should consist of O’Neill courses unless approved by a faculty advisor(s) and the appropriate Faculty Program Director(s). Students must name their Specialized Concentration. However, these names will not appear on their IU transcript. Instead, after “Major” the words “Specialized Study” will appear.

7. 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 9 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).

For students taking the Environmental Science concentration (the “half concentration” of 4 ES concentration courses that is used by dual students completing a full MPA concentration), limit science-side credits to two non-science-content courses (coding, GIS, planning, communication) except with permission of the program director, to guarantee content strength in the “half” concentration.

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.