Programs
Bloomington Campus
Master of Public Affairs Joint 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-V 502 | Public Management | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-V 506 | Statistical Analysis for Effective Decision Making (With consent of the advisor, may substitute SPEA-E 538 Statistics for Environmental Science. Credit not given for both SPEA-E 538 and SPEA-V 506. Course should be taken in the first semester.) |
(3 cr.) |
| SPEA-V 517 | Public Management Economics | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-V 540 | Law and Public Affairs | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-V 560 | Public Finance and Budgeting | (3 cr.) |
Environmental Science Core Competencies
Requirements may be waived according to individual student backgrounds and professional objectives.
Required Courses (Typically 6 to 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.) |
Capstone
Required Course (3 credit hours)
Choose one of the listed capstone options from either the M.P.A. or M.S.E.S.
Students must fulfill the professional presentation requirement.
Program Options
All M.P.A.-M.S.E.S. joint degree students must complete the M.P.A. core requirements. Joint students can pursue one of four concentration options.
1. Environmental Management Concentration
(24 credit hours)
Required Courses (24 credit hours)
Four of the following courses:
| SPEA-E 515 | Fundamentals of Air Pollution | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-E 518 | Vector-based Geographic Information Systems | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-E 519 | Applied Remote Sensing of the Environment | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-E 520 | Environmental Toxicology or SPEA-E 410 Introduction to Environmental Toxicology |
(3 cr.) |
| SPEA-E 539 | Aquatic Chemistry | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-E 545 | Lake and Watershed Management | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-E 554 | Groundwater Flow Modeling | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-E 562 | Solid and Hazardous Waste Management | (3 cr.) |
Four of the following:
| SPEA-E 512 | Risk Communication | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-V 507 | Data Analysis and Modeling for Public Affairs | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-V 510 | Government Regulation in Market Economies | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-V 516 | Public Information Management Systems | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-V 541 | Benefit-Cost Analysis of Public and Environmental Policies | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-V 562 | Public Program Evaluation | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-V 565 | Environmental Conflict Resolution: Theory and Practice | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-V 571 | State and Local Environmental Management | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-V 625 | Environmental Economics and Policy | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-V 643 | Natural Resource Management and Policy | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-V 645 | Environmental Law | (3 cr.) |
2. Environmental Systems Analysis and Modeling Concentration
(27 credit hours)
Required (27 credit hours)
The following three courses:
| SPEA-E 560 | Environmental Risk Analysis | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-V 507 | Data Analysis and Modeling for Public Affairs | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-V 539 | Management Science for Public Affairs | (3 cr.) |
Four of the following courses:
| SPEA-E 515 | Fundamentals of Air Pollution Control | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-E 518 | Vector-Based Geographic Information Systems | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-E 519 | Applied Remote Sensing of the Environment | (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 | Topics in Environmental Science (modeling related) | (3 cr.) |
Two of the following courses:
| SPEA-V 541 | Benefit-Cost Analysis of Public and Environmental Policies | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-V 625 | Environmental Economics and Policy | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-V 643 | Natural Resource Management and Policy | (3 cr.) |
3. 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.
4. Any M.S.E.S. or M.P.A. Concentration
Any M.S.E.S. concentration plus 9 additional credit hours from a listed M.P.A. concentration
Or
Any M.P.A. concentration plus 12 additional credit hours from a listed M.S.E.S. concentration.
Experiential Requirement
Each double master’s degree candidate must obtain professionally relevant experience through one of the following options: an approved internship (0-6 credit hours); advanced project; independent research/thesis; the award of prior professional experience credit; or an environmental science research project culminating in a master’s thesis. Students are encouraged to discuss with faculty members the relative merits of their experiences according to individual career objectives.