M.S. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & POLICY DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
Credit Hours
Course work for the M.S. degree is divided into three categories for four categories, with students selecting the thesis option completing items A-D below. Non-thesis option students complete A, B and D, and item C is replaced with 8 or 9 additional hours of elective coursework.
A. Core Courses: 15 credits
B. Elective Courses: 12 credits
C. Supervised Research (thesis preparation and research methods/design course): 8 or 9 credits
D. Research Colloquium: 1 credit
Coursework in the three categories is selected according to the following guidelines.
A. Required Core Courses (15 credits)
| 1. Advanced Environmental Topics (12 credit hours). Students complete both of the following courses: |
| GEO 6116 |
Perspectives on Environmental Thought |
|
| EVR 6922 |
ESP Capstone Seminar (taken after a minimum of 24 program hours have been completed) |
|
| Students must take two courses from the following list. At least one class must be an EVR course. |
| EVR 6934 |
Seminar in Environmental Science (varying special topics) |
|
| EVR 6937 |
Seminar in Environmental Science and Policy (varying special topics) |
|
| EVR 6216 |
Advances in Water Quality Policy and Management |
|
| EVR 6101 |
Geomorphology for Environmental Scientists |
|
| EVR 6408 |
Wildlife Ecology |
|
| GEO 6347 |
Natural Hazards |
|
| GEO 6288 |
Hydrologic Systems |
|
| GEO 6286 |
Advances in Water Resources |
|
| GEO 6263 |
Soils Seminar |
|
| GEO 6217 |
Karst Geomorphology |
|
| GEO 6215 |
Geomorphology Seminar |
|
| GEO 6209C |
Physical Geography Seminar |
|
| GEO 6345 |
Technological Hazards and Environmental Justice |
|
| PHC 6712 |
Air Pollution Research |
|
| Other courses may be accepted toward this core requirement subject to prior approval by the Graduate Director. |
| |
2. Applications/Tools (3 credit hours). Quantitative methods suitable for advanced analysis of environmental problems. Students select one of the following: |
| GIS 5049 |
Geographic Information Systems for Non-Majors |
|
| GIS 6100 |
Advanced Geographic Information Systems |
|
| STA 5166 |
Computational Statistics I |
|
| PCB 6456 |
Biometry |
|
| GEO 6166 |
Multivariate Statistical Analysis |
|
| Other courses with the primary objective of quantitative methodology for environmental science or policy decision-making will be considered, subject to the approval of the Graduate Director and the student's Supervisory Committee. |
B. Elective Requirements (12 credits)
Students complete 12 credit hours of elective courses within an area of concentration selected according to their interests and career goals. Students should select appropriate advanced coursework within their chosen area of concentration, in close consultation with their major professor and Supervisory Committee, to develop programs of study that fit their scholarly and career interests, and for thesis option students, the needs of their research. Students completing an approved (by the Graduate Director) graduate certificate as part of their programs can count 12 hours from the certificate program towards the M.S. degree elective requirements. Students completing the Environmental Policy and Management Certificate can apply GEO 6116 and EVR 6922 (or approved course substitutions) toward the M.S. degree core requirements. Additional certificate courses that meet M.S. degree core requirements will be applied to the core and remaining courses will be counted as electives in the MS program. Each student's elective program of study is subject to the approval of the Graduate Director.
General guidelines for elective coursework are as follows:
•Each student’s elective program of study should include at least one course in quantitative methods, guided by the description of core courses in the Applications/Tools category, in addition to the one course used to fulfill the Department’s Core Requirements as described above. |
•Each student’s elective program of study should include at least one course designed to integrate science and policy considerations, guided by the description of core courses in the Advanced Topics in Environmental Science category, in addition to the one course used to fulfill the Department’s Core Requirements as described above. |
•In other respects, the coursework selected by the student within the areas of concentration may be reasonably flexible, as long as it meets the guidelines in this manual and comprises an area of concentration consistent with the ES&P Program’s educational objectives. |
•Areas of concentration for the M.S. degree that also lead to a Graduate Certificate from another USF Department are further constrained by the requirements of each Certificate. MS students are encouraged to complete a certificate program as part of their program. The certificate program needs to be approved by the Graduate Director. A listing of all graduate certificate programs offered at USF can be found at http://www.outreach.usf.edu/gradcerts/.
|
Areas of concentration supported by ES&P faculty research interests and Department educational objectives, where students may choose to focus their coursework, include the following:
1. Ecology. 12 credits primarily from courses offered within the ES&P Program in the Department of Geography, and courses in the Department of Biology, to be selected in consultation with the student's major professor Supervisory Committee. This area features a particular concentration in landscape ecology, wildlife ecology and management, conservation biology, ecological modeling, and field methods, including the use of GIS, GPS, and remote sensing technologies. |
| |
|
|
2. Environmental Policy and Management. 15 credits (only 12 hours can be applied toward the MS program) guided by the guidelines for the Graduate Certificate in Environmental
Policy & Management. Credits will be applied to the core and elective requirements for the M.S. program as described above. |
| |
|
|
3. Geology. 12 credits primarily from courses offered within the ES&P Program in the Department of Geography, and courses in the Department of Geology, to be selected in consultation with the student's Supervisory Committee. The program features a particular concentration in the area of karst geology and public policy planning in karst environments, and a concentration in paleogeology. |
| |
|
|
4. Hydrogeology. 15 credits (only 12 hours can be applied toward the MS program)as required by the Graduate Certificate in Hydrogeology, as specified by the Department of Geology . |
| |
|
|
5. Hazards Assessment and Mitigation. 12 credits primarily from courses offered within the ES&P program in the Department of Geography, and courses in the Departments of Geology, and Civil Engineering, to be selected in consulation with the student's major professor and Supervisory Committee. |
| |
|
|
6. Urban Environment. 12 credits primarily in the Department of Geography, to be selected in consulation with the student's major professor and Supervisory Committee. |
| |
|
|
7. Water Quality and Policy. 12 credits drawn from relevant courses offered within the ES&P program in the Department of Geography, and courses in the Departments of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Government and International Affairs, to be selected in consulation with the student's major professor and Supervisory Committee. This area features a particular concentration in urban runoff water quality, watershed-based water quality assessment, and watershed plannibg and management for water quality protection. |
| |
8. Others. 12 credits in other areas of concentration are also considered. The student may select an area of concentration that is strongly supported by graduate studies at USF and by one or more faculty members in the Department of Geography. The student should be able to describe how the courses form a coherent area of concentration relevant to his or her scholary interests, research objectives, and/or career goals, and prepare a brief statement to that effect for the approval of the Graduate Director. The student should then select courses in consultation with his/her major professor and Supervisory Committee. |
C. Research Requirements (9 credits)
1. Thesis Research. All s tudents selecting the thesis option will complete at least 6 credits of thesis (EVR 6971) under the supervision of their major professors. Thesis credits should be obtained only after the student has completed an approved research proposal as described below under the section entitled M.S. Degree Requirement: Research. Normally students register for 3 or more credits of thesis over their final two semesters, but students may register for additional thesis credits, but normally only six thesis credits are counted toward the degree requirements. |
| |
|
|
2. Research Methods/Design.
All students selecting the thesis option will complete a research methods/design course (GEO 6970 – Research Methods in Geography, Old Title Geographic Research Design). Other courses (structured courses) may be substituted for this requirement with the permission of the student's advisor and the Graduate Director. |
| |
|
|
3. Research Colloquium.
All M.S. degree candidates (both thesis and non-thesis option students) must complete the 1-credit Research Colloquium in Environmental Science and Policy (EVR 6930) at least once during their programs. |
|
|
