Master of Science in Environmental Science and Policy

Two focus tracks:

The Applied Environmental Science focus provides students with rigorous training and first-hand experience in the application of a variety of scientific principles and techniques in biology, chemistry, geology, remote sensing and geographic information systems. Students pursuing this track can explore such pressing topics as water resource use and management (groundwater, surface water, marine), habitat and species conservation, and the impacts of development and land use change on terrestrial, aquatic and wetland resources. Particular attention is paid to the unique challenges facing the Gulf Coast and central Florida region. Students graduating with a focus in Applied Environmental Science will be experienced environmental scientists, prepared to tackle pressing ecological and environmental problems from a variety of approaches. Potential employers range from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the Florida Wildlife Research Institute, state’s water management districts, to private engineering and environmental consulting firms, and non-profit environmental agencies.

The Society-Environment Interactions focus provides the student with an in-depth understanding of the socio-cultural and political contexts in which specific environmental problems arise and are addressed. Popular conceptual frameworks in human-environment interaction, such as political ecology, sustainable development, and integrated ecosystem management, are applied to a range of environmental problems at the local, national and global scales. Contemporary policy challenges, such as the need to balance economic growth along Florida’s fragile coastline with the desire to preserve ecosystem services and wildlife habitat, are explored within historical, geographic and socio-political contexts. Graduates with the Society-Environment Interactions focus will be well prepared to make significant contributions to policy analysis and development in public agencies, private consulting firms, or non-profit institutions.

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Graduate Student Handbook

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