The Environmental Science Graduate Program at UNT


What is Environmental Science (ES)? ES is a field of study through which several related, traditional academic disciplines intersect in order to examine major environmental issues through an interdisciplinary perspective. Foundational disciplines include chemistry, ecology, biology, geology, and geography. Increasingly, humanistic perspectives on culture, environment, and society are important components of ES, which has been described as applied scholarship because of its emphasis on problem solving. The ES curriculum is designed for those students who desire an interdisciplinary perspective concerning human-environmental interactions.

At UNT ES faculty and students capture the diverse goals of ES in a multi-faceted curriculum through three degree programs (application): the Professional Science Masters (PSM), Master's of Science (MS) and the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programs. The degree programs share a foundation in four core areas that integrate fundamental aspects of ES.

Goals

  • Identify and formally link UNT faculty members with a major research focus in the sciences.
  • Recruit outstanding graduate students with interests in an interdisciplinary perspective on environmental research and policy.
  • Create conditions that foster establishment of interdisciplinary teams that can compete for extramural funding for research and graduate training.
  • Enhance interdisciplinary training across interdisciplinary boundaries.
  • Enhance recruitment of high quality faculty to UNT.

Degree Programs


Doctoral Program

The Doctoral program is a research degree, and a major, innovative dissertation project is required for all students. A five- to six-faculty member Doctoral Committee will help the student select courses for a degree plan. Students entering the Ph.D. program immediately after a Bachelor's degree are required to take a minimum of 72 hours of graduate-level course work (may be more depending on individual degree plans), while students entering the Ph.D. program after the Master's Degree are required to take a minimum of 42 additional hours (may be more depending on individual degree plans). The Ph.D. degree requires the entire Foundation Core (5 hours), 12 credit hours from at least 3 of the core groups, 7 organized elective courses (incoming w/o Master's) or 4 organized elective courses (students w/ previous Master's in related field, such as biology, chemistry, or environmental science), as well as 12 hours of dissertation research. Organized electives do not include special problems credit hours or research credit hours, and may be selected from the core groups as electives or from non-core options as agreed upon by the student's advising committee. PhD applicant letter

Master’s Program

The MS degree is a research degree that includes the requirement of a scholarly thesis based upon original research. The program consists of 36 graduate hours. The MS degree requires that students take the entire Foundation Core (5 hours) and at least one class from three of the core groups (9 hours) in addition to 6 hours of thesis research (22 hours in the core). Remaining classes may be selected from the core groups as electives or from non-core options as agreed upon by the student's advising committee. Master's applicant letter

Professional Science Masters Program

UNT's Professional Science Master's Degree in Environmental Science is an interdisciplinary degree with no thesis requirement. It includes rigorous advanced training in Environmental Science and the development of workplace skills valued by industry, business, government and non-profit sectors. The degree requires 10 hours of required core courses in Environmental Science, 10 hours of elective courses in Environmental Science, 10 hours of supplemental skills-based courses in business, writing, communication, public administration or environmental ethics and a 6 hour internship. Students in the PSM program who wish to switch to the MS or PhD in Environmental Science must re-apply to the program. PSM applicant letter