The Master of Environmental Management (MEM) is a professional graduate program that prepares students to analyze, evaluate and apply the knowledge, methods and tools required to manage environmental organizations and land management agencies, and lead communities toward sustainable solutions. The program emphasizes entrepreneurial and systems-thinking approaches, enabling students to interpret, predict, and design responses to environmental issues associated with increasing climate disturbances, natural resource demands, and socio-economic insecurity. The MEM offers a hybrid learning environment in which full-residency students engage, investigate, and construct solutions within the learning laboratories of the Gunnison Country, while distance students participate and collaborate from professional settings and engage with places around the world. The program also provides flexible pathways for students to select, pursue, and complete focused areas of study, including stackable credentials aligned with the full degree.
Program Goals
- Improving student understanding of environmental systems and services, of the human impact on those systems, and of the array of sustainable and resilient solutions to those impacts.
- Developing students’ capacities for interdisciplinary critical thinking, entrepreneurial innovation, and collaborative environmental problem-solving with diverse stakeholders.
- Enhancing career opportunities in environmentally related disciplines.
Student Outcomes
Upon completion of the Master of Environmental Management program, students will:
- Analyze environmental systems and problems using evidence-based approaches to understand interactions among human, climate, and ecological processes.
- Use interdisciplinary, entrepreneurial, and systems thinking to design and implement environmental management strategies to address complex challenges across organizational and community settings.
- Communicate effectively by conveying environmental problems and solutions through clear, audience-appropriate written, oral, and visual formats.
- Collaborate with stakeholders to build partnerships, coordinate project activities, and complete major environmental initiatives.
- Identify, pursue, and achieve career opportunities in environmental and land-management fields. Enhancing career opportunities in environmentally related disciplines.
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Admission Criteria
A holistic package balancing academic excellence with environmental leadership experience is encouraged. Admissions packages will include academic transcripts showing a recommended undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher in relevant courses; a portfolio outlining environmental employment, leadership, and volunteer experience; a statement of purpose describing the student's intellectual and professional interests in environmental management; and two letters of recommendation from professors or supervisors in related fields.
For admissions requirements for 3+2 accelerated programs, please refer to the guidelines outlined in the undergraduate academic catalog under ENVS, POLS, SOC, ROE, BUAD, HIST, PSY, and BIOL.
Requirements for Full Admission to the MEM
- Official transcript of BA or BS degree in environmental science, natural resource management, or a related field from a regionally accredited institution showing a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
- Undergraduate prerequisite coursework: B- grade or higher
- Statistics course
- Two natural or environmental science courses (Biology, Geology, Environmental Science, Physics, Chemistry, Science).
- Two social science courses
Provisional Admission to the MEM
An applicant who does not meet the requirements for full admission to the Master of Environmental Management program may be considered for provisional admission upon the recommendation of the program director and approval by the School of Graduate Studies. Provisionally admitted students who have met the bachelor's degree requirement but lack specific prerequisite coursework must complete the required courses within one calendar year from the start of the entry term. The program director or the School of Graduate Studies may set additional timeline requirements.
A Graduate Faculty Mentor may also recommend additional coursework or certifications for students to complete before the Master's Portfolio is due in Spring II, depending on students' career ambitions and professional career standards.
International Students
In the Graduate Catalog Admission Polices for Graduate Programs section, see Criteria for International Student Admission.
The MEM is a 36-credit professional degree designed to prepare environmental leaders through interdisciplinary coursework, project-based learning, and flexible delivery options. Students may complete the program in a traditional 2-year sequence or an expedited 15-month pathway, with opportunities to earn stackable 14-credit certificates in specialized areas.
Items to note:
- The timing of ENVS 611: Environmental Project Development and Management may overlap with ENVS 694: MEM Project Implementation field project hours.
- Some electives may count toward certificate requirements; graduate faculty mentor approval required.
- Prerequisites are enforced to ensure the sequencing of science, policy, and project management skills.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses | ||
| ENVS 602 | Headwaters Conference | 1 |
| ENVS 605 | The Field of Environmental Management | 2 |
| ENVS 608 | Environmental Politics & Policy | 3 |
| ENVS 607 | Approaches in Conservation and Sustainability | 3 |
| ENVS 612 | Quantitative Methods in Environmental Management | 3 |
| or ENVS 614 | Qualitative Methods in Environmental Management | |
| ENVS 660 | Leadership & Professional Development for Environmental Management | 3 |
| Complete 11 credits of elective courses | 11 | |
| From Climate Science to Action | ||
| Environmental Organization Development and Management | ||
| Public Lands Management and Policy | ||
| Environmental Justice | ||
| Mine Reclamation Management | ||
| Field Course in Mine Reclamation | ||
| Studies in Environmental Management | ||
| Introduction to GIS | ||
| Complete 10 credits of Master's Project courses | 10 | |
| Environmental Project Development and Management | ||
| MEM Project Implementation | ||
| Total Credits | 36 | |