Programs
Bloomington Campus
Master of Science in Environmental Science Joint Degree Programs
Dual M.S.E.S.-M.S. in Geological Sciences
Master of Science in Environmental Science–Master of Science in Geological Sciences (M.S.E.S.–M.S.)
Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
Students must earn at least 51 credits in total, including a minimum of 21 credit hours in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences as well as in the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. Note that double-counting of courses among components is permitted, so long as overall credit requirements are met. In double-counting, multiple requirements may be met by a single course, but credits only count once towards credit totals. Degrees are awarded concurrently after the student has completed the requirements for both degrees.
Program Requirements (51 credit hours)
The combined M.S. in Geological Sciences–MSES program requires a minimum of 51 credit hours distributed among six components:
- Geological Sciences Core
- Environmental Science Core
- Economics, Policy, and Law Competencies
- Tool Skills
- Dual Geological Sciences-Environmental Science Concentration
- an experiential component or an environmentally focused thesis project
The student must complete a minimum of 21 credit hours in the Department of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences as well as in the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. Note that double-counting of courses among components is permitted, so long as overall credit requirements are met. In double-counting, multiple requirements may be met by a single course, but credits only count once towards credit totals.
Geological Sciences Core (9 credit hours)
Select course from the following list:
| EAS-X 429 | Field Geology in the Rocky Mountains | (6 cr.) |
| EAS-G 513 | Seismology I | (3 cr.) |
| EAS-G 517 | Optical Mineralogy | (3 cr.) |
| EAS-G 520 | Mechanics for the Earth Sciences | (1 cr.) |
| EAS-G 524 | Carbonate Facies and Environments | (3 cr.) |
| EAS-G 554 | Fundamentals of Plate Tectonics | (3 cr.) |
| EAS-G 559 | Earth Surface Processes | (3 cr.) |
| EAS-G 561 | Paleoecology | (3 cr.) |
| EAS-G 572 | Basin Analysis and Hydrocarbons | (3 cr.) |
| EAS-G 576 | Climate Change Science | (3 cr.) |
| EAS-G 581 | Surficial Geology | (3 cr.) |
| EAS-G 583 | Isotope Geochemistry | (3 cr.) |
| EAS-G 587 | Organic Geochemistry | (3 cr.) |
| EAS-G 589 | Geomicrobiology | (3 cr.) |
| EAS-G 591 | Physical Sedimentology | (3 cr.) |
Environmental Science Core (9 credit hours)
Select three courses from the following list:
| SPEA-E 515 | Fundamentals of Air Pollution | (3 cr.) |
| 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 538 | Statistics for Environmental Science | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-E 539 | Aquatic Chemistry | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-E 552 | Environmental Engineering | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-E 564 | Organic Pollutants: Environmental Chemistry and Fate | (3 cr.) |
Eonomics, Management, and Policy Core Competencies (6-9 credit hours)
Students are encouraged to acquire competency in these areas of environmental management. The selection of courses will vary according to the student’s professional objectives and an advisor can approve alternative courses that may be relevant.
| SPEA-E 513 | Environmental Project Management | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-E 543 | Environmental Management | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-P 507 | Data Analysis and Modeling for Public Affairs | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-P 541 | Benefit Cost Analysis | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-R 512 | Energy and Climate: Law and Policy | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-R 521 | Domestic Environmental Policy | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-R 531 | Water Law | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-R 532 | Water Policy and Economics | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-R 535 | International Environmental Policy | |
| SPEA-R 564 | Environmental and Natural Resource Policy Design and Implementation | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-R 590 | Energy Policy: A Nation State Perspective | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-R 625 | Environmental Economics and Policy | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-R 626 | Energy Policy Seminar | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-R 643 | Natural Resource Management and Policy | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-R 645 | Environmental Law | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-R 674 | Energy Economics and Policy | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-S 596 | Sustainable Development | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-V 517 | Public Management Economics | (3 cr.) |
Tool Skill Courses (3-6 credit hours)
Students are encouraged to acquire competency in analytical methods by focusing on tool skills appropriate to their professional objectives. Students pursuing the research option (see below) may use research-course credits to satisfy the Tools requirement, if appropriate.
| SPEA-E 502 | Water Quality Modeling | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-E 518 | Vector-based Geographic Information Systems | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-E 529 | Applications of Geographic Information Systems | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-E 538 | Statistics for Environmental Science | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-E 554 | Groundwater Flow Modeling | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-E 560 | Environmental Risk Analysis | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-P 507 | Data Analysis and Modeling for Public Affairs | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-P 539 | Management Science for Public Affairs | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-P 541 | Benefit Cost Analysis | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-P 562 | Public Program Evaluation | (3 cr.) |
| EAS-G 520 | Mechanics for Earth Sciences | (3 cr.) |
| EAS-G 544 | Methods in Analytical Geochemistry | (3 cr.) |
| EAS-G 562 | Geometric Morphometrics | (3 cr.) |
| EAS-G 563 | Quantitative Paleontology | (3 cr.) |
| EAS-G 582 | Computational Methods for Earth Scientists | (3 cr.) |
| EAS-G 583 | Isotope Geochemistry | (3 cr.) |
| EAS-G 586 | Geochemical Modeling | (3 cr.) |
| EAS-G 612 | Inverse Methods in Geophysics | (3 cr.) |
| EAS-G 685 | Evolution of Ecosystems | (3 cr.) |
Dual Geological Sciences – Environmental Science Master’s Concentration
Required Courses (Typically 15 to 18 credit hours)
This concentration supports the Geological Sciences and MSES degrees with courses in laboratory and environmental chemistry, toxicology, and risk assessment, as well as energy-related courses. Courses taken to satisfy the core requirements may not also satisfy concentration requirements. Students pursuing the research option (see below) may use research-course credits to satisfy part of the concentration requirement.
At least two courses should be selected from the Earth & Atmospheric Sciences Department and at least two courses should be selected from the O’Neill School. An advisor can approve alternative courses that may be relevant.
| SPEA-E 502 | Water Quality Modeling | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-E 503 | Natural Gas: Technical and Policy Challenges | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-E 512 | Risk Communication | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-E 514 | Changing Landscape of Toxic-Chemical Regulation | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-E 515 | Fundamentals of Air Pollution | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-E 517 | BMP Design for Healthy Urban Watersheds | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-E 520 | Environmental Toxicology | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-E 536 | Environmental Chemistry | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-E 539 | Aquatic Chemistry | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-E 542 | Hazardous Materials | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-E 544 | Subsurface Microbiology and Bioremediation | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-E 545 | Lake and Watershed Management | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-E 552 | Environmental Engineering | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-E 554 | Groundwater Flow Modeling | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-E 555 | Fluid Mechanics | (1 cr.) |
| SPEA- E 560 | Environmental Risk Analysis | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-E 562 | Solid and Hazardous Waste Management | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-E 564 | Organic Pollutants: Environmental Chemistry and Fate | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-E 574 | Energy Systems in Transition | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-E 591 | Climate Change Impacts on Natural Resources | (3 cr.) |
| EAS-G 532 | Physical Climatology | (3 cr.) |
| EAS-G 551 | Physical Hydrology | (3 cr.) |
| EAS-G 559 | Earth Surface Processes | (3 cr.) |
| EAS-G 561 | Paleoecology | (3 cr.) |
| EAS-G 572 | Basin Analysis and Hydrocarbons | (3 cr.) |
| EAS-G 576 | Climate Change Science | (3 cr.) |
| EAS-G 581 | Surficial Geology | (3 cr.) |
| EAS-G 583 | Isotope Geochemistry | (3 cr.) |
| EAS-G 587 | Organic Geochemistry | (3 cr.) |
| EAS-G 588 | Paleobiogeography | (3 cr.) |
| EAS-G 589 | Geomicrobiology | (3 cr.) |
| EAS-G 685 | Evolution of Ecosystems | (3 cr.) |
Capstone Course (3 credit hours) Professional-Degree students
Each candidate for the M.S. in Geological Sciences- M.S.E.S. dual degree program should take a 3-credit hour course during which they participate in a team to carry out an integrative project that addresses a multidisciplinary problem. Capstone course credit may be double-counted in either Concentration or Tool Skill requirements, if appropriate. The capstone requirement may be met in one of the following ways:
- SPEA-V 600 Capstone in Public and Environmental Affairs, sections with an environmental focus.
- An approved alternative course with a similar structure, such as SPEA-E 517 BMP Design for Healthy Urban Watersheds, SPEA-E 560 Environmental Risk Analysis, EAS-G 690 Environmental & Energy Diplomacy, or other approved course.
Experiential Requirement (0-3 credit hours) Professional-Degree Students
Each candidate for the M.S. in Geological Sciences-MSES dual-degree program must obtain professionally relevant experience through one of the following options.
- Approved Internship (0-3 credit hours) The student will work with the O’Neill Career Hub and the Department of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences to arrange for a suitable internship. Internships vary greatly according to the expectations and requirements of the sponsor. Students are expected to give careful attention in the selection of an internship suitable to their professional goals. Typically, students do not use credit hours for the internship, and as a result, have no fees for the experience. However, students who want the additional credit hours can receive up to 3 credit hours for an internship involving the appropriate amount of work; these students will owe fees to the relevant school for the 3 credit hours.
- Professional Experience (3 credit hours) Students who have had significant environmental management, technical or administrative work experience in the past may receive 3 credit hours. Students must apply to receive Professional Experience credit and their experience must meet O’Neill guidelines. Professional experience credit and transfer credit, together, may not total more than 18 hours. Students receiving prior professional experience credit should carefully plan the balance of their program with their faculty advisors.
Research Requirement (6-9 credit hours) Research-Option Students
Candidates choosing to focus primarily on research may replace the capstone experience with a graduate-level research project that culminates in a master’s thesis (following EAS thesis or report option definition but not O’Neill thesis definition) or research project. The research/thesis may be directed by a member of the graduate faculty from either the Department of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences or the O’Neill School, but the advisory committee must include at least one member from both departments. Up to nine hours of research, either from EAS-G 810 or SPEA-E 625, may be counted in either the Concentration or Tool Skill requirements as appropriate. The capstone and experiential (internship) requirements are waived for students taking the research option.