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Master of Environmental Management in Sustainability

A joint degree offered by the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) and Frostburg State University (FSU).
Admission Requirements Program Coursework

The Master of Environmental Management in Sustainability is a joint degree offered by University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) and Frostburg State University (FSU). All coursework is available as fully remote, synchronous learning, with the exception of three weekend requirements for field trips

This program is a non-thesis master’s degree focusing on practical application of concepts in environmental science, management, and sustainability across several disciplines. This degree leverages the environmental studies expertise of UMCES and the diverse student body of FSU to prepare leaders who can address 21st century sustainability challenges in the academic, government, non-profit and private sectors.

For more information, please visit the program’s academic catalog (opens in a new tab).

Admission Requirements

Completion of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university. Applications can be submitted after 75 semester hours of baccalaureate degree course work.

Attainment of a cross-institutional cumulative undergraduate grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. A GPA below 3.0 may be eligible for provisional admission based on related research or work experience.

Official GRE scores are optional and will not be considered as criteria for admissions to the program.

Completion of prerequisite undergraduate coursework (or equivalent) with a grade of C or better.

MEM Program Requirements

Core Courses (21 total credits)

  • Complete all of the following:
    Earn at least 4 credits from the following:

    • SUST591 – Team Science Seminar (1) SUST 591 is a 1 credit seminar repeated each regular term (fall and spring) of enrollment

Complete the following:

  • BIOL643 – Ethics, Economics, and Politics in Conservation (2)
  • RECR651 – Organizational Behavior and Leadership in RPM (3)
  • SUST595 – Apprenticeship in Environmental Management (4)
  • SUST698Y – Science for Environmental Management (3)
  • SUST698Z – Environmental Field Methods (3)
  • SUST700 – Capstone Project in Environmental Management (2)

Environmental Systems Elective (3 total credits). Complete at least 1 of the following:

  • SUST620 – Environment and Society (3)
  • SUST640 – Interconnected Earth Systems: Land, Ocean, and Estuary (3)
  • SUST660 – Ecological Systems (3)
  • SUST680 – Cell and Molecular Biology for the Environmental Scientist (3)

Other Electives (6 total credits) Earn at least 6 credits from the following:

  • BIOL520 – Fish Management and Culture (3)
  • BIOL525 – Forest Ecology (3)
  • BIOL550 – Ecology and Management of Wildlife Populations (3)
  • BIOL641 – Conservation Biology & Reserve Design (3)
  • BIOL650 – Special Topics in Fisheries/Wildlife/Applied Ecology and Conservation Biology (2 – 4)
  • ECON510 – Environmental and Resource Economics (3)
  • FINA610 – Financial Management (3)
  • GEOG506 – Management & Conservation of Natural Resources (3)
  • GEOG560 – Natural Hazards in the Physical Environment (3)
  • GEOG572 – Environmental Planning (3)
  • GEOG573 – Environmental Law (3)
  • MATH570 – Mathematical Models and Applications (3)
  • MGMT512 – Management Decision Analysis (3)
  • MGMT621 – Foundations of Analytics (3)
  • RECR641 – Managing Open Space Resources (3)
  • SUST607 – Quantitative Methods in Environmental Sciences (3)
  • SUST608Q – Global Climate Change (3)
  • SUST620 – Environment and Society (3)
  • SUST622 – Sustainability Science: quantitative and systems approach (3)
  • SUST640 – Interconnected Earth Systems: Land, Ocean, and Estuary (3)
  • SUST660 – Ecological Systems (3)
  • SUST680 – Cell and Molecular Biology for the Environmental Scientist (3)
  • SUST698X – Global Environmental Remote Sensing (3)
  • SUST650 – Special Topics in Environmental Management and Sustainability (1 – 4)

BIOL 520, BIOL 525, BIOL 550, ECON 510, GEOG 506, GEOG 521, GEOG 560, GEOG 572, GEOG 573, and MATH 570 are offered at FSU for both undergraduate and graduate credit. You may not use the undergraduate version of these courses to meet graduate program requirements

The course selected for the Environmental Systems Elective cannot be used to meet this elective requirement, although if you take additional Environmental Systems Electives beyond the one required course, those may count as Other Electives

You may use BIOL 650 Special Topics in Fisheries/Wildlife/Applied Ecology and Conservation Biology to meet the requirement with the approval of the MEM program coordinator. The program coordinator may approve other courses from the graduate offerings at FSU and UMCES.