Environmental Conservation

Graduate education in Environmental Conservation (ECO) provides students with the opportunity to explore a wide range of environmental issues.Briefly, the master’s and doctoral programs are broad and multi-faceted, with diverse opportunities for specialized training in: (1) wildlife, fish and conservation biology, (2) forest resources and arboriculture, (3) water, wetlands, and watersheds, (4) environmental policy and human dimensions, and (5) building systems. The range of departmental expertise covers the continuum extending from the natural through the built environment. Staff and facilities are available for supporting research in the following concentrations:

Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology concentration provides scientific training in the multidisciplinary field of wildlife, fish, and conservation biology. The focus is on animal ecology and conservation biology but specialized training in fields such as conservation genetics, population ecology, and landscape ecology is also offered.
Forest Resources and Arboriculture concentration provides scientific training in the fields of forestry and arboriculture, which cover respectively the management of stands of trees and individual trees. The focus is on forests and trees in urban, rural, and wildland ecosystems but specialized training in fields such as forest ecology and management, urban forestry and arboriculture (including plant healthcare, tree maintenance, and tree biomechanics), and forest policy and land conservation is also offered.
Water, Wetlands and Watersheds concentration provides scientific training in the multidisciplinary field of water resources management and policy. The focus is on water-related resources and systems but specialized training in fields such as wetlands, hydrology, nonpoint source pollution, modeling, ecosystems, water resource management, watershed sciences, economics, climatic impacts, and water-related policy is also offered.
Environmental Policy and Human Dimensions concentration provides scientific training in environmental policy and other human dimensions of environmental conservation. The focus is on the socio-cultural, political (including policy and administration), and economic systems related to environmental conservation coupled with specialized training in aspects of forest, wildlife or fisheries conservation, conservation biology, watershed science and management and/or building systems.
Building Systems concentration provides scientific training in this multidisciplinary field. The focus is on building systems themselves but the concentration also encompasses specialized training in such fields as green building, structural timber design, energy systems and modeling, material strength modeling, and management and marketing of building materials.

Applicants normally come from undergraduate backgrounds related to the desired concentration. Students with backgrounds in areas tangential to the field of environmental conservation may apply with the understanding that deficiencies could extend their time in the program; normally, two to three years are required for the completion of the master’s degree. Each concentration area in the Environmental Conservation graduate degree program provides students with a choice of Thesis or Non-thesis (Professional Degree) options. All master’s students must complete a comprehensive exam, earn a minimum of 35 credits, take a minimum of 21 credits in the major, take at least 8 credits at the 600 level or above, take 8 credits in required core courses, take 15-21 credits (depending on thesis/non-thesis option) in elective core topic area courses, including at least one course in each of the following three core topic areas, and prepare one publishable scientific paper resulting from a thesis or professional project. There is no language requirement for the master’s degree.
Core courses are offered in three topic areas: environmental science (biology, ecology, conservation, and environmental building systems); quantitative sciences (statistics, Geographic Information Systems, and modeling; and human dimensions (environmental policies, economics, politics, administration, management, and values). Some courses offered by other departments can satisfy core area requirements with the approval of a student’s committee. Further information on approved courses is available from the department.
Thesis candidates must write a thesis and are given a final oral examination upon its completion. Non-thesis professional degree students must complete a 6-credit practicum specific to the concentration and approved by the student’s committee and successfully defend a professional paper. Two years are required for the completion of most non-thesis options.

Building and Construction  Technology

• BCT 520 Energy and Buildings (2nd sem)
• BCT 521 Environmental Control Systems (2nd sem) 4 cr  
• BCT 530 Mechanics of Building Materials (2nd sem)
• BCT 540 Design of Wood Structures
• BCT 550 Construction Project Management (2nd sem)
• BCT 596 Independent Study
• BCT 597B Bio-Based Building Lab (alt. years)
• BCT 597D Sustainable Building and LEED Certification
• BCT 597S Building a Quick Convincing Green Business Plan

Natural Resources Conservation

• NRC 521 Timber Harvesting (2nd sem, even yrs)
• NRC 526 Silviculture (1st sem, even yrs)
• NRC 528 Forest and Wetland Hydrology (1st sem, odd yrs)
• NRC 534 Forest Measurements (1st sem, odd yrs)
• NRC 540 Forest Resources Management (2nd sem, even yrs)
• NRC 541 Urban Forest Management (1st sem, even yrs)
• NRC 563 Wetlands Ecology and Conservation (2nd sem, even yrs)
• NRC 564 Wildlife Habitat Management (1st sem)
• NRC 565 Wildlife Population Dynamics and Management (1st sem)
• NRC 570 Ecology of Fish (2nd sem, even yrs)
• NRC 571 Fisheries Science and Management (1st sem, even yrs)
• NRC 572 Insects and Diseases of Forests and Shade Trees (2nd sem, odd yrs)
• NRC 575 Case Studies in Conservation (2nd sem)
• NRC 576 Water Resources Management and Policy (1st sem, even yrs)
• NRC 577 Ecosystem Modeling and Simulation (1st sem, odd yrs)
• NRC 578 Watershed Science and Management (2nd sem)
• NRC 579 Cree Culture, Natural Resources and Sustainability
• NRC 580 Conservation Genetics (1st sem, even yrs)
• NRC 585 GIS for Natural Resources Management (both sem)
• NRC 586 Natural Resource Inventory of Local Lands (2nd sem, odd yrs)
• NRC 587 Digital Remote Sensing (2nd sem, odd yrs)
• NRC 590A Advanced Arboriculture (2nd sem)
• NRC 590AE Aquatic Ecology (2nd sem)
• NRC 590GC Global Change Ecology (1st semester, odd years)
• NRC 590RE Restoration Ecology (2nd semester, odd years)
• NRC 590TP Adapting to Climate Change: Theories, Policy, & Action  (2nd sem)
• NRC 597GA Readings in GIS (1st sem, even yrs)
• NRC 597T Human Dimensions of Environmental Conservation (1st sem)
• NRC 597W Wetlands Assessment and Field Techniques (2nd sem, odd yrs)

Environmental Conservation

• ECO 601 Research Concepts in Environmental Conservation (1st sem) 
• ECO 602 Analysis of Environmental Data (1st sem)
• ECO 604 Forest Stand Dynamics (2nd sem, odd yrs)
• ECO 621 Landscape Ecology (2nd sem, even yrs)
• ECO 632 Applied Multivariate Statistics for Environmental Conservation (2nd sem, odd yrs)
• ECO 634 Analysis of Environmental Data Lab
• ECO 675 Ecological Economics and Sustainability
• ECO 678 Advanced Watershed Science and Management (2nd sem, even yrs)
• ECO 690E Environmental Conflict and Collaborative Policy
• ECO 691 Communicating Science
• ECO 691A Current Research in Environmental Conservation (both sem)
• ECO 696 Independent Study 
• ECO 697A Conservation Biology (2nd sem, odd yrs)
• ECO 697AE Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems (2nd sem)
• ECO 697B Invasion Biology
• ECO 697I Information Technologies in the Public and Non-Profit Sectors (2nd sem)
• ECO 697J Diadromous Fisheries Ecology and Conservation (1st sem, even yrs)
• ECO 697PS Perspectives on Sustainability (1st sem)
• ECO 697RG Readings in Conservation Genetics (1st sem, odd yrs)
• ECO 697RR Retrocommissioning and Retrofitting Existing Buildings for Energy Efficiency (2nd sem, even year)
• ECO 697S Intermediate Statistics for Environmental Conservation (2nd sem)
• ECO 697SA Advanced Statistics for Environmental Conservation (1st sem, even yrs)
• ECO 697SB Studies in Building Information Modeling (2nd sem)
• ECO 697SV Design, Implementation, and Analysis of Surveys of People (2nd sem)
• ECO 697UF Urban Forest Management (2nd sem, odd yrs)
• ECO 697W Advanced Watershed Science and Management (2nd sem, even yrs)
• ECO 698 Practicum/Non-thesis projects
• ECO 699 Master’s Thesis

• A completed Application Form.
• A $75 application fee. This fee cannot be waived or deferred.
• International Student Sponsor Statement is required of all international students.
• One official transcript from all colleges/universities attended, undergraduate and graduate, where (nine) 9 or more credits were taken are required. If they are not mailed directly from the college/university, they should be enclosed in sealed envelopes signed by the college/university.  If the official transcripts and/or degree certificate(s) are not in English, notarized English language translations in duplicate must accompany them. Do not list colleges/universities where (eight) 8 or fewer credits were taken.
• Letters of recommendation (academic references) from two (2) professors or instructors who have taught you in courses in the field you are applying to here. After submission of the electronic application, we will send an email to each referee giving them instructions on how to electronically deliver the recommendation to the Graduate School. All recommendations will be considered confidential unless the applicant doesn't waive his/her right of access.
• Scores from the following standard examinations:
  • GRE (Graduate Record Examination)-General Test required by nearly all graduate programs - (refer to Degrees and Programs Offered)
  • GRE SUBJECT TEST (not a universal requirement-refer to the Programspage for those programs requiring a Subject Test)
  • GMAT (Graduate Management Admissions Test)-for graduate applicants to Management, Hospitality & Tourism Management, and Sport Management


  • English Language Test: Either TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), or IELTS (International English Language Testing System)-only the academic version of test is accepted, or PTE Academic (Pearson Test of English)

Scholarships

The University does not award student funding of any kind unless this is explicitly stated in writing by the graduate department to which the applicant has applied. Assistance in the form of a teaching or research assistantship is becoming increasingly limited. Tuition scholarships and fellowships are few and are not usually awarded during the first year of attendance, before the student has an academic performance record at the University itself. All applicants should plan on being self-financed, without recourse to part-time employment at the University, at least through the first academic year, unless they have specifically been offered some form of assistance by the department.

 Recommendations from the student's academic program play an important part in determining who will be awarded these waivers of tuition, and competition for the tuition scholarships is great. Those incoming graduate students who have not received any other type of financial assistance and who are interested in applying for a tuition waiver should contact their department directly. Applicants should be aware that the competition for new student tuition waivers is intense. Very few waivers are granted to new students and the few that are granted, are based only on departmental recommendations.

Graduate Assistantships


The University offers a number of teaching and research assistantships in the instructional and research programs of various departments. Stipends vary greatly from as little as $5,000 for a half assistantship to $16,000 for a full assistantship for the calendar year. International applicants who are awarded assistantships, and who have no supplemental means of support, must make sure that the assistantship is adequate to meet their minimum financial needs, refer to Estimate of Expenses. Graduate assistants are not required to pay tuition charges provided their stipend is $5,000 or higher ($ 2,500 is the minimum for a one semester waiver of tuition and most fees). Assistantships are awarded for a maximum of one academic year at a time. A graduate assistantship is not a scholarship, and a full assistantship requires a work contribution by the student averaging 20 hours per week, and Federal and State income taxes will be withheld from earnings.

Research Assistantships


A number of research assistantships, with no teaching duties, are available to qualified graduate students in various departments. Funds are provided by either private industry, the U.S. Government (especially in agriculture, engineering, and the sciences), or by the University itself.

Teaching Assistantships


Many departments offer teaching assistantships to qualified, enrolled graduate students. International applicants are eligible for these assistantships. Since teaching assistantships involve instruction, all incoming students who have been awarded a teaching assistantship and whose native language is not English must demonstrate oral English proficiency, either by passing the Test of Spoken English administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) before their arrival on campus at their own expense or by passing the SPEAK test upon arrival at no cost to the student. In order to pass the TSE or SPEAK test, students must score 50 or above.

University Fellowships


These Fellowships are awarded to graduate students on a very competitive basis and are intended to help superior students pursue graduate study without a work requirement and obtain a degree in the minimum possible time. They are normally awarded only after a graduate student has completed two semesters at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. A University Fellowship is for only one year. A tuition waiver accompanies a University Fellowship, and no service is required.