George Mason University

This master's program meets the increasing need for trained environmental professionals who can address the problems of land and water management, land use and urbanization, wetland loss, microbial ecology, bioremediation, conservation biology, and ecosystem preservation. These professionals will also contribute to the analysis and resolution of global problems such as deforestation, insufficient world food supplies, population growth, planetary health, and global climate change/warming. Areas of specific departmental focus include ecosystems, conservation, environmental biocomplexity, molecular ecology, sustainability science, environmental policy and management, and human/environmental interactions.

Environmental problems are defined in the real world and do not necessarily conform to traditional academic disciplines. As such, solutions require creative combinations of diverse interests and subjects. Effective training requires rigorous, problem-focused transdisciplinary action in a setting in which research is an essential element supporting instruction.

Total credits: 33 

This is a Green Leaf program.

Students should refer to Admissions & Policies for specific policies related to this program.

Students may select for their degree to culminate in either a research project (3 credits) or a thesis (3-6 credits). The concentration credit amount requirements below are directly related to this selection of either a research project or thesis.

Students in all of the concentrations will complete the concentration's requirements and the research requirement with a minimum of 33 credits.