Landing Page | Master in Environmental Management

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You can complete our environmental master’s program in two flexible ways: on campus or online.

Over 80% of our MEM students receive financial assistance through fellowships, internships, and grants.

The Master’s in Environmental Management Experience

Community Action

As an MEM student, you’ll have the unique opportunity to engage with and influence environmental policy while building meaningful connections within your community—whether through government, industry, or collaboration with peers. From working directly with stakeholders to receiving personalized mentorship, you’ll develop the skills and experience needed to lead confidently.

Study What Matters

Our Environmental Management degree offers three distinct concentrations—Global Sustainability, Integrated and Public Lands, and Sustainable and Resilient Communities—for students to focus on during their time at Western. Each pathway is designed to align with your career goals while addressing the most pressing environmental challenges of our time.

Workforce Readiness

An Environmental Master’s degree will prepare you for a lifelong career in natural resource management, conservation, environmental policy, and more. Many of our MEM graduates leave the program with secured jobs in federal government agencies, impactful non-profits, and companies committed to environmental preservation, consultation, and other missions committed to our planet.

Ready to launch a career in environmental policy and conservation? Our program prepares you for meaningful work with government agencies, nonprofits, and private organizations. With three concentrations—Global Sustainability, Public Lands, and Sustainable & Resilient Communities—you’ll gain the skills to lead impactful change where it’s needed most. As the best degree for the environment, our MEM program empowers you to turn theory into action—whether in the stunning landscape of Gunnison, Colorado, or your own community anywhere in the world.

With guidance from seasoned industry professionals and an interlaced network of alumni, your journey as an Environmental Management student will be supported by our knowledgeable team of faculty and staff at Western. Furthermore, you will meet your MEM peers at three immersive summer residencies, where you’ll build strong connections with your cohort and expand your network as an environmentalist.

Ready to take the next step in your professional journey with an environmental master’s degree? Fill out our form to receive email communications from us about the program.

Explore Our Programs

Concentrations

Environmental Management students must select from three degree concentrations.

Go to Master's Concentrations

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Accelerated Degree

Earn a BA or BS and your Master in Environmental Management within just 5 years.

Go to Accelerated Degrees

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Certificate

Not ready to commit to a master’s? Consider our graduate-level certificate.

Go to Ecosystem Restoration

Why the School of Graduate Studies?

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Flexible Learning

With a mix of online programs and immersive in-person curricula, the SGS at Western provides an accessible learning platform for students and working professionals alike.

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Small Class Sizes

Western has a 17:1 student-to-professor ratio, making it ideal for students seeking personalized attention and invaluable mentorship from their professors.

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Graduate Degrees

A graduate degree will give you the knowledge and skill sets needed to achieve your career goals and elevate your professional development.

Frequently Asked Questions

A Master of Environmental Management (MEM) is a 46-credit graduate degree that prepares students to tackle real-world environmental challenges through applied, solution-focused learning in areas like sustainability, conservation, policy, and natural resource management. Western’s MEM program offers flexible online and in-person options, three specialized tracks, strong career support, and high financial aid and job placement rates.

In the MEM program, students gain hands-on experience through fellowships, internships, and community-based projects that connect classroom learning to real-world impact. With access to Western’s expansive ENVS Network and mentorship from expert faculty, graduates leave with the practical skills, professional connections, and leadership training needed to drive meaningful environmental change in a variety of sectors.

Our environmental management degree unlocks a wide range of career opportunities across sustainability, conservation, and policy. With an MEM, you can pursue roles such as:

• Environmental Consultant
• Sustainability Manager
• Natural Resource Manager
• Climate Change Analyst
• Environmental Policy Analyst
• Conservation Scientist
• Land Use or Community Resilience Planner
• Renewable Energy Project Manager
• Environmental Educator
• ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) Analyst

While pursuing an environmental master’s, you’ll gain essential skills in project leadership and coordination—learning how to manage complex initiatives, lead diverse teams, and drive sustainability efforts from concept to completion. You’ll also develop strong competencies in sustainability planning and natural resource management, equipping you to create and implement strategies that balance ecological health with community and economic needs.

In addition, you’ll build expertise in community engagement and education, data analysis and research, and environmental policy and analysis. These skills will enable you to effectively interpret data, craft evidence-based solutions, and communicate across sectors to influence policy and drive environmental change. Whether you’re working in the field, in government, or with a nonprofit, the MEM prepares you to lead with knowledge and impact.

Application Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in any academic program.
GRE test scores are NOT required to apply.
Official academic transcripts showing a recommended 3.0 undergraduate GPA or above in relevant courses. To avoid delay please request an official copy from your previous college or university to be sent directly to Western’s Graduate Studies (graduatestudies@western.edu). You can also request them from Student Clearing House.
One-page Statement of Purpose describing your intellectual and professional interests in environmental management and potential idea for a master’s project, submitted within the online application.
Answer six short essay questions within the online application.
Upload a resume or one-page document that outlines your past environmental employment, leadership, and volunteer experience.
Two letters of recommendation from professors or supervisors in related fields.
If you plan on attending from a distance: As part of your application, you’ll be asked whether you plan to attend as a residential or low-residency student. If you select the low-residency option, please briefly describe how you will stay engaged in environmental management work or related activities while completing your degree from a distance. Share how your experiences will support your learning, professional growth, and contribute to the perspectives within your cohort. Be sure to include the timeframe during which you plan to pursue the low-residency path. Low-residency students are fully integrated into courses, projects, and learning activities alongside residential students.

All three tracks (Global Sustainability, Integrative and Public Land Management, and Sustainable and Resilient Communities) require a BA or B.S. degree and the following prerequisites, which must be completed no later than the end of the first fall term:

College-level statistics course
Two, college-level, natural or environmental science courses (Biol, Geol, Envs, Phys, Chem, Sci), at least one of which included a lab or field component
Two, college-level, social science courses

Additional Integrative and Public Land Management track recommended prerequisites:

One upper-level Ecology course
One GIS course

Additional Sustainable Resilient Communities track recommended prerequisites:

One course in Economics (Micro or Macro preferred)
Financial Accounting

*Please note that strong applicants missing prerequisites may be provisionally admitted with some prerequisites, such as statistics, being able to be completed for free online prior to beginning the program or by the end of the first fall term. Please also note the 3+2 pathways available to Western undergrads.

Application Deadlines

Applications are accepted year-round with a preferred deadline of February 15th. Students can enter the program on July 1st or at the start of the spring term (the second full week of January).
June 1 – MEM Program begins
- The first summer course is held weekly online via Zoom, accessible globally. It then culminates in a one-week in-person Clark Family School intensive held annually in mid-August, at our campus in Gunnison, CO.
Residential and distance options for the two-year degree available.
Find out more information on the MEM program prerequisites.

If you have any questions about the application process, please contact MEM.

Apply Now
Program Information

970.943.2248

MEM@western.edu

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