Nearly 82 percent of Gunnison County is surrounded by public land. Western’s beautiful setting is the ideal environment to learn about integrative public land management and sustainable practices.
Program Overview
Help build resilient social and ecological systems.
The Integrative & Public Land Management (IPLM) track will teach you how to balance project management, climate action and collaborative solutions across diverse communities. In the program, you’ll have the unique opportunity to participate in applied projects, field experiences and a self-designed, 600-hour master’s project. In addition, the MEM faculty members’ extensive professional networks in conservation nonprofits, environmental consulting companies and agencies will help you find your niche in land management and climate adaptation.
Through a combination of immersive educational experiences, intensive coursework and industry networks, you’ll be prepared to launch your career in public land management, private land conservation, conservation advocacy and more.
Vast outdoor laboratory
Masters in Environmental Management (MEM) students are able to take full advantage of the abundance of public land in Gunnison County where diverse ecosystems, natural resources, participation in conservation easement agreements and enthusiastic community partners abound.
Program Requirements
At Western, course rotations are crafted to encompass a variety of subject fields for a comprehensive education and versatile degree. For required courses and degree plans, visit the official University Catalog. Below is a general overview of courses at Western Colorado University related to this area of study.
The Master in Environmental Management (MEM) is a professional terminal degree, specifically focused on the content understanding and methods necessary to manage environmental organizations, public lands agencies, and communities towards sustainable solutions. The program emphasizes entrepreneurial and systems-thinking approaches to environmental issues associated with increasing climate disturbances, natural resource demands, and socio-economic insecurity. The MEM offers a “hybrid” learning environment for full-residency students rooted in the learning laboratories of the Gunnison Country, combined with a low-residency option for select environmental professionals from all over the world.
Program Goals
- Improving student understanding of environmental systems and services, of the human impact on those systems, and of the array of sustainable and resilient solutions to those impacts.
- Developing students’ capacities for interdisciplinary critical thinking, entrepreneurial innovation, and collaborative environmental problem-solving with diverse stakeholders.
- Enhancing career opportunities in environmentally related disciplines.
Student Outcomes
Students will be able to:
- Understand the complex interactions among human, climate, and ecological systems.
- Access and evaluate information about environmental issues.
- Critically assess the fundamental elements of environmental problems.
- Develop and apply diverse management and adaptation strategies to solve environmental problems.
- Effectively communicate the complexity of environmental problems as well as appropriate solutions to diverse audiences.
- Collaborate with and build partnerships among diverse stakeholders in order to complete major environmental projects.
Program Prerequisites
(For admissions requirements for “3+2” programs, please refer to the guidelines outlined in the undergraduate academic catalog under ENVS, POLS, SOC, ROE, and BIOL)
- BA degree, BS degree, or Provisional Admittance to the graduate program is required.
- Minimum Prerequisites must be completed by end of first MEM Fall term:
- college-level statistics course.
- two college-level natural or environmental science courses (BIOL, GEOL, ENVS, PHYS, CHEM, SCI), at least one course with lab or field component.
- two college-level social science courses.
- Integrative and Public Land Management Recommended Prerequisites
- one upper-level Ecology course
- one GIS course
- Sustainable and Resilient Communities Recommended Prerequisites
- one course in Economics (Micro or Macro preferred)
- Financial Accounting
- Faculty Mentor may recommend further coursework or certifications for students to complete before Master’s Portfolio is due in Spring II, depending upon student career ambitions and professional career standards.
- Admissions Criteria: a holistic package balancing academic excellence with environmental leadership experience encouraged. Admissions packages will include: academic transcripts showing a recommended 3.0 undergraduate GPA or above in relevant courses; a portfolio outlining environmental employment, leadership and volunteer experience; a statement of purpose describing the student’s intellectual and professional interests in environmental management; and three letters of recommendation from professors or supervisors in related fields.
- Provisional Admission to the Master in Environmental Management Program: An applicant who does not meet the requirements for full admission to the Master in Environmental Management Program may be provisionally admitted or may be required to submit additional materials in order to be considered for provisional admission upon the recommendation of the program director and approval by the Dean of Graduate Studies. A provisionally admitted student will have a maximum of one calendar year to complete any pre-requisite academic coursework. The program director or Dean of Graduate Studies may set additional timeline requirements.
- International Students: see Graduate Academic Catalog section, Criteria for International Admission.
Program Requirements
A minimum of 46 credits is required for the MEM degree.
All MEM students must complete the 20-credit Core.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses | ||
| ENVS 601 | Introduction to Environmental Management | 5 |
| ENVS 605 | Science for Environmental Management 2 | 3 |
| ENVS 608 | ENVIRONMENTL POLITICS & POLICY | 3 |
| ENVS 611 | Integrative Skills for Environmental Management | 3 |
| ENVS 612 | Introduction to Analysis and Assessment for Environmental Management 2 | 3 |
| ENVS 615 | From Climate Science to Action | 3 |
| Total Credits | 20 | |
- 2
Students may take BIOL 606 Ecological Research Methods in lieu of ENVS 605 Science for Environmental Management and/or BIOL 613 Advanced Ecological Analysis in lieu of ENVS 612 Introduction to Analysis and Assessment for Environmental Management.
Integrative and Public Land Management Emphasis (beyond required Core courses)
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ENVS 618 | PUBLIC LANDS MANAGEMENT | 3 |
| Select nine credits of the following (choose any combination within these areas): | 9 | |
ENVS 623 | Studies in Environmental Management | |
ENVS 625 | Studies in Integrative and Public Land Management | |
| Masters Project Requirement: | ||
| ENVS 690 | MEM Project Development | 5 |
| ENVS 694 | Master's Project and Portfolio 1 | 9 |
| Total Credits | 26 | |
- 1
Students must take 3 cr of ENVS 694 Master's Project and Portfolio Fall II and 6 cr of ENVS 694 Master's Project and Portfolio Spring II
Sustainable & Resilient Communities Emphasis (beyond required Core courses)
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ENVS 616 | Environmental Organization Development and Management | 3 |
| Select nine credits of the following: | 9 | |
ENVS 620 | Studies in Sustainable and Resilient Communities | |
ENVS 623 | Studies in Environmental Management | |
| Masters Project Requirement: | ||
| ENVS 690 | MEM Project Development | 5 |
| ENVS 694 | Master's Project and Portfolio 1 | 9 |
| Total Credits | 26 | |
- 1
Students must take 3 cr of ENVS 694 Master's Project and Portfolio Fall II and 6 cr of ENVS 694 Master's Project and Portfolio Spring II
Global Sustainability Emphasis (beyond required Core courses)
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ENVS 617 | Global Sustainability | 3 |
| Select nine credits of the following (choose any combination of global themes within these areas): | 9 | |
ENVS 620 | Studies in Sustainable and Resilient Communities | |
ENVS 623 | Studies in Environmental Management | |
ENVS 625 | Studies in Integrative and Public Land Management | |
| Masters Project Requirement: | ||
| ENVS 690 | MEM Project Development | 5 |
| ENVS 694 | Master's Project and Portfolio 1 | 9 |
| Total Credits | 26 | |
- 1
Students must take 3 cr of ENVS 694 Master's Project and Portfolio Fall II and 6 cr of ENVS 694 Master's Project and Portfolio Spring II
Spotlight
Gabby Zaldumbide
Student
“Opportunities abound in the West, and the best escape from the ‘real world’ can be just minutes from my doorstep."
Careers
Take the first steps toward your academic and personal growth.
Fostering your intellectual development is the primary focus of every academic program at Western. Our professors and Office of Career Services will help you identify your strengths, hone your skills, define your goals, and prepare for a fulfilling and enriched life after graduation.
Why Western?
An ideal learning environment.
The MEM takes full advantage of the abundance of public land in Gunnison County where diverse ecosystems, natural resources, participation in conservation easement agreements and enthusiastic community partners abound. Our faculty have interests ranging from ecology and wildlife biology to recreation management and geography to strategies in the face of climate chaos and bring a wealth of connections with local, regional and national environmental organizations. In the program, you’ll be immersed in an extraordinary outdoor laboratory with true experts in land management guiding them along the way.
More than 90 percent of our graduates are employed in an environmental position either prior to or immediately following graduation at organizations such as:
- U.S. Forest Service
- Bureau of Land Management
- National Park Service
- Defenders of Wildlife
- Teton Science Schools
- Jefferson County Open Space Parks and Trails
- Crested Butte Land Trust
Trailblazing
Volunteers built a new segment of trail during the midland trail build party.
What Skills Will I Acquire?
Gain the skills necessary for an in-demand career in land management.
Western’s IPLM track was created in response to interviews with federal and local agencies, nonprofit executive directors and environmental consultants who identified the skills and experiences they wish to see in their employees. In-demand skills that you will acquire in the program include:
- Understanding how to analyze and manage social and ecological systems
- Applying scientific knowledge and methods to environmental management questions
- Navigating complex and challenging problems with diverse stakeholders
- Transforming land management institutions to respond better to social and ecological change
Charting a course
Integrative & Public Land Management students are immersed in applied projects, field experiences and a self-designed, 600-hour master’s project—leaving prepared for careers in public land management, private land conservation, and conservation advocacy.
News & Research
Additional Resources
Department Information
Clark Family School of Environment and Sustainability
Dean
Micah Russell, M.S.Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability, Integrative and Public Land Management Director; MEM Director
Program Facilitator
Lindsay DolezalProgram Facilitator and Grants Administrator
Campus Location
1 Western Way
Gunnison, CO 81230
