Gain the knowledge, experience and connections you need to land your dream job in renewable energy, food justice, nonprofit management, climate action planning and more
Program Overview
Make a difference in communities around the world.
Through its action-oriented approach to learning, the Sustainable & Resilient Communities (SRC) track will prepare you to work in nonprofit and for-profit management, climate action planning, sustainability consulting, alternative building, environmental education and more. In the Sustainable & Resilient Communities track, you can partner with our faculty in complex, real-world projects, so you can apply your knowledge and expand your leadership skills. Below are examples of some of the organizations and projects you could work with. Our faculty can help you identify and connect with engaging opportunities based on your interests.
Connect and engage
As a student in the Sustainable & Resilient Communities track, you will be able to partner with our faculty in real-world and complex projects which can enhance your learning and leadership opportunities.
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 | Environmental Politics and 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
Careers
Take the first steps toward your dream career.
Career preparation 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 role in hundreds of professional fields after graduation.
The data is automatically collected by Lightcast, a firm that sources job market data. The statistics illustrate general trends in U.S. careers, but do not precisely represent every job and salary.
What Skills Will I Acquire?
Gain invaluable, real-world experience.
An MEM degree will allow you to scope, manage and execute a diverse set of environmental projects at various scales. Your extensive field training and applied experiences through the 600-hour master’s project—which can be completed anywhere in the world—will be relevant for facilitating action-oriented projects globally, including:
- Project and organizational management
- The ability to understand and assess community infrastructure systems
- Cultural dexterity
- Climate action planning
- Financial analysis
- Environmental and social entrepreneurship
- Life-cycle assessment
Choose your path
Our faculty can help you identify and connect with engaging opportunities tailor-made to your interests – including in renewable energy, food justice, nonprofit and for-profit management, climate action planning, sustainability consulting, alternative building, environmental education and more.
Opportunities
Take advantage of these immersive experiences.
There are many opportunities to work with faculty on projects around Western’s campus and in the Gunnison community, including:
- Coldharbour Institute: Developing partnerships that empower international communities to address climate change on our 334-acre ranch site.
- CS2I Lab: Incubating solutions to real-world problems for real partners.
- Earth Tub: Diverting and composting food waste at Western to use at local farms.
- Organics Guild: Growing and distributing local food to the community through a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program.
- Renewable Energy: Promoting and maintaining local renewable energy programs on Western’s campus, including solar and wind efforts.
- Sustainability Action Committee: Working to strengthen partnerships between Western and local stakeholders in a variety of sustainability initiatives.
- Sustainability Marketing: Raising public awareness and inspiring action by promoting socially responsible purchasing and changes in consumptive behaviors.
Coldharbour Institute
Coldharbour Institute (CI) is a unique nonprofit closely tied to Western’s Master in Environmental Management program. CI’s mission is to facilitate others’ “doing” for the education, incubation, and demonstration of regenerative living practices. The areas of concentration include agriculture, building, energy production, and wildland management.
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
