COURSE CURRICULUM

The Thesis-based Pattern I master’s program offers a traditional, research-focused graduate training path that combines advanced coursework with the completion of extensive original research. Students take four half-credit courses, including ENSC 801 Interdisciplinarity as a Basis for Environmental Studies and ENSC 802 Solutions to Global Environmental Challenges, which together provide a strong interdisciplinary foundation for analyzing environmental issues. Alongside this coursework, each student undertakes a major research project that draws on at least two disciplines, such as ecology and economics or toxicology and policy, reflecting the program’s emphasis on integrative and cross-disciplinary inquiry. The research culminates in a written thesis that is formally defended before an examination committee, and students also deliver a public seminar, preferably within the School’s seminar series, to share their findings with the wider academic community. The program typically takes about six semesters to complete, giving students the time needed to develop research questions, carry out substantial field or theoretical work, and produce a thesis that demonstrates both depth of understanding and interdisciplinary engagement in environmental studies.