The Environmental Science (ES) graduate student curriculum is divided into three components with an optional fourth component for PhD students: core requirements, distribution requirements, electives, and concentration electives (PhD only). Information on the Environmental Science Professional Science Master's (PSM) curriculum click here.
Core Requirements
Although ES is inherently broad because of its interdisciplinary perspective on solving environmental problems, there are some experiences that all ES graduate students must have during their time at UNT. Core Requirement courses include a Foundations of Environmental Science course, a graduate level statistics course, and enrollment in at least one semester of the Biology research seminar series course.
Distribution Requirements
What makes ES different from its parent disciplines is its interdisciplinarity. Our curriculum guarantees breadth through its distribution requirements. The program is distributed across five thematic groups: Ecology and Evolution, Physical and Chemical Sciences, Environmental Health Sciences, Social Sciences, and Organismal Biology. MS students must take three distribution courses from three different theme groups. PhD students must take four distribution courses from at least three different groups.
Electives
To round the curriculum, students design their degree plan through consultation with their major professor and their advisory committee. The final degree plan must be signed by all committee members, and approved by the ES Graduate Coordinator, the Chair of Biological Sciences, and the Dean of the Toulouse Graduate School.
Concentrations (PhD only, optional)
Students may elect to specialize into one of five areas of concentration, such that the identified concentration is listed on their transcript when she/he graduates. The five concentrations are Ecology and Conservation Biology, Geoscience, Human Ecology, Toxicology, and Science Education Research. Please select the hyperlinks to find more information about the requirements of each concentration.