Yale students interested in pursuing a career in environmental science have the opportunity to complete a master’s degree at the Yale Graduate School of Environmental Studies, rather than the usual two years.
Serin Narbantoglu
staff reporter
Virginia Penn, Contributing Illustrator
The Yale Graduate School of Environmental Studies offers a five-year accelerated master’s program for Yale students who wish to pursue graduate studies in environmental science.
YSE’s 5-year Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science-Master’s Program is an opportunity for Yale students to complete their master’s degree in one year after earning their bachelor’s degree, instead of the usual two years. This degree program began 20 years before him. Interested students are encouraged to apply for her senior year of college and take a year or two off from work before returning to Yale to complete her graduate studies. Students can apply for the Master of Environmental Management (MEM) or Master of Environmental Science (MESc).
“The ultimate aim of YSE and EVST was to produce the next generation of environmental scientists and leaders who can bring the best available science to the design of ever more effective solutions.” Yale University program told the news.
Applying for the program
Natasha Feshbach ’20 MEM ’23 first heard about the program in third grade. An environmental studies major at Yale University, she thought the program would be “too good an opportunity to pass up.”
Feshbach explained that the transition from undergraduate environmental studies to the fifth year as part of the MEM program was seamless. Many of the prerequisite courses required for graduate study in environmental science, such as chemistry and physics, are already included in your undergraduate major.
Dorje Wu ’21 MEM ’23 is a current 5 year Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science MEM student who heard about the program from a senior friend during her sophomore year. Wu wanted to go to graduate school. His five-year program at Yale University was an opportunity to achieve that goal while saving time and money.
“I think it’s implied that I also wanted to apply. [five-year] program as a way to make up for the years “lost” due to COVID,” Wu wrote in an email to News.
Like Feshbach, Wu said the program had little impact on his senior year.
However, he took several YSE classes in both semesters of his senior year to enhance his application and demonstrate that he was “academically ready for graduate school.”
YSE community
“YSE has a lot to offer, but the two biggest ones for me are the community and the classes,” Wu wrote. “I really liked MOD. YSE held a three-week orientation in August for all new students. , was a great way to get involved in New Haven… I really enjoyed the classes too, of course there are great professors here, but I was surprised at how friendly they all are.
Yale alumni participating in the five-year joint degree program do not form a distinct group within the environmental department’s regular MEM student body, Feshbach said. However, she said she knew some of her current classmates during her undergraduate studies at Yale University.
With “about 150” students in his cohort, Wu likens the YSE community to an undergraduate boarding college.
Undergraduate majors for interested students
Yale students interested in this program do not need to major in environmental studies, but must demonstrate how their undergraduate studies prepare them for accelerated studies courses at YSE. Specifically, students at Yale College who complete eight of her courses, deemed by faculty to be “substantially equivalent” to YSE’s graduate courses, earn a master’s degree in one year. I am eligible. Wargo added that courses cross-listed between the university and her YSE can count towards the eight course requirements.
Undergraduate students majoring in environmental studies choose a focus within their major, Wargo added. Concentrations center around major themes in environmental science, such as climate change, renewable energy, and the urban environment. YSE Master’s students can also choose specializations similar to these undergraduate concentrations, allowing interested students to continue working in their undergraduate areas of interest.
“The YSE, then FES department, was particularly well-suited to two-year master’s degree programs for students who pursued specific majors, with some students taking substantially equivalent postgraduate or advanced undergraduate programs. I knew that. [to] part of the requirements for a two-year master’s program,” Wargo wrote to News in an email.
According to Wargo, the most common majors for non-environmental studies applicants include ecology and evolutionary biology, earth and planetary sciences, economics, political science, and anthropology.
Interested students may also pursue dual majors in environmental science and economics, earth and planetary science or ecology and evolutionary biology as undergraduates.
“YSE faculty are particularly interested in students who want to develop an advanced research project at Yale while in graduate school,” writes Wargo. “This may be supported by field or laboratory research, or by computer modeling of the complex systems needed to understand environmental problems. Other students master computer-based spatial analysis. We study pollution distribution, health inequalities, ecological changes over time, and urban growth patterns.”
Gap year requirements and professional development
The program typically requires enrolled students to work for one to two years before returning to Yale to complete their degree. Wargo explained that the break between undergraduate and graduate programs allows students to enter the master’s program with a clear idea of their field of study and career path. Yale graduates can also apply to her five-year program for up to two years after graduation.
Feshbach also praised the environmental school’s resources as a key attribute of the programme. She said there are a variety of resources and many opportunities for professional development available to students pursuing careers in the environmental field.
“I’m in a really cool class called ‘Social Justice in the Global Food System,'” said Feschbach. “The whole class is a partnership with the City of New Haven.”
Students in the class will collaborate on projects and collaborate with New Haven’s local food organizations to investigate inequalities in access to food. This class combines both theory and practice by encouraging students to apply theoretical knowledge and frameworks to real-world projects.
Although environmental studies is a relatively new and non-traditional career path, YSE’s career resources ensure that students are ready to build their own path and support them throughout their educational and professional journey. We guarantee.
The Environmental School also offers joint degrees with Yale Law School, Jackson School of Global Affairs, School of Management, and others.
Serin Narbantoglu
Selin Nalbantoglu is a beat reporter for the SciTech desk covering School of the Environment. Previously, Associate He Beat He covered groundbreaking research as a reporter. She is in her sophomore year at Saybrook College.
