The Yale School of the Environment offers four two-year master’s degrees: the professionally oriented Master of Environmental Management (M.E.M.) and Master of Forestry (M.F.), and the research-oriented Master of Environmental Science (M.E.Sc) and Master of Forest Science (M.F.S.).

Learning about YSE

The best way to learn about the School is to visit YSE virtually or in person before submitting an application. The Office of Admissions offers both virtual and on-campus programs throughout the year. We encourage prospective students to attend our events for the most comprehensive view of YSE. Participants will meet students, faculty, and staff to become familiar with the School’s mission and goals, degree requirements and courses, opportunities for research and applied projects, career development, and life at Yale. YSE faculty and staff also conduct outreach events online, around the United States and abroad, including at graduate school fairs, hosting virtual and off-campus information sessions, and visiting schools and universities. To learn if a representative will be coming to your area and to complete the required registration for our events, please visit the Admissions Events page at https://apply.environment.yale.edu/portal/main-event-page.

Campus visits are pre-scheduled events that you can register for on our Admissions Events page. You can also connect with our admissions staff online by scheduling a one-on-one meeting on the appointment page: https://apply.environment.yale.edu/portal/schedule_appointment. Individual appointments and campus visits outside of the scheduled times may be possible, subject to staff availability. Please note that weekend visits are not available. If you are interested in observing a class, please get in touch with faculty members directly via email. The class schedule for each term is posted at http://environment.yale.edu/courses. 

The admissions website, http://environment.yale.edu/admissions, has extensive information about the School. Should you have additional questions, our admissions staff is happy to assist you by email, phone, and virtual/in-person appointment. The admissions office can be reached at admissions.yse@yale.edu or by telephone at 800.825.0330.

Application Procedures

The application form for admission to the YSE professional and research master’s degrees (M.E.M., M.E.Sc., M.F., or M.F.S.) may be found at https://apply.environment.yale.edu/apply. This form includes complete instructions for the application requirements. Learn more about our master’s degree application requirements at https://environment.yale.edu/admissions/masters-admissions/how-apply-masters-programs.

Questions concerning admission or the application process should be directed to admissions.yse@yale.edu or 800.825.0330. Students may enter YSE and begin their studies in the fall term only. Please see our How to Apply page for key dates and the deadline for master’s application consideration at https://environment.yale.edu/admissions/masters/apply. 

Previous applicants to YSE must submit a new application form, an updated résumé/curriculum vitae, and updated research statements where applicable. Some materials, such as official transcripts sent directly from conferring institutions, may be transferred to your new application. Please contact Quetcy Rivas Maldonado, master's program coordinator, at quetcy.maldonado@yale.edu with any questions.

Preparation for Admission

To excel in their program of study at YSE and a career in environmental management, all M.E.M. students must be conversant in four foundational knowledge areas. These areas are physical science, human science, ecology, and microeconomics.

Each fall term, four thoughtfully designed courses—tailored specifically for incoming M.E.M. students—are offered for students to learn, refresh, and deepen their understanding of these knowledge areas. Students form a strong foundation to engage with the rigorous M.E.M. curriculum and approach complex problems through an interdisciplinary lens.

For incoming students with substantial academic or professional experience in any of these four areas, waiver exams are available each summer preceding enrollment at YSE. Students may make two attempts to pass a waiver exam. Students who can demonstrate sufficient proficiency in a foundational knowledge area by passing an exam will receive a waiver for that course.

The registrar will auto-enroll students who do not take or pass a waiver exam to complete the required foundational knowledge course(s). These courses must be completed during a student’s first fall term:

ENV 511	Ecological Foundations for Environmental Managers
ENV 512	Microeconomic Foundations for Environmental Managers
ENV 521	Physical Science Foundations for Environmental Managers
ENV 522	Human Science Foundations for Environmental Managers

Foundational Knowledge Preparation

The following are some examples of recommended undergraduate courses that will help prepare incoming students for the MEM curriculum: 

Physical Science

• Earth science course covering geosphere, atmosphere, and hydrosphere
• Hydrology
• Soil science
• Environmental chemistry
• Climate science

Human Science

• Environmental Governance
• Environmental Anthropology
• Environmental History
• Environmental Justice
• Environmental Sociology
• Human Geography
• Political Ecology
• Religion and Ecology

Ecology

• General Ecology
• Biodiversity Science
• Population or Community Ecology
• Ecosystem Science or Ecosystems Ecology

Microeconomics

• A course in Principles of Microeconomics

Application Requirements

Candidates for admission must hold a four-year baccalaureate degree or an equivalent international degree and are required to provide the following materials:

1. A completed online application form.
2. A résumé/curriculum vitae. Indicate full- or part-time for each job/internship/volunteer position.
3. A combination of short essays and longer statements that illustrate fit, skills, and overall experience.
4. One transcript or mark sheet from each college and/or university attended with grades for each course, including study abroad and transfer institutions. Official transcripts are not required during application but will be required if admitted and an applicant plans to enroll. All transcripts submitted during the application process must include the applicant’s name and institution (not to be added by the applicant). Applicants who have completed a degree outside the United States or Canada are strongly encouraged to submit an evaluation of their transcripts. If submitting a transcript evaluation, applicants should use World Education Services (https://www.wes.org), or Educational Credential Evaluators (http://ece.org) for course-by-course or ICAP evaluation of all transcripts (undergraduate and graduate). Those who secure WES or ECE evaluations should submit their official transcripts directly to WES or ECE, not the Office of Admissions. An additional copy of the transcript beyond the official evaluation is not required. Evaluations must be received in the Office of Admissions by the application deadline to be considered complete. The applicant is strongly encouraged to begin this process early, as evaluations can take over a month to complete.
5. Three letters of reference (academic and/or professional). Submission of the recommendation form and a one- to two-page letter is expected for each reference. Please note that we cannot accept additional recommendations beyond the required three. It is strongly recommended that the applicant submit at least one academic letter of reference.
6. Standardized test score reports. The submission of GRE, GMAT, or LSAT scores is optional at this time. An official TOEFL or IELTS score report if English is not a native or customary language of instruction (copies will not be accepted). Applicants must achieve at least a 100 on the iBT version of the TOEFL or a 7.0 on the IELTS examination (minimum of 6.5 in each section) to be given full consideration for admission. See additional information on requirements related to English as a second language below.
7. There is no application fee at this time.
8. If applying to the M.E.Sc. or M.F.S. program, please include a list of three potential advisers on the application form. As an addendum to the research statement, please provide a short paragraph for each listed adviser describing why you would like them to serve as your intended research adviser. Please include how your research interests align and how they may advise you on your project.

Note: Additional documents beyond those aforementioned will not be reviewed and may be discarded at the end of the admissions cycle.

All application materials should be uploaded to the electronic application form. Materials cannot be returned, copied, or forwarded to third parties.

All applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree and demonstrate satisfactory academic achievement. There are no arbitrary standards or cutoffs for test scores or grade-point averages, except for English language ability (TOEFL and IELTS). Letters of reference from individuals who can evaluate the applicant’s scholarship, professional activities, leadership skills, and career goals are especially valuable. Letters from undergraduate professors and/or professional supervisors are preferred. The School looks for students capable of making effective contributions to scientific knowledge or professional service in addressing environmental problems. Special weight is given to relevant experiences obtained after graduation from college. Clarity regarding professional career goals is critically important in the applicant’s personal statement. Faculty review teams read the applications submitted to the master’s degree programs, and final admissions decisions rest on an integrated assessment of the components described above.

English as a Second Language Training Requirement

Applicants for whom English is not a native or customary language of university instruction must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). We require a minimum TOEFL score of 100 on the exam. A minimum overall score of band 7.0 is required on the IELTS, with a minimum of 6.5 in each section. Please note that we will only accept the iBT version of the TOEFL examination. When taking either test, applicants should indicate the School’s Institution Code Number 3996; no department code is necessary. Additional information about TOEFL can be found at www.ets.org/toefl. Information about IELTS can be found at www.ielts.org. The testing service will send official test results directly to the School and generally take two to three weeks to arrive.

Applicants required to submit the TOEFL or IELTS must also submit a supplemental essay (300 words maximum) detailing all educational, research, and/or work and internship experience related to the English language. As a condition of acceptance, it may be required that applicants for whom English is a second language, whose undergraduate degree work has not been conducted in English, or whose application suggests such a need, complete a six-week instructional program in written and spoken English conducted by Yale Summer Session. More information will be provided to those students who may qualify for this requirement.

Bekenstein Climate Leaders Program

Application Requirements

The Bekenstein Climate Leaders Program is a competitively awarded scholarship that is open to Yale School of the Environment students with substantive lived, academic, and/or professional experience or a clear vision for a future working in advancing climate solutions and climate change mitigation.

Application Deadline

The Bekenstein Application is due with a student’s master’s application (https://environment.yale.edu/admissions/masters/apply).

Program Benefits and Resources

With the mission of training those who will lead the world toward a sustainable future, the Bekenstein Climate Leaders Scholarship is offered by the Yale School of the Environment (YSE) to master’s students who demonstrate strong potential to advance climate solutions. Applicants from a diversity of experiences and perspectives are sought. Their skills may include the ability to motivate others to achieve results, to examine complex problems like climate change from an interdisciplinary perspective, to apply a systems perspective in order to avoid unanticipated consequences, and to evaluate potential actions through an environmental justice lens. Applicants are evaluated based on their leadership potential or demonstrated leadership experience as well as their proven commitment to advancing climate solutions. In addition to completing the regular application for all potential YSE master’s students, candidates must also complete a supplemental application and participate in a virtual interview if requested.

Prospective students applying to the incoming cohort must complete the regular master’s application for all potential YSE master’s students, and complete the supplemental application for the Bekenstein Climate Leaders Program. 

For application details and requirements, please see the Bekenstein Climate Leaders Program Frequently Asked Questions at https://environment.yale.edu/admissions/masters/funding-your-degree/bekenstein-climate-leaders.

Three Cairns Climate Program for the Global South

With the mission of training those who will lead the world toward a sustainable future, the Three Cairns Climate Scholarship for the Global South is offered by the YSE to full-time master’s students who demonstrate strong potential to advance climate solutions in the Global South. This transformative program is aimed at expanding the corps of outstanding environmental leaders throughout the Global South by reducing the barriers to advanced environmental education and training, supporting them to return to their home regions with the comprehensive training needed for success, and fostering a network of these alumni leaders to advance the climate solutions necessary to safeguard local natural resources, advance their economies, and secure a sustainable future.

Application Requirements

Eligible candidates must possess primary citizenship from a country in the Global South, possess professional and/or academic experience relevant to climate solutions, and have substantive lived, academic, and/or professional experience. In addition to completing the regular application for all potential YSE master’s students, candidates must also complete a supplemental application and participate in a virtual interview if requested. 

Application Deadline

The Three Cairns Application is due with a student’s master’s application: https://environment.yale.edu/admissions/masters/apply

Program Benefits and Resources

The program provides scholars with tuition and non-tuition resources. The program enables YSE to meet 100 percent of the demonstrated tuition need for qualified students from the Global South admitted as master’s degree students through the Three Cairns Scholars Program. As Three Cairns Scholars, students also will have access to non-tuition resources, such as English-language support before arrival on campus, funding to support summer internships in their home countries, mentoring partnerships with YSE alumni, and career development opportunities and counseling that are designed to help ensure their success while at Yale and when they return to their home countries and regions.

Upon graduation from YSE, Three Cairns Scholars will also be eligible to receive $10,000-per-year stipends for two years to help support their return to their home countries and regions to engage in environmental work.

For application details and requirements, please see the Three Cairns Climate Program For the Global South Frequently Asked Questions (https://environment.yale.edu/admissions/masters/funding-your-degree/three-cairns-climate-program-global-south-faqs).