The School of the Environment offers joint-degree, five-year options (with one year at YSE) that culminate in a baccalaureate and master’s degree intended for students who want to pursue careers in an environmental field. The joint-degree option is available to all undergraduates in Yale College and to environmental studies majors at Yale-NUS College (please note the program with Yale-NUS is no longer accepting new applicants). The program provides well-prepared students with accelerated graduate training in environmental science, management, and policy. Eligible students may apply for a Master of Environmental Management (M.E.M.), Master of Environmental Science (M.E.Sc.), or Master of Forestry Science (M.F.S.) degree. The program is built on careful integration of a student’s undergraduate curriculum with graduate requirements. Graduates have become highly successful leaders within governments, corporations, nonprofit organizations, and academia. 

Yale students interested in the five-year joint-degree program should apply to the program at the end of the fall term of their senior year or in the two years immediately following graduation. Students in the five-year M.E.M. program are encouraged to take a gap year or two away from academia between completing their undergraduate degree and beginning study at YSE. Applicants interested in applying to the M.E.Sc. or M.F.S. should make an appointment to talk to the YSE Office of Admissions at admissions.yse@yale.edu prior to applying.

Program and Course Requirements

Total Program Requirement

A minimum of 24 credits is required for the degree.

Master of Environmental Management (M.E.M.)

One- to two-year gap year with confirmation of conducting an internship experience.

Many of the requirements for students seeking a M.E.M.-5 graduate degree are the same as those for all M.E.M. students. These include:

• Satisfactory completion the two-week Summer Training Modules (MODS)

ENV 001	Self to System	0
ENV 002	Science to Solutions	0

• Enrollment in the Fall-1 Perspectives course for all first-year M.E.M. students, and either the Fall-2 Perspectives II course or Foundations of Applied Math for the Environment

ENV 553	Perspectives: Environmental Leadership	1.5
ENV 554	Perspectives on Environmental Leadership: Systems Change	1.5
or ENV 762	Foundations of Applied Math for the Environment (FAME)

Interdisciplinary Conversancy

• Foundational knowledge: Four half-semester courses (0–6 credits; waiver options available)

ENV 511	Ecological Foundations for Environmental Managers	1.5
ENV 512	Microeconomic Foundations for Environmental Managers	1.5
ENV 521	Physical Science Foundations for Environmental Managers	1.5
ENV 522	Social Science Foundations for Environmental Managers	1.5

• Statistics: One course (1.5- or 3-credit options available; waiver option available)

ENV 728	Introduction to Statistics and Data Analysis in the Environmental Sciences (1.5 credits)	1-1.5
or S&DS 5000	Introductory Statistics

INTEGRATION AND APPLICATION

• An approved capstone course or project in either semester, preferably in the spring, must be 3 credits.

The two curricular differences are

• The specialization requirement can be met by taking only the two core requirements of an established specialization. While the two core courses meet the specialization requirement, receiving recognition of a specialization on a transcript requires satisfying all of its 18 credit requirements. See M.E.M. Specialization requirements under Two-Year Master’s Program.
• Completion of two professional skills modules rather than four.

Master of Environmental Science (M.E.Sc.) or Master of Forest Science (M.F.S.)

One- to two-year gap year with confirmation of conducting a research experience.

• Satisfactory Completion of the two-week Summer Training Modules (MODS)

ENV 001	Self to System	0
ENV 002	Science to Solutions	0

The M.E.Sc. and M.F.S. degrees are designed for students interested in conducting scientific research that contributes to basic and applied knowledge. These degrees are intended to provide students with a deeper disciplinary focus than the M.E.M. Training is provided through key courses in combination with extended research. All students pursuing an M.E.Sc. or M.F.S. degree must have an adviser in place before applying to the five-year joint degree program. The YSE faculty adviser must provide a letter as part of the student’s application stating their agreement to become the prospective student’s YSE adviser. The specific plan to meet the requirements of the M.E.Sc. or M.F.S. are to be worked out with a student’s adviser.

Gap Year Recommendation

Students in the five-year program are encouraged to take a gap year or two—time away from academia—between completing their undergraduate degree and beginning study at YSE. Students use this year in diverse ways. Some find a single job or fellowship in an environmental field for the year, while others combine multiple internships or research opportunities to occupy their year. Gap year plans must be communicated to the YSE Admissions Office.