Program of Study - Agricultural, Environmental, and Sustainability Sciences (MS)
General Overview
The School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences offers a Master of Science (MS) in Agricultural, Environmental, and Sustainability Sciences (AESS). The AESS program provides students with a unique, integrative education and training experience that prepares them to meet the challenges and opportunities in the multiple dimensions of contemporary agricultural, environmental, and sustainability science disciplines. Specifically, the AESS program targets students wishing to pursue a graduate degree with the intention of entering the work force and contributing their expertise towards sustainable agriculture, stewardship of natural resources and ecosystem services, or the development of sustainable systems in general. This multidisciplinary degree program is designed to provide a rigorous applied and theoretical education in the natural and social sciences with emphasis on the causes and consequences of land use change and other anthropogenic and natural forces across Texas coastal watersheds and beyond. Students graduating from the program will be prepared to take on decision-making positions in a wide range of governmental agencies and NGOs. Students can expect a broad set of science careers, within and beyond academia, including private and public sector organizations concerned with agriculture, environmental conditions, or sustainability, or which recognize that food systems, watersheds, biodiversity, and functional ecosystems are fundamentally important to our societies.
Admission Requirements
To be admitted to the graduate program, prospective candidates must first meet all requirements for graduate admission to UT Rio Grande Valley, as well as the other requirements listed below:
- Bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution in the United States or a recognized international equivalent in a similar or related field.
- Undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0 in the last 60 semester credit hours.
- GRE General Test. GRE test scores are valid for 5 years. A waiver of the GRE requirement will be granted to applicants who show proof of completing a graduate degree (master’s or doctoral).
Application for admission must be submitted prior to the published deadline. The application is available at www.utrgv.edu/gradapply.
Program Requirements
Required Core Courses (4 Credits)
| EEMS 6100 | Systems Science and Applications Seminar | 1 |
| EEMS 6300 | Ecosystem Management and Social-Ecological Resilliency | 3 |
Required Electives (6 Credits)
Students must take two of the three courses listed. The third, if taken, will count as a Restricted Elective - Group 1
Restricted Electives – Group 1 (8-20 Credits)
Notes:
All ‘Advanced Topics’ courses in ENVR, GEOL, or MARS are included
EEMS 6385: No more than 6 hours can be counted towards the thesis track
Restricted Electives – Group 2 (0-12 Credits)
Approval from the Graduate Advisory Committee (GAC) is required to take the courses listed Below. Courses not on this list may be counted with the approval of the GAC or Program Coordinator.
Capstone Requirement
Thesis (6 Credits)
Non-Thesis
Total Credit Hours: 36