California State University, Fullerton
AC-4: Graduate Program

The Environmental Studies (ENST) Program opened its doors in the late 1960’s and awarded its first degree in the early 1970’s and is still going strong today. It represents a large and academically diverse inter-disciplinary graduate program for students wishing to obtain a Master of Science in Environmental Studies. The breadth and flexibility of the ENST Program has acted as a magnet for academically and professionally high-quality students.

Rather than conforming to a rigidly-defined curriculum, students are encouraged to craft a graduate study plan that meets both the core requirements of the ENST Program, and allows them to pursue courses in other departments that suit their own vocational or intellectual goals.

The Program has been able to draw on excellent instructors and mentors from an array of departments (e.g. biology, economics, geography, geology, history, sociology, and others), and on a pool of highly trained environmental professionals from local and regional government, as well as private environmental firms.

The Master of Science in Environmental Engineering is an online engineering master degree that will educate and prepare the future leaders in environmentally related fields. The structure of the program is based on a cohort model in which students move through the 2-year curriculum as a group. The course schedule will be based on four 16-week semesters and one eight-week summer session. The online format creates an environment where much learning occurs through completion of individual and team projects and analysis of case studies.

This program will provide students with practical information and technical knowledge on contemporary environmental topics and issues including potable water treatment, wastewater treatment and disposal, water reclamation and reuse, stormwater runoff management and treatment, solid and hazardous waste management, remediation of contaminated groundwater and soil, landfill design, air pollution control engineering, global warming issues, and sustainable development. Students will be trained for consulting companies, industries, or as officials for local governments as well as state or federal regulatory agencies. At the end of this degree program, students will be prepared to sit for the professional engineering exam in environmental engineering.

The Evolutionary Anthropology's Coverdell Fellows Program at CSUF offers returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) an opportunity to extend their passion for service to local underserved communities here at home, while earning a Master’s Degree in Anthropology. This program offers its Coverdell Fellows a comprehensive graduate level training designed to provide a solid academic context into which their service and experiences with the Peace Corps, and their Coverdell internships, can be organized and structured to provide a foundation from which to frame their future career choices and goals.

Our program values the cross-cultural experiences of RPCVs. An appreciation and respect for other cultures and peoples, and cross-cultural experiences, are fundamental to graduate work in Anthropology. Evolutionary Anthropology Program faculty are actively engaged in cross-cultural research, and are recognized experts in the areas of public health, food, nutrition, demography, environmental studies, social organization, conflict, cooperation, reproduction, agriculture, conservation, and other related fields. For their MA thesis or project, Fellows will be able to include information and experiences from their Peace Corps service, can return to their Peace Corps service host country to conduct additional fieldwork, or work in underserved communities in Southern California as part of our Urban Agriculture Community-based Research Experience (U-ACRE) program.