Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 65.92
Liaison Christie-Joy Hartman
Submission Date Dec. 21, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

James Madison University
AC-4: Graduate Program

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.00 / 3.00 Jeffrey Tang
Associate Dean
College of Integrated Science and Engineering
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution offer at least one sustainability-focused major, degree program, or the equivalent for graduate students (I.e. an interdisciplinary academic program that concentrates on sustainability as an integrated concept)?:
Yes

Name of the sustainability-focused graduate-level degree program:
Integrated Science and Technology, Sustainable Environmental Resources Management Concentration, M.S.

A brief description of the graduate-level degree program:

A version of the ISAT master's degree is offered as a dual degree, international master's program jointly with the University of Malta and is supported by JMU's Center for Global Engagement. This 42-credit hour program offers a specialized course of study in environmental management and sustainability and is taught entirely in Malta as an accelerated 12-month degree program. Both JMU and University of Malta faculty contribute equally to instruction and project or thesis supervision. Students who successfully complete the degree requirements are awarded a Master of Science degree from each university.

The M.S. in ISAT with a concentration in environmental management and sustainability is designed to build holistic thinking and problem solving using systems perspectives on environmental and sustainability challenges. The curriculum explores principles of sustainability science from Earth systems, natural resource and societal perspectives. It also builds a suite of analytical methods and competencies including GIS, cross-cultural project management, field techniques and statistics. Elective course work builds depth through specialized classes in additional analytical methods, policy analysis, and resource conservation and management. Students broadly focus on either natural resource conservation (such as biodiversity, water resources or agricultural resources) or on sustainable technology management (such as energy conservation or industrial processes). Electives are selected in consultation with, and approved by, the student's graduate adviser to help students build a coherent and meaningful program of study.


The website URL for the graduate-level degree program:
Name of the sustainability-focused, graduate-level degree program (2nd program):
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A brief description of the graduate degree program (2nd program):
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The website URL for the graduate degree program (2nd program):
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Name of the sustainability-focused, graduate-level degree program (3rd program):
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A brief description of the graduate degree program (3rd program):
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The website URL for the graduate degree program (3rd program):
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The name and website URLs of all other sustainability-focused graduate-level degree programs:
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Does the institution offer one or more graduate-level sustainability-focused minors, concentrations or certificates?:
Yes

Name of the graduate-level sustainability-focused minor, concentration or certificate:
Communication and Advocacy, Environmental Communication Concentration, M.A.

A brief description of the graduate minor, concentration or certificate:

As part of their requirements for an M.A. in Communication and Advocacy, students will select a concentrated area of study: Health Communication or Environmental Communication. In each concentration, research, theory and practical application are combined to help students develop communication strategies and research designs associated with positive health outcomes and successful negotiation of the health care system, as well as the development and promotion of local to global action steps with the potential to positively shape environmental quality of life levels across local, regional, national and international living spaces. Graduate students in health and environmental communication advocacy will develop and refine knowledge and skills essential to becoming more effective health and environmental communication advocates, health and environmental communication research investigators, and health and environmental communication research consumers.

Graduate students interested in specializing in environmental communication will complete course work focusing on the multifaceted nature of environmental advocacy, key forums through which competing local to international interests are identified, contested, and managed, as well as how various levels of risk are framed, challenged, and negotiated. Students graduating with a concentration in environmental communication will be prepared to work in a variety of nonprofit, government and corporate settings constructing and evaluating environmental campaigns, facilitating organizational and group decision making about issues related to environmental practices, communicating effectively with varied stakeholders with conflicting interests, and educating and motivating diverse audiences regarding environmental interests.


The website URL for the graduate minor, concentration or certificate:
Name of the graduate-level sustainability-focused minor, concentration or certificate (2nd program):
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A brief description of the graduate minor, concentration or certificate (2nd program):
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The website URL for the graduate minor, concentration or certificate (2nd program):
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Name of the graduate-level sustainability-focused minor, concentration or certificate (3rd program):
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A brief description of the graduate minor, concentration or certificate (3rd program):
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The website URL for the graduate minor, concentration or certificate (3rd program):
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The name and website URLs of all other graduate-level, sustainability-focused minors, concentrations and certificates:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

Information from JMU Graduate Catalog 2017-18

Responsible party for M.S. in ISAT: Dr. Maria Papadakis, Professor, Department of Integrated Science and Technology.

Responsible party for concentration in environmental communication: Dr. Peter Bsumek, Professor, School of Communication Studies

Reviewed by: Dr. Jeffrey Tang, Associate Dean, College of Integrated Science and Engineering


Information from JMU Graduate Catalog 2017-18

Responsible party for M.S. in ISAT: Dr. Maria Papadakis, Professor, Department of Integrated Science and Technology.

Responsible party for concentration in environmental communication: Dr. Peter Bsumek, Professor, School of Communication Studies

Reviewed by: Dr. Jeffrey Tang, Associate Dean, College of Integrated Science and Engineering

The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.