University of Oregon
AC-4: Graduate Program

The Environmental Studies Program offers a master of science (M.S.) or master of arts (M.A.) degree in Environmental Studies and a doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) in Environmental Sciences, Studies, and Policy (ESSP) that includes Environmental Humanities.

Our graduate programs are interdisciplinary, drawing on resources and faculty throughout the university, including the Schools of Arts and Sciences; Architecture and Allied Arts; Journalism and Communication; and Law. Currently, more than 100 faculty members from thirty different departments and programs are officially affiliated with Environmental Studies. These faculty have research and teaching interests in environmental issues ranging from the global to the local, including climate change, conservation biology, ecocriticism, ecology, endangered species conservation, environmental economics, environmental ethics, environmental law, green architecture and design, land use planning, marine resources, political ecology, public land management, sustainability, transportation, urban growth, water resources, and many other areas.

Students and faculty often collaborate with the numerous environment-related research centers on campus, including the Center for Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, the Ecological Design Center, the Environmental and Natural Resources Law Program, the Institute for a Sustainable Environment, and the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology.

Our graduate curriculum emphasizes flexible and individualized degree-planning. We encourage innovative and interdisciplinary work culminating in first-rate scholarship and creative projects in subjects ranging from biology, geography and psychology to environmental humanities and policy studies. Students design a course plan tailored to their individual goals and interests and select faculty mentors from across the university to advise them in developing and completing their projects and theses. Students may also take courses and work with faculty at our partner institutions, Oregon State University and Portland State University. Many of our students pursue concurrent degrees in law; planning, public policy, and management; landscape architecture, and other fields.

Our program attracts exceptionally strong students who excel academically, are self-motivated, and typically have a range of experiences beyond their academic training, such as environmentally-related internships, employment, or volunteer work. Students in the program enjoy a strong sense of community that fosters lifelong friendships and collaborations.

Most graduate students in Environmental Studies receive funding for all or part of their graduate study. Doctoral students are funded jointly by Environmental Studies and the student’s focal department for the length of time that is typical within the focal department.

Graduates of our program work in national, state, and local government as well as national and regional environmental organizations, and many have pursued careers in research and teaching at leading colleges and universities. See our alumni page to find out more about what our alumni are doing now.

The Department of Landscape Architecture at the University of Oregon is a national leader in design education, with a particular reputation for social responsibility and ecological stewardship. Landscape Architecture is an environmental design discipline of broad scope whose central concern is the wise use of land. As a profession, it includes the detailed development of land and sites of all sizes and uses, as well as planning activities, both of which rest on a foundation of ecological understanding that views human value systems as a major force in landscape making. The discipline is growing from a primarily professional field to one that supports scholarship and research, thus changing its role and mission in the academic community and in society. As a result of this growth, a doctoral degree is rapidly becoming preferred for university faculty and professional positions in the field.
The Program

The doctoral program in landscape architecture offers opportunities for advanced study and scholarship with a focus on ecological landscape planning and design, which encompasses a range of spatial scales and cultural contexts. Planning and design are mutually supportive activities and their integration is essential for achieving long-term land use goals. An ecological approach to these subjects focuses on how landscape pattern, process, and change interact to create land mosaics that maintain the diversity of life and the foundations for human well being. Our doctoral program is designed to engage these issues through spirited analysis, critique, and prescription of landscapes in Oregon, the United States and throughout the world. Depending on their background and research goals, students can expect to complete their degree in three to six years, which includes time for required coursework, qualifying exams, and completion of a dissertation. For each incoming doctoral student, we will provide at least two years of tuition and fee waivers, two years of stipend, and health insurance. Students also have the opportunity to teach and to participate in ongoing research projects.

Graduate studies at the Department of Planning, Public Policy and Management department are interdisciplinary and focused on leadership development. Our graduates have a fundamental and diverse understanding of economic, environmental, fiscal, physical, political, and social characteristics of a community. As a result, our graduates are well-equipped to provide leadership, enhance the capacity of communities and to enact change.

Master of Community and Regional Planning

The master's program in community and regional planning (MCRP) trains policy-oriented planners for leadership positions in the public, non-profit and private sector. The program differs from public policy programs primarily in its focus on spatial issues including but not limited to building form and land use. The program is ideal for students seeking a challenging education with an emphasis on both the long-term principles and practical skills necessary for a professional career.

Architecture, http://architecture.uoregon.edu/content/about-masters-degrees
Biology, http://biology.uoregon.edu/graduate/grad.php
Environmental and Natural Resource Law, http://enr.uoregon.edu
Green Business, http://business.uoregon.edu/mba/
Green Chemistry, http://pages.uoregon.edu/chem/

OLIS (Oregon Leadership in Sustainability) is a one-year professional graduate certificate program that will give you the knowledge and skills to help cities adapt to the urgent challenges of the future. We have a sustainability-based curriculum that includes applied projects and a focus on leadership.

OLIS is designed for students from diverse backgrounds who want to prepare for sustainability careers in the public, private and nonprofit sectors. You will be immersed in an interdisciplinary learning community with an emphasis on practical experiences and applied knowledge.

Our focus is on enabling students to become change agents for resilient cities and to be leaders in addressing the critical sustainability issues of climate change, green economies, ecosystem services, green infrastructure and social justice.

Key elements of OLIS are:

- Practicums working with clients to solve real-world sustainability problems
- Leadership seminar including facilitation skills, communication techniques and strategies for effecting change
- Nine months of full-time study (exceptions on a case-by-case basis)
- All OLIS students take core classes together throughout the year
- Core classes are taught by UO faculty at the Eugene campus
- Elective courses from other UO programs including Environmental Studies, Geography, Sociology, Political Science, Planning, Architecture and Business Management

The Ecological Design Certificate is a design-based, interdisciplinary program focused on the development of a practical framework for the integration of the built environment with locale and region specific natural systems. It is available to all graduate students within the School of Architecture and Allied Arts. Participating students are challenged to develop an in-depth understanding of the relationships between ecological processes, issues of cultural and social sustainability, and urban development and form, as well as how allied design and planning disciplines approach these relationships. Students will acquire a theoretical and pragmatic basis to carry these understandings into the world of practice.

The School of Architecture and Allied Arts at the University of Oregon has a national reputation as a leader in sustainable and ecologically sensitive design. The Ecological Design Certificate Program provides an explicit curricular structure in this area, encouraging students to develop a holistic, ecologically-based design awareness, solidifying the commitment of the University to ecological design, and promoting and upholding its capacity for leadership in the field.

Sustainable business practices are gaining relevance at lightning speeds as more and more businesses evaluate their environmental impact. Oregon Law’s Green Business Law concentration prepares students to enter this emerging field by immersing them in a rich, interdisciplinary curriculum. Students interested in the environment and natural resources law should also consider concurrently pursuing an Environmental Law concentration to complement their legal education.