University of Texas at El Paso
AC-4: Graduate Program

Changing climate, environmental damage, population growth, energy demands, and habitat loss have become increasingly dominant in Americans’ minds over the past 50 years. As a result, demand for qualified environmental scientists to assess changing conditions and create positive solutions, has increased tremendously. Even in the current economy, UTEP Environmental Science students have found worth while careers with the Environmental Protection Agency, Texas Commissionon Environmental Quality, Texas Parks and Wildlife, National Park Service, Forest Service, United States Geological Survey, U.S. Army and a host of private companies. UTEP’s program gets students involved in real-world problems with internships and research opportunities. When it comes time to fill in the “experience” section on a job application, UTEP ESCI students have experiences to draw on. All students take the University core curriculum, then begin working within the Environmental Science core. Students choose a concentration area that focuses on Biology, Chemistry, Geoscience, Hydroscience or Environmental Science with a Secondary Education minor. Many of UTEP’s ESCI undergraduates conduct research and present their findings at University colloquiums, regional and national conferences. Students with a bachelors degree in science or engineering can apply for entry into the Environmental Science Masters Program

The program prepares scientists and engineers to address environmental issues facing this region, the nation, and the world. Graduates will be able to apply a cross-disciplinary perspective to the understanding, management and remediation of the human impact on the environment. The coursework provides an in-depth treatment of the current technologies for environmental protection and remediation, as well as imparting fundamental concepts of environmental biology, ecology, geology, chemistry, and civil engineering. The coursework also emphasizes environmental law, policy, and ethics to provide graduates an understanding of the social and political context surrounding environmental issues.

The Interdisciplinary Health Sciences program includes faculty from the fields of Public Health Sciences, Clinical Laboratory Sciences, Nursing, Social Work, Kinesiology, Pharmacy, Physical Therapy, Rehabilitation Counseling, Occupational Therapy, and Speech and Language Pathology. Our faculty conduct research in health and health disparities, with programs investigating diabetes, obesity, infectious diseases, HIV/AIDS, child welfare, maternal health, women's health and aging, exercise, nutrition and diet, end of life care, stress and mental health, family violence, substance abuse, traumatic brain injury and health behavior change. Areas of faculty expertise include biostatistics, computer modeling, advanced qualitative and quantitative research methods, multi-level modeling, epidemiology, and bioethics. Interdisciplinary research poses many special challenges. To ensure that students receive individualized attention and high quality mentorship, we maintain low student to faculty ratios throughout the program. And when relevant, we ensure that our students have ready access to faculty in other colleges from fields such as Psychology, Anthropology, Sociology, Political Science, Economics, Philosophy, Education, Computer Sciences, Engineering and Religious Studies

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Masters of Science in Systems Engineering (MSSE) prepare engineers to use system processes and frameworks to define, develop, implement, and test complex systems for the 21st century. Graduates are able to meet the challenges of understanding and applying new engineering models in constantly changing environments. Complexity in today's engineering projects is driving increasing demand for Systems Engineers with interdisciplinary training. Technology-driven revolutions can only be comprehended with the systems thinking perspective that a systems engineering education provides. Complex systems require integration for coherent effectiveness. Learn how to assure required capabilities and functional performance in demanding environments. The M.S.S.E. program partly consists of four (4) core courses, three (3) courses in a concentration area, free elective(s), and a choice of Thesis or Project Practicum.

This section was completed by a joint effort by the Sustainability Committee and academic department heads at UTEP.