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What Can I Expect from an Online Master’s in Environmental Management Program?
With an online master’s in environmental management, you can expect to find a distance learning program that makes it easy to advance your career in a way that works for you. Attendance policies often allow you to engage at times and on days that work best for you, making it possible to hold down a full-time job as you earn your degree. You can expect a curriculum that meets the same standards as traditional on-campus college programs so that you sacrifice nothing for the added convenience and may even pay less for your degree. Before you decide which program to enroll in, compare several to ensure you choose the one that will help you meet your professional goals and has requirements that work with your lifestyle.
Available concentrations
In some programs, you can focus on an area that interests you. Undertaking a concentration allows you to dive deeply into a specific aspect of environmental management, which may make you a more desirable candidate for some positions after graduation. Here are a few of the concentrations you may find in your online program in environmental management.
Sustainability: Explores the relationship between environmental resource management and sustainability, the management of social, economic, and ecological systems, and recognizes an entity’s ability to sustain itself and its environmental system. Graduates with this concentration may work as environmental managers, sustainability managers, or environmental or resource planning agents in an office or field setting.
Ecosystem science and conservation: Covers management and policy issues facing natural resource conservation efforts with an in-depth look at natural science. This concentration equips individuals for jobs such as environmental manager, environmental lobbyist, or conservation consultant.
Common degree curriculum
When choosing an online master’s in environmental management program, remember that the curriculum offered by different schools is likely to vary. It’s essential to look for a program supporting your career goals by including courses focusing on your professional interests. Be aware that some online programs may consist of a few classes that require on-campus attendance, and these may not work for you if they are out of your local range.
The concentration you choose also affects your overall curriculum, but there are some courses that most programs include. When pursuing your graduate degree in environmental management, you may encounter courses such as:
Ecosystem Science: Explores the principles of ecosystems, including biodiversity, species-area relationships, patterns and processes, whole-system metabolism, and food web interactions.
Economics of Environmental Management: Studies how natural resource economics relates to various environmental challenges.
Environmental Law and Policy: Examines environmental laws and policies, including how they are created, passed, and enforced.
Water Resources Management: Discusses the factors involved in today’s water resource planning, including legal aspects, current challenges, distribution, and management.
Certification and license preparation
Although certification is optional for many positions in the field of environmental management, earning a certification can show your potential employer that you have a set of skills that an accrediting organization has vetted. Here are two certifications that may be beneficial for environmental management graduates:
Registered Environmental Manager: The REM certification is granted through the National Registry of Environmental Professionals and provides the certification needed to manage environmental health and safety projects.
Certified Environmental Professional: The CEP is offered by the Academy of Board-Certified Environmental Professionals and identifies environmental professionals who have established themselves as experts in their field. Certification is obtained by following the rigorous qualifying standards, including nine years of professional experience in the field, with five of those years in a supervisory or managerial position.
Program accreditation
Before enrolling in an online master’s program in environmental management, ensure the program or school has accreditation from a respected agency. Accreditation shows that the education offered meets or exceeds the agency’s standards, providing your training prepares you for job placement. Accreditation is essential when it comes to licensing and certification because many organizations don’t recognize a degree from a school that isn’t accredited. Some employers also turn away applicants who obtained their degrees from non-accredited schools.
When checking for accreditation, remember three types of accrediting agencies exist. National accrediting agencies, like the U.S. Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) or the Department of Education, offer the designation to schools that meet the country’s educational standards. Regional agencies, such as the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools or the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, limit themselves to overseeing the schools in their designated region. Accreditation from one of the six regional agencies shows that the school meets the agency’s standards. It makes it much easier to transfer any credits you earn to another accredited school should you need to switch institutions. Finally, some programs may receive accreditation from industry-specific agencies. These agencies are looking for programs that provide the necessary training to turn students into competent professionals.
Program completion timeframe
Calculating the time needed to complete an online master’s in environmental management program depends on several factors. Most programs require between 30 and 48 credit hours and were developed for full-time students to complete in two years. Part-time students will need to extend that timeline and allow for additional semesters to make up for the fewer credit hours taken at once. Accelerated programs can cut completion time to as little as one year by increasing the course load each semester. While this can help students earn their degrees faster, it can be rigorous and potentially unsuitable for anyone with significant work or personal obligations.
The curriculum structure also makes an impact, so you’ll want to check to see if the program you select is synchronous or asynchronous. Synchronous programs follow a fixed schedule and generally only include one or two possible start dates a year. It also means you may have to wait for the next start date after you enroll, and you will then move through the program at a set pace with your peers. An asynchronous structure is self-paced and often offers several start dates throughout the year — sometimes as many as one each month. This program can be started almost immediately, and you can set your own pace while working through the curriculum.
Employment Outlook for Master’s in Environmental Management Graduates
Earning your master’s degree in environmental management shows professional dedication, a trait many employers look for when filling an open position. The additional education that comes with a master’s degree gives you an edge over those with just a bachelor’s degree.
The experience and knowledge you bring to the table significantly impact the amount of money you earn with an environmental management career. Taking the time to earn your master’s degree adds to your knowledge and experience, giving you the tools to negotiate a higher salary.
Completing your online master’s in environmental management program opens the door to various professional opportunities. Along with building a career that helps protect the environment, your advanced degree allows you to move up within your organization or seek a better position with another company.
An environmental scientist leans on the principles of the natural sciences to protect the environment and improve human health. This is done by analyzing collected data to identify environmental threats and developing plans to solve ecological issues. Environmental scientists often work with businesses and government officials to influence policy.
Environmental engineers approach environmental problems using scientific principles from biology, engineering, soil science, and chemistry. Environmental engineers may work on air pollution control, recycling, public health, water pollution control, and waste disposal.
Conservation scientists and foresters manage parks, forests, and range land, seeking to improve land quality. They develop plans to address these areas, work with the public to encourage responsible stewardship, monitor forest health, and regulate forest harvesting contracts.
Proving the safety and efficiency of agricultural products is the responsibility of agricultural scientists and food scientists. By analyzing data collected on field crops and farm animals, these scientists develop solutions to improve sustainability and productivity.
Hydrologists focus on water movement on a global scale. They measure the impact of weather patterns on various bodies of water and analyze water’s impact on the environment around it. The information they gather is used to solve issues regarding water availability.
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Professional organizations
Professional organizations offer an excellent way to advance your career through educational and networking opportunities. As an environmental professional, here are a few respected organizations that can provide significant benefits.
National Association of Environmental Professionals: The NAEP is open to all professionals who work in the environmental industry and offers its members career development tools, access to various industry publications and resources, discounts on educational opportunities, and hosted events to promote professional networking.
American Academy of Environmental Engineers & Scientists: The AAEES provides its members with opportunities for professional certification, a comprehensive career center, the latest in industry news, and a variety of hosted professional networking opportunities throughout the year.
Financing Your Online Master’s in Environmental Management Degree
Many online graduate degree programs are cheaper than their on-campus counterparts. However, you may still need financial aid to help pay for your online master’s in environmental management program. If this is the case, your first step should be filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to see if you qualify for government grants and loans. If more is needed, scholarships and private loan options could help cover the cost of your tuition. The resources below can help you begin your search for financial assistance.
Student Finance Resources and Guides
Pulling together the best possible financial aid opportunities can be complex, and you’ll likely have questions as you undertake this process. The following resources can help answer those questions and ensure that you find all possible funding options available to you.
Learn more about online degrees, their start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
