The Accelerated Professional Science Masters degree is designed for qualified students enrolled in the KU Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Arts, or Bachelor of General Studies in Environmental Studies degree track. The program allows students to complete the Professional Science Masters (PSM) in Applied Science graduate degree with a concentration in Environmental Assessment in a single year (five years total for both degrees). Key foci in the science curriculum of this program are environmental impact assessment; soil, air, water, and ecosystems science; environmental health and policy; community and climate resilience; and an understanding of environmental law and policy and the regulatory environment.
The Professional Science Master’s (PSM) is a relatively new interdisciplinary graduate degree that combines advanced coursework in science with a set of professional skills courses (project management, technical writing/communications, financial management), and a capstone/internship experience. The environmental assessment graduate program combines physical and natural science, resilience, and sustainability principles with project management and communications training to develop science professionals with the skills to accurately collect, synthesize, and clearly communicate data, develop and implement solutions, and successfully lead teams. The PSM is designed for graduates who will be employed in private firms, public agencies, and not-for-profit organizations that address a range of environmental issues.
Admission to Graduate Studies
An applicant seeking to pursue graduate study in the College may be admitted as either a degree-seeking or non-degree seeking student. Policies and procedures of Graduate Studies govern the process of Graduate admission. These may be found in the Graduate Studies section of the online catalog.
Please consult the Departments & Programs section of the online catalog for information regarding program-specific admissions criteria and requirements. Special admissions requirements pertain to Interdisciplinary Studies degrees, which may be found in the Graduate Studies section of the online catalog.
Application Deadlines for FAST-TRACK:
An applicant seeking to pursue graduate study in the College may be admitted as either a degree-seeking or non-degree seeking student. Policies and procedures of Graduate Studies govern the process of Graduate admission. These may be found in the Graduate Studies section of the online catalog.
Early Conditional Admission to the Accelerated Fast Track:
Students apply to the Accelerated Applied Science PSM Program with a concentration in Environmental Assessment (PSM-EA) in the spring of their junior year for permission to start the Accelerated track. However, acceptance to the track does not guarantee acceptance to the Applied Science PSM graduate program the following year.
Requirements for Early Conditional Admission (second semester, Junior Year):
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All requirements for a B.S., B.A., or B.G.S. degree in Environmental Studies from KU in progress with a 3.2 GPA or above;
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Two letters of recommendation from faculty qualified to judge the student’s preparation for, and potential to successfully complete, the accelerated track; at least one of the letters must be from an EVRN faculty member;
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Statement of interest: This 1-2 page narrative should succinctly summarize your education, employment history (if applicable), your long‐term career goals, and how the accelerated degree program will help you achieve these goals.
Upon acceptance by the Program to the accelerated track, the student will meet with the PSM-EA Program Director, the PSM Graduate Advisor, and the Undergraduate Advisor for Environmental Studies to plan the final year of undergraduate courses, graduate courses to be taken for elective undergraduate credit, and outline the schedule of courses.
In the final semester of their senior year, a student on the accelerated track must contact the PSM-EA Graduate Advisor to finalize the application process to the Applied Science PSM-EA graduate program. In the final semester of undergraduate study (Year 4), the student will meet with the PSM-EA Program Director, the PSM Graduate Advisor, and the Undergraduate Advisor for Environmental Studies together to review the student’s performance in the PSM-EA graduate courses taken for elective undergraduate credit. To continue in the track, students must earn a combined minimum GPA of 3.0 in the 9 credit hours of undergraduate courses, with a grade of "B" or better attained in each course.
Following completion and award of the undergraduate degree (end of Year 4), the admitted student will again meet with the PSM-EA Program Director and the PSM Graduate Advisor to review the courses taken in the final year of undergraduate studies and review/update the course plan for the fifth year of study.
If the baccalaureate degree is not completed at the end of Year 4, the student will not be permitted to enroll in courses for graduate credit toward the PSM-EA degree until the baccalaureate degree has been conferred.
Degree Requirements:
The KU Environmental Studies accelerated undergraduate-graduate degree track allows qualified EVRN B.S. students to graduate in 5 years with a Professional Science Masters in Environmental Assessment. The fast-track PSM provides excellent KU undergraduates in Environmental Studies an opportunity to complete an PSM in Professional Science Masters-Environmental Assessment within a year of completing the bachelor’s degree.
- Upon acceptance by the Program to the 4+1 track, the student will meet with the PSM-EA Program Director, the PSM Graduate Advisor, and the Undergraduate Advisor for Environmental Studies to plan the final year of undergraduate courses, graduate courses to be taken for elective undergraduate credit, and outline the schedule of courses.
- Prior to applying for graduate admission in the final spring semester of undergraduate study (Year 4), the student will meet with the PSM-EA Program Director, the PSM Graduate Advisor, and the Undergraduate Advisor for Environmental Studies together to review the student’s performance in the PSM-EA graduate courses taken for elective undergraduate credit during the summer and/or fall. A grade of “B” or better must be attained in these courses to continue in the track.
- Following completion and award of the undergraduate degree (end of Spring Semester Year 4), the admitted student will again meet with the PSM-EA Program Director and the PSM Graduate Advisor to review the courses taken in the final year of undergraduate studies and review/update the course plan for the fifth year of study. The student’s performance in the graduate courses taken for elective undergraduate credit will be evaluated. To continue in the track, students must earn a combined minimum GPA of 3.0 in the 9 credit hours of undergraduate courses.
- If the baccalaureate degree is not completed at the end of Year 4, the student will not be permitted to enroll in courses for graduate credit toward the PSM-EA degree until the baccalaureate degree has been conferred.
Students must complete all requirements for the PSM-EA 4+1 within 1 year post-bachelor’s. If a student does not complete the requirements within 1 year post-bachelor’s, or is at any time determined to be ineligible to continue on the accelerated track, the student may petition the program for admission to the standard 33-hour PSM-EA degree track. Upon acceptance, students will be expected to either 1) repeat for graduate credit PSM coursework taken only for undergraduate credit, or 2) take additional elective coursework to complete the 33 hours. Specific coursework requirements in each case will be by agreement with the adviser.
Total minimum credit hours required (9 of these credit hours will be completed for undergraduate credit) is 33 hours.
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| PMGT 833 | | |
| ENTR 701 | Building Entrepreneurial Competency | 3 |
| ACCT 708 | | 3 |
| COMS 730 | Writing and Speaking for Decision Makers | 3 |
| or COMS 811 | Applied Organization Communication |
| EVRN 616 | Environmental Impact Assessment | 3 |
| EVRN 721 | Environmental Regulation and Policy | 3 |
| 6 |
| Water Quality, Land Use, and Watershed Ecosystems | |
| Soil Science for Environmental Assessment | |
| Environmental Air Quality Assessment | |
| |
| |
| Professional Science Masters Environmental Assessment Capstone II | |
| Total Hours | 30 |
