Grow your career and be the solution with a Professional Science Master’s in Ecosystem Sustainability
Do you want to advance your career while making a meaningful impact on climate change and sustainability? The Professional Science Master’s (PSM) in Ecosystem Sustainability might be for you!
The PSM is an 18-month sustainability graduate degree where you specialize in one of three in-demand areas – carbon management, water resources, or sustainable food systems.
No thesis required. Instead, students complete a 400-hour internship with an industry partner where they gain on-the-job experience and professional connections that lead to meaningful employment.
Our cohort is small, allowing you to make rich and lasting connections with peers and faculty. For students in Colorado and the qualifying WICHE states (AK, AZ, CA, HI, NM, ID, MT, WY, ND, SD, WA, OR, UT, NV) your tuition could be as little as $16,000 a year.
Get in touch today to see if this program could help you achieve your goals!
36 credits
3-4 semesters
In as little as 1.5 years, you can build a toolkit to help protect our water supply, reach net zero carbon emissions, or reform our agricultural practices.
Learn applied skills that industries, governments, and communities need right now, like carbon accounting, data science, hydrology, life cycle analysis, and policy review.
Small cohorts &
focused mentorship
Our cohort is small, allowing you to build lasting personal and professional relationships and gain the interdisciplinary problem-solving skills necessary to make real change.
You will be assigned a faculty advisor specializing in your area of expertise who helps you to design an educational path that meets your career goals.
Average in-state
tuition: $16k/yr
If you are a Colorado resident, or currently a resident of a qualifying WICHE state like California, Montana, Arizona, Wyoming, or New Mexico, your tuition is as little as $16,000 a year. This is nearly half the cost of many of our competitor programs!
Visit CSU’s financial aid site to learn more about the current cost of attendance.
Internship instead
of a thesis
Instead of writing a thesis, apply your growing skills in a professional internship with partners like the United Nations and the American Carbon Registry.
Your internship prepares you for jobs that are more important than ever, like Sustainability Managers, Climate Data Analysts, Carbon Accountants, and Water Resource Managers.
Are you a current CSU undergrad?
Save time and money by earning a Bachelor’s and a Professional Science Master’s
in just 5 years with our Accelerated Master’s Program!
Evaluate social-environmental connections in ecosystem processes.
Develop sustainable management strategies to maintain ecosystems.
Advocate for policies enhancing ecosystem sustainability.
Lead interdisciplinary teams in a professional environment.
At one of the nation’s top ranked schools for sustainability.
Degree Specializations
Students choose between three different specializations in high-demand areas essential to addressing the climate crisis. Our highly customizable program allows degree candidates to tailor their education to their interests and career goals.
Carbon
Management
- Tackle carbon and climate change.
- Explore greenhouse gas policies and lawmaking, climate change science, and estimation of greenhouse gas footprints.
- Learn from globally-lauded faculty in greenhouse gas and carbon management.
- Prepare for a career solving the climate crisis in government, carbon registry, non-profit organizations, environmental consulting firms, carbon capture, and more.
Carbon Sustainability Track
Semester 1
ESS 501 – Principles of Ecosystem Sustainability
Foundational course for understanding the cutting edge of sustainability work across a broad range of domains.
ESS 524* – Foundations for C/Greehouse Gas Management
Essential concepts for understanding greenhouse gas emissions management and accounting.
ESS 542* – Greenhouse Gas Policies
Rules, regulations, and standards for greenhouse gas management and accounting.
ESS 696 – Group Study
Field course for all incoming students; includes R bootcamp
STAR 511 – Design and Data Analysis for Researchers I: R Software
Statistical methods for experimenters/researchers emphasizing design and analysis of experiments using R software.
Foundational Elective
Suggested:
ESS 505 – International Climate Negotiations
ESS 506 – Virtual International Climate Negotiations
ESS 582 – Study Abroad: UN Climate Change Conference
Semester 2
ESS 545 – Applications in Greenhouse Gas Inventories
Overview of methods for estimating greenhouse gas emissions and mitigation potential for agriculture and forestry activities.
ESS 555* – Life Cycle Assessment for Sustainability
The quantitative and qualitative measure of cradle-to-grave impacts of products and services on the environment, the economy, and society.
ESS 587 – Internship
400-hour professional internship with a community partner.
Foundational Elective
Semester 3
ESS 543* – Global Climate Change
Climate change science, climate change impacts, and climate change mitigation, including discussions of current topics in climate change.
Foundational Elective
Data or Quantitative Analysis Elective
*Required for the Graduate Certificate in Carbon Management
Carbon Data Science Track
Semester 1
ESS 524* – Foundations for C/Greehouse Gas Management
Essential concepts for understanding greenhouse gas emissions management and accounting.
ESS 542* – Greenhouse Gas Policies
Rules, regulations, and standards for greenhouse gas management and accounting.
ESS 696 – Group Study
Field course for all incoming students; includes R bootcamp
STAR 511 – Design and Data Analysis for Researchers I: R Software
Statistical methods for experimenters/researchers emphasizing design and analysis of experiments using R software.
Semester 2
ESS 545 – Applications in Greenhouse Gas Inventories
Overview of methods for estimating greenhouse gas emissions and mitigation potential for agriculture and forestry activities.
ESS 555* – Life Cycle Assessment for Sustainability
The quantitative and qualitative measure of cradle-to-grave impacts of products and services on the environment, the economy, and society.
ESS 587 – Internship
400-hour professional internship with a community partner.
ESS 523a – Environmental Data Science: Intro
Introduction to methods and practical applications of environmental data science.
Semester 3
ESS 543* – Global Climate Change
Climate change science, climate change impacts, and climate change mitigation, including discussions of current topics in climate change.
ESS 696 – Group Study
Carbon focused project with Dr. Stephen Ogle
Foundational Elective
Data or Quantitative Analysis Elective
*Required for the Graduate Certificate in Carbon Management
Sustainable Food Systems
- Understand the scope and interdisciplinarity of food systems.
- Evaluate key sustainability issues in sustainable food systems and the relationships between food systems and climate, water, and energy.
- Analyze food system data to design strategies that improve sustainability outcomes.
- Prepare for a career in regenerative agriculture, consulting on sustainability targets, policy, advocacy and more.
Water
Resources
- Solve water resource issues.
- Explore emerging field methods and fundamental concepts in watershed science, land-use impacts, and effective watershed management.
- Learn from unparalleled faculty expertise in watershed science.
- Prepare for a career as a federal hydrologist, city water manager, sustainability officer, environmental consultant, restoration manager, watershed sustainability specialist and more.
Water Sustainability Science Track
Semester 1
ESS 696 – Group Study
This one-week pre-Fall semester course introduces student to core skillsets required to succeed in the program including data analysis with R, professional development, and community building.
STAR 511 – Design and Data Analysis for Researchers I: R Software
Pre-requisite for core statistical concepts and essential statistical analysis skills. Statistical methods for experimenters/researchers emphasizing design and analysis of experiments using R software.
ESS 501 – Principles of Ecosystem Sustainability
Intro to principles of ecosystem sustainability. Students will investigate and develop case studies.
WR 416 – Land Use Hydrology
Fundamental concepts in hydrology and effects of land use on hydrologic processes. Core course for understanding hydrologic change.
WR 512* – Water Law for Non-Lawyers
Intro to laws and policies that govern the allocation and use of water in Colorado, the west, and the U.S.Critical legal framework for water resource management.
Semester 2
WR 418 – Land Use and Water Quality
Physical, chemical, biological water quality parameters affecting land use; land management to maintain water quality; water quality standards, legislation. Essential content for water quality management.
AREC 542 – Applied Advanced Water Resource Economics
Theory and application of economics in water resource planning. Foundational course work for understanding financial management of water resources.
ESS 587 – Internship
400-hour professional internship with a community partner.
Semester 3
STAR 513 – Regression Model for Researchers
Model estimation and goodness of fit for linear models; confidence intervals for prediction and estimation; lack of fit, model diagnostics, transformations, model selection, influential observations, collinearity, interaction, polynomial regression, regression with dummy variables, weighted least squares, imputation.
Data or Quantitative Analysis Elective
Suggested any course from Graduate Certificate in Data Analysis
Foundational Elective
Foundational Elective
* Required for Graduate Certificate in Water Resources
Water Data Science Track
Semester 1
ESS 696 – Group Study
This one-week pre-Fall semester course introduces student to core skillsets required to succeed in the program including data analysis with R, professional development, and community building.
STAR 511 – Design and Data Analysis for Researchers I: R Software
Pre-requisite for core statistical concepts and essential statistical analysis skills. Statistical methods for experimenters/researchers emphasizing design and analysis of experiments using R software.
ESS 501 – Principles of Ecosystem Sustainability
Intro to principles of ecosystem sustainability. Students will investigate and develop case studies.
WR 416 – Land Use Hydrology
Fundamental concepts in hydrology and effects of land use on hydrologic processes. Core course for understanding hydrologic change.
WR 512 – Water Law for Non-Lawyers
Intro to laws and policies that govern the allocation and use of water in Colorado, the west, and the U.S.Critical legal framework for water resource management.
Semester 2
ESS 523a – Environmental Data Science: Intro
Introduction to methods and practical applications of environmental data science. Core material to be a successful environmental data scientist.
ESS 523c – Environmental Data Science: Water Applications
Hydrology specific environmental data science concepts, applications, and algorithms. Advanced material for hydroinformatics.
WR 418 – Land Use and Water Quality
Physical, chemical, biological water quality parameters affecting land use; land management to maintain water quality; water quality standards, legislation. Essential content for water quality management.
AREC 542 – Applied Advanced Water Resource Economics
Theory and application of economics in water resource planning. Foundational course work for understanding financial management of water resources.
ESS 587 – Internship
400-hour professional internship with a community partner.
Semester 3
STAR 513 – Regression Model for Researchers
Model estimation and goodness of fit for linear models; confidence intervals for prediction and estimation; lack of fit, model diagnostics, transformations, model selection, influential observations, collinearity, interaction, polynomial regression, regression with dummy variables, weighted least squares, imputation.
Data or Quantitative Analysis Elective
Suggested any course from Graduate Certificate in Data Analysis
Foundational Elective
Foundational Elective
Certificate Programs
Professional Science Master’s students can choose from several different technical certificates to enhance their education and gain a competitive edge in the sustainability management industry. We currently offer the following certificates, with others forthcoming.
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