Grad Programs – Environmental Politics & Policy

The Political Science Graduate Program is unique in its emphasis: In addition to the main areas of Political Science, ours is a political science program that also concentrates on the study of environmental politics and policy. From an early focus on Western U.S. Natural Resource Policy, our environmental expertise has grown to cover the breadth of domestic and global environmental politics and policy.

Our Doctoral Program is now part of the Western Regional Graduate Program consortium. This is a program of the Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education and includes unique programs of high quality. As a result of membership students from the 14 member states (not including California) can pay in-state tuition while attending our program. We hope that this will make it easier for some of your students to attend our program. For more information please visit http://www.wiche.edu/SEP/WRGP/index.asp.

Because of its focus and quality, the program welcomes and attracts M.A. and Ph.D. candidates from diverse academic backgrounds and careers who share an interest in the political dimensions of environmental protection.

• At the master's level, students may choose environmental politics and policy as one of these areas or may choose two of the traditional areas of political science as their areas of concentration.
• At the doctoral level, all students must choose environmental politics and policy as one of three areas of concentration and must write a dissertation with an environmental focus.

Graduate students can combine a specialization in any of the common subfields of political science with the environmental specialization. Course work can be crafted to reflect students' interests and to ensure that they are well trained in their chosen subfields of political science and the environment. Presently, in addition to the wide variety of graduate seminars, the department also offers seven seminars in environmental politics and policy taught by faculty who specialize or have an active interest in the field.

• POLS 670 Politics of Environment and Sustainability
• POLS 692 Seminar in Environmental Policy
• POLS 709 Environmental Politics in the U.S.
• POLS 729 Political Theory and the Environment
• POLS 739 International Environmental Politics
• POLS 749 Comparative Environmental Politics
• POLS 759 Environmental Policy and Administration

Learn about the Environmental Affairs minor: Minor Checksheet for Environmental Affairs