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Conference paper
Developing a Professional Science Master’s (PSM) degree in Environmental Management & Sustainability in Northwest Florida
University of West Florida Libraries
Tracking Changes: 40 years of implementing NEPA and improving the environment: NAEP 35th Annual Conference, 35th (Hyatt Regency, Atlanta, GA, 04/27/2010–04/30/2010)
2010
Abstract
Professional Science Master’s (PSM) degrees have been in existence in the USA for well over a decade. The PSM is a degree equivalent to the MBA for the sciences, and the idea is to integrate studies of natural sciences, math, management, and law to prepare students for professional positions outside academia. There are 128 PSM programs in the USA, mostly in the sciences, especially biosciences, and mostly online. In the environmental sciences, there are PSM programs at CSU/Chico, CSU/San Bernardino, American University, SIU/Edwardsville, Oregon State, North Texas, and Utah. The development of many of these PSM degree programs has been supported by grants over the past decade from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. PSMs have also been included in the stimulus bill also known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
In Florida, a Sloan Foundation seed grant was received in 2009 to investigate the feasibility of developing a series of PSM degrees across the state. Five science sectors were selected to pilot the PSM degrees: Biotechnology, Forensics/Homeland Security, Healthcare, Simulation/Aviation, and Environmental Science/Sustainability. The University of West Florida, as one of eleven public Florida universities, was approached about assisting, and several departments—including Environmental Studies—responded.
The creation of a PSM in Northwest Florida is still a work in progress. A meeting of the Northwest Chapter of the Florida Association of Environmental Professionals (NWFAEP) in Pensacola in August 2009 was dedicated to discussion of creating a PSM degree and formulating a curriculum. A draft curriculum was developed in early 2010. A meeting of the Environmental Studies Advisory Board in April 2010 was to further refine the curriculum and perhaps establish a PSM advisory subgroup. Once a finalized curriculum is established, program approval and course development will be required before a Professional Science Master’s in Environmental Management & Sustainability becomes reality.
Details
- Title
- Developing a Professional Science Master’s (PSM) degree in Environmental Management & Sustainability in Northwest Florida
- Resource Type
- Conference paper
- Conference
- Tracking Changes: 40 years of implementing NEPA and improving the environment: NAEP 35th Annual Conference, 35th (Hyatt Regency, Atlanta, GA, 04/27/2010–04/30/2010)
- Publisher
- University of West Florida Libraries; Argo Scholar Commons
- Format
- pdf
- Number of pages
- 5
- Copyright
- Permission granted to the University of West Florida Libraries by the author to digitize and/or display this information for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires the permission of the copyright holder.
- Identifiers
- 99380090355906600
- Academic Unit
- Earth and Environmental Sciences; Hal Marcus College of Science and Engineering
- Language
- English