University master’s degree requirements must be met. In addition, specific degree program requirements are listed in each program.
The graduate study program is developed through discussions involving the graduate student, and a graduate committee consisting of the PSM Director or their designee, the supervising faculty member for the student’s project or internship, and, if appropriate, a manager or partner from an external community entity who is helping to oversee the internship or project. The major adviser and one other committee member must be a member of the graduate faculty. The graduate committee must be approved by the PSM Program Director.
To encourage the development of interdisciplinary graduate study programs, guidelines for course selection are flexible. PSM students must complete at least 48 graduate credits.
PSM Requirements
The PSM program of study requires a minimum of 48 credits and consists of the following requirements.
Complete two certificates (minimum of 32 credits; course overlaps between certificates are not allowed)
See Graduate Certificates section below for details and list of certificates
Professional Development Courses (minimum 4 credits):
ESM 551 (4 credits)
Complete a project or internship (minimum 4 credits)
Total Credit Hours: 48-54
Depending on the certificates completed students may need to complete additional coursework to complete the 48 credit minimum required for the PSM. The additional credits can come from a list of professional development courses and/or an additional 4 credits of additional project/internship coursework. A maximum of 8 credits in 504 or 506 will be allowed for the degree.
Graduate Certificates
The degree will require students to complete two graduate certificates from a menu of approved graduate certificates offered in the Environmental Science and Management, Geology, and Geography Departments, as well as other related graduate certificates. In addition to the two graduate certificates, students will complete 4 - 12 credits in professional development coursework (including a required course in project management) and a 4-8 credit project or internship supervised by a faculty member affiliated with the program.
For the first certificate, choose at least one graduate certificate from list A:
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Hydrology
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GIS
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Hydrogeology
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Engineering Geology
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Environmental Geology
For the second certificate, choose another graduate certificate from list A above or a graduate certificate from the following list B:
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Sustainability
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Conflict Resolution
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Sustainable Food Systems
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Environmental and Resource Economics
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Emergency Management and Community Resilience
Details of all of the above graduate certificates are linked above; more details can be found by searching the PSU graduate certificate website.
Courses used for one graduate certificate requirements cannot count towards the requirements of the second graduate certificate. Students are encouraged to work with the PSM director or certificate directors to identify appropriate course pathways.
Professional Development Courses
PSM students must complete a minimum of 4 credits in project management (ESM 551) and up to 8 other credits of professional development courses in student’s choice of seminar, science communication, data analysis, technical writing, scientific methods, or policy. Lists of approved core courses are available from the ESM office or online at http://www.pdx.edu/esm.
Required
| ESM 551 | Project Management for Scientists | 4 |
Other Example Professional Development Courses
Other graduate-level GIS courses may be substituted for
Geog 588.
Project or Internship
The culminating experience of the students seeking a PSM degree is the completion of a project or internship. This element of the curriculum serves to integrate coursework, further develop skills required to function effectively in a professional setting (e.g., communication, presentation, and project management) and provide an opportunity to participate in the solution of a real environmental problem. Working with local agencies or/and organizations, and a faculty member, the PSM student identifies a project or internship that may be problem, formulate a project with a community partner, formally proposes the project or internship, completes the scope of work detailed in the proposal, and documents and presents the results or outcomes of the project to an appropriate audience. This 4-8 credit project or internship will be recorded as 506 or 504 credits, respectively, with a prefix appropriate for the advising faculty member (e.g., ESM 506 or ESM 504).