Masters Program

To be admitted to the M.S. degree program in Environmental Science and Technology, a student must:

• Have earned a B.S. degree in a related field
• Have achieved an undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher
• Have completed courses to fulfill the Basic Science Requirement:
  To meet the basic science requirement, a student must have completed a minimum of one semester of Calculus and a total of at least 20 credits in some combination of Chemistry, Physics, Biology or Mathematics (beyond Calculus I). Although courses in other areas of Science and Engineering may be helpful, they do not count toward the basic science requirement. If otherwise competitive students are within three credits of meeting the basic science requirement, they may in some cases be admitted on a provisional basis.

Applying to the ENST M.S. program is a two-part process:

1. Identify an ENST faculty member whose research aligns with your interests
2. Submit your application through the University of Maryland Graduate School

Step 1 – Review the ENST program and specializations:

Before applying, explore the ENST graduate program and the four areas of specialization:

• Soil and Watershed Sciences
• Ecological Technology Design
• Wetland Science
• Ecosystem Health & Natural Resource Management

This will help you determine whether your background, research interests, and career goals are a good fit for the program.

Step 2 –  Identify faculty whose interests match yours:
As a prospective student, you must secure a faculty advisor before you formally apply. Review ENST faculty profiles and identify faculty members whose research interests align with your own. Because graduate study in ENST is research-centered, faculty fit is an important part of the admissions process.

Step 3 – Contact potential faculty advisors (one or two months before application deadline):

Reach out to one or more faculty members in your area of interest before or while preparing your application. A concise introductory email should typically include:

• A brief introduction and your academic background
• Your research interests and why ENST is a good fit
• Your cv or résumé
• Unofficial transcripts, if available
• Any relevant research, field, lab, or professional experience

This step helps applicants clarify research fit and determine whether a faculty member may be available to advise them.

Step 4 – Prepare your application materials:

Once an ENST faculty member has agreed to support your admission, you should prepare the materials required by ENST and the UMD Graduate School:

• Transcripts
• A personal statement of research interests
• Contact information for three references

UMD Graduate School also provides general admissions guidance and handles the online application portal. Recommendation letters are submitted electronically.

Step 5 – Submit the online Graduate School application:

Submit your application through the University of Maryland Graduate School online application system, following all Graduate School instructions for transcripts, recommendations, and other required materials.

Note: Refer to the ENST page in UMD's Graduate Catalog for further details and application deadlines.

To earn an M.S. degree, the University of Maryland Graduate School requires that a student complete:

• A minimum of 24 semester credit hours of graduate level classes (400 level or above) beyond the B.S. degree

• A minimum 12 credit hours must be earned in a major area

• A minimum of 12 must be 600 level or above with 6 credit hours of thesis research (799)

All ENST M.S. students are required to complete the following:

• ENST 602: Research Principles and Methodology in Environmental Science and Technology (3 credits)

• ENST 702: Communication and Professional Development in Environmental Science and Technology (2 credits)

• ENST 798: Graduate Seminar (2 semesters – total of 2 credits)

• One graduate level statistics course

Each of the four ENST specializations requires 12 credits of specific courses focused within the focus area:

• Soil and Watershed Sciences

• Ecological Technology Design

• Wetland Science

• Ecosystem Health & Natural Resource Management