Explore UNE's Environmental Science 4+1 B.S./M.S. Track on the Coast of Maine
UNE’s Environmental Science 4+1 B.S./M.S. program allows you to complete your undergraduate and master’s degrees in environmental science in a total of five years, saving you both time and money.
As a qualified UNE undergraduate, this track enables you to obtain an M.S. degree, in addition to your B.S., through an expedited process that begins during your senior year of undergraduate work.
You'll complete much of your master's coursework during your fourth year, while also working on your thesis project. Your fifth year will be spent finishing your research and writing your thesis.
Why UNE for Your B.S./M.S. in Environmental Science
Whether you’re an advocate for conservation preservation, dedicated to the restoration of ecosystems, committed to environmental and economic sustainability, passionate about finding solutions to climate change, or all of the above, our combination undergraduate/graduate program in Environmental Science may be just what you’re looking for.
Prepare for Your Career With Unique Opportunities
From our optional first-year interdisciplinary Green Learning Community — which integrates courses in biology, environmental issues, literature, and economics — to our exciting global travel experiences and our local, national, and international internships, which give you a chance to gain professional skills and hands-on experience, your bounds at UNE are limitless. This plethora of opportunities prepares you to follow in the footsteps of other UNE Environmental Science graduates who have begun exciting careers as ecologists, forest rangers, wildlife managers, environmental scientists, and more.
Global Travel Opportunities for Environmental Science 4+1 B.S./M.S. Students
ENV 348: Adv. Environment, Health, and Community Dev. in East Africa
Dr. Richard Peterson
This is a Spring semester course offered every other year with a two- to three-week field experience trip to Kenya in late May/June. Semester studies focus on environmental, health, and community development issues facing the country today, set within East Africa’s political, cultural, and historical contexts. The trip features visits to leading universities, museums, and national parks, an overland journey from Nairobi to Kisumu through the Great Rift Valley, home-stays with Kenyan families, hiking in the Kakamega Rainforest, hands-on experience working with local partner organizations, and working with community-based conservation researchers at a Maasai-owned wildlife conservancy.
ENV 376: Caribbean Sustainable Development and CIT 420: Global Citizenship
Dr. Thomas Klak
This is a Fall semester course that includes spending 13 days in early January in Dominica. You experience first-hand the challenges of — and progress toward — sustainable development in the self-proclaimed “Nature Island.” The class fulfills both UNE’s Advanced Studies and Citizenship requirements by engaging with Dominican partners who are working to achieve sustainable development, and by participating in hands-on development projects. Other experiences in Dominica include working on a fair trade banana farm to learn about Dominica’s economic mainstay crop; visiting a beach where sea turtles lay their eggs; hiking to the world’s only Boiling Lake; and bird-watching for the beautiful Imperial Parrot, Dominica’s national bird and an endangered species. You also instruct students about environmental protection at a local primary school.
Internships for Environmental Science 4+1 B.S./M.S. Students
Center for Sustainable Communities
The Center for Sustainable Communities is an internship and service-learning program that creates mutually beneficial partnerships between students and environmental organizations in the communities surrounding UNE's Biddeford Campus. Through hands-on involvement with local governments, nonprofit organizations, and community groups, you field-test academic learning in situations that help you "think globally, act locally." For more information email Dr. Christine Feurt.
Possible Internship Sites
- Acadia Mountain Guides, Inc.
- Augusta Water District
- Baxter State Park
- Biodiversity Research Institute
- Black Rock Farm
- Brook Trout Pond Survey Internship (GIS)
- Camp Ketcha
- Eastern Trail Alliance
- LL Bean Outdoor Discovery
- Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve
- Maine Geological Survey (GIS)
- Microbac Laboratory
- Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge
- Rippleffect
- Sierra Club
- The Center for Wildlife
- Toxics Actions Center
- Biddeford City Hall (GIS)
- Wells Conservation Commission
- Maine Audubon Center
- Alaska Department of Fish and Game
- AMC Volunteer (North County Trails)
- Boston Museum of Science
- Calder Summer Research Program
- Echo Hill Outdoor School
- Frank Corporation Environmental Services
- Great Basin Institute
- Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (GIS)
- Mission: Wolf
- New England Board of Higher Education
- New England Wildflower Society
- Sandy Point Discovery Center
- Student Conservation Association
- Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
- Global Service Corps
- Peace Corps
- School for Field Studies
Explore Diverse Habitats across Southern Maine
You’ll enjoy studying and conducting field work on a campus that serves as your living laboratory. Uniquely positioned where the Saco River meets the Atlantic Ocean, the Biddeford Campus boasts a diverse array of on-campus habitats — including dunes, wetlands, woodlands, coastline — and a University-owned private research island. From harbor seals to moose, UNE is home to dozens of species of wildlife that make nature the best classroom on campus.
Follow Your Research Passions in the Environmental Science 4+1 B.S./M.S. Program
Through studying a combination of natural sciences, social sciences, and the humanities, you’ll attain a comprehensive undergraduate foundation, but you will also take your specific area of interest far beyond what can be done in an undergraduate career by performing in-depth, student-centered research.
What will you study? Environmental Science 4+1 B.S./M.S. Degree Curriculum Overview
Academic and Technical Standards
To enroll in the Environmental Science B.S./M.S. 4+1 program, you must be an undergraduate at UNE with a 3.5 overall G.P.A., and a 3.5 G.P.A. in all math and science courses. You are not required to take the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) prior to enrollment. However, you must receive sponsorship from a faculty member who will serve as your thesis advisor, and you should begin conducting research on a project that will become your thesis project by your fourth year at UNE. You can declare your intent to enroll in the program as early as the second semester of your sophomore year or as late as the second semester of your junior year.
Application forms are available from prospective faculty advisors.
Curriculum
The B.S./M.S. degree in Environmental Science requires a total of 36 graduate credits, including
- A minimum of 12 thesis/research credits (ENV 590)
- 2 credits of Graduate Seminar in Environmental Studies (ENV 599; 1 in the fourth and 1 in the fifth year)
- 3 credits of Research Methods (BIO 503)
- Up to 19 additional course credits (minimum of 12-course credits)
Of the 12–19 additional course credits, a minimum of two classes must be offered through the Department of Environmental Studies. A maximum of 12 course credits can double-count towards both the undergraduate and graduate degree requirements.
Changes were made to this program in an addendum to the 2022/23 academic calendar. Please see the 2022–2023 Catalog Addendum (PDF) for the most recent information. As always, it is recommended that students seek the guidance of Academic Advisors for course and program planning. In this way, you will be able to access all the most up-to-date information available.
UNE 4+1 tracks
UNE offers 4+1 tracks for Marine Sciences, Biological Sciences, Environmental Sciences, or Environmental Studies.
Enjoy Our Collaborative Environment
You’ll thrive as part of the UNE family. Our small class sizes foster a sense of community — not competition — among students, and you’ll work closely with our committed, supportive faculty who will take the time to get to know you and your interests.
Live and Study Environmental Science 4+1 B.S./M.S. in Biddeford, Maine
Students in UNE’s 4+1 B.S./M.S. track in Environmental Science study at our Biddeford, Maine, location, a gorgeous waterfront campus offering more than 4,000 feet of scenic shoreline where the Saco River flows into the Atlantic Ocean. In addition to benefitting from the ample research opportunities afforded by our proximity to the ocean, wetlands, and a privately-owned research island, you will enjoy spending time in this popular vacation destination with its friendly, welcoming people and a wide range of outdoor recreation activities.
Take a Virtual Tour of the Biddeford Campus
Apply Today
Ready to begin your future in UNE’s Environmental Science 4+1 B.S./M.S. program? Get started today.