Environmental Science, Policy and Management

University of California, Berkeley

About the Program

The Environmental Science, Policy, and Management (ESPM) Graduate Program provides a wealth of opportunities for students interested in careers in academia, government, and non-governmental agencies worldwide. Our faculty are internationally recognized, and ESPM is the campus hub for connections to other renowned Berkeley programs in the environment such as the Energy and Resources Group, Agricultural and Resource Economics, the Goldman School of Public Policy, Integrative Biology, Berkeley Natural History Museums, and Berkeley Law. The Berkeley campus maintains close ties to world-class research facilities at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, U.S. Geological Survey, California Academy of Sciences, Stanford University, and many other institutions. Students admitted to our program work with their research mentor to select courses, individualize their training, and conduct research projects that meet their interests and goals. Our core graduate courses provide an introduction to the wide breadth and deep expertise of research on the environment within our department and help students apply for funding opportunities early in their graduate program.

The PhD program is the main graduate program in ESPM for students entering with or without previous masters degrees, though we also offer limited numbers of MS degrees in our specialized Master of Range Management and Master of Forestry programs. The goal of the program is to provide both a strong disciplinary education and broadly based experience in cross-disciplinary communication and problem solving. To achieve this, the program leading to the PhD in environmental science, policy, and management requires that students complete three core courses and take additional coursework in the following three areas: area of specialization, research skills, and experiential breadth.

Disciplinary Emphasis

The disciplinary emphasis is the broadest academic area encompassing the student's interests. The three disciplinary emphases within the department are ecosystem sciences, organisms & environment, and society & environment. A student pursuing a strongly interdisciplinary program may study more than one of these disciplines in depth. Specific coursework within each field will be chosen by the guiding committee in conjunction with the student and approved by the graduate mentor. 

Area of Specialization

The area of specialization is a narrower field within the context of the disciplinary emphasis. Some examples of these areas are microbial community ecology, ecosystem function, arthropod population and community ecology, biological control of arthropods, arthropod biodiversity science, American environmental history and policy, international forest management, biogeochemistry, Mediterranean grassland ecosystems, remote sensing, and forest management, to name a few.

Application

Prospective graduate students are encouraged to contact a potential PhD mentor directly prior to the application deadline. If possible, prospective graduate students should plan to visit the campus, department, and graduate program. As part of their application, each student will be asked to identify one of the three disciplinary emphases (ecosystem sciences, organisms & environment, and society & environment) most closely associated with her/his interests. If you have questions about which emphasis to choose, please ask your prospective mentor. It is not uncommon for students in ESPM to be co-mentored by two professors, often with different disciplinary emphases. The area of specialization is determined after entry into the program, in consultation with the guiding committee and PhD mentor.

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Admissions

Admission to the University

Applying for Graduate Admission

Thank you for considering UC Berkeley for graduate study! UC Berkeley offers more than 120 graduate programs representing the breadth and depth of interdisciplinary scholarship. The Graduate Division hosts a complete list of graduate academic programs, departments, degrees offered, and application deadlines can be found on the Graduate Division website.

Prospective students must submit an online application to be considered for admission, in addition to any supplemental materials specific to the program for which they are applying. The online application and steps to take to apply can be found on the Graduate Division website.

Admission Requirements

The minimum graduate admission requirements are:

  1. A bachelor’s degree or recognized equivalent from an accredited institution;

  2. A satisfactory scholastic average, usually a minimum grade-point average (GPA) of 3.0 (B) on a 4.0 scale; and

  3. Enough undergraduate training to do graduate work in your chosen field.

For a list of requirements to complete your graduate application, please see the Graduate Division’s Admissions Requirements page. It is also important to check with the program or department of interest, as they may have additional requirements specific to their program of study and degree. Department contact information can be found here.

Where to apply?

Visit the Berkeley Graduate Division application page.

Admission to the Program

Applicants for admission to the graduate program must hold a bachelor's degree from a university or college with curricula and standards equivalent to those of the University of California. The completed undergraduate program should normally be in a field relevant to the disciplinary emphasis chosen. Applicants without this background may be admitted with the understanding that their coursework must compensate for deficiencies in their preparation. We suggest that prospective applicants consult with faculty or the Graduate Student Services Office for advice and course recommendations.

Prospective graduate students are encouraged to contact a potential PhD mentor directly prior to the application deadline. If possible, prospective graduate students should plan to visit the campus, department, and graduate program. 

It is critical that all applicants identify on their application faculty whose research and work overlap with their strengths and interests. Without this information, the admission committee will not be able to evaluate your application properly. Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact faculty prior to the application process. As part of their application, each student will be asked to identify one of the three disciplinary emphases (ecosystem sciences, organisms & environment, and society & environment) most closely associated with her/his interests. If you have questions about which emphasis to choose, please ask your prospective mentor.  Faculty sponsorship of entering graduate students will be determined once all applications have been reviewed and final admission offers have been made.

The ESPM admission committee, not individual faculty, makes the final decisions on who will be offered admission to the program. Applications are accepted for the fall semester only.

Doctoral Degree Requirements

Curriculum

  • One 3-unit methods course (Advisor approved)
  • One breadth course (Head Graduate Advisor approved)
  • Six units of Area of Specialization courses
Courses Required
Program of study decided by the Guiding Committee with the student per research interests requires four components:
Area of Specialization (6 units)
Research Methods (3 units)
Experiential Breadth
ESPM 201 Courses:
ESPM 201A
Research Approaches in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management [3]
ESPM 201C
Environmental Forum [1]

Courses

Environmental Science, Policy and Management

Contact Information

Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management

130 Mulford Hall

Phone: 510-643-4554

Visit Department Website

Department Chair

Michael Mascarenhas

mascarenhas@berkeley.edu

Department Manager

Nicole Lowy

130 Mulford Hall

nlowy@berkeley.edu

Head Graduate Advisor

Ian Wang

espm_hga@berkeley.edu

Graduate Student Affairs Officer

Zarah Ersoff

137 Mulford Hall

Phone: 510-642-1546

espm_gradsupport@berkeley.edu

Graduate Student Affairs Officer

Ryann A. Madden

135 Mulford Hall

Phone: 510-642-6410

espm_gradsupport@berkeley.edu

Department Assistant

Lizbeth Torres

145 Mulford Hall

Phone: 510-643-4554

ltorres24@berkeley.edu

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