Cultural and Environmental Resource Management, MS

This is a 60 credit interdisciplinary program emphasizing understanding of problems and approaches utilized in the management of both cultural and environmental resources. It includes a basic core of 35 credits, as well as elective courses in specialty areas of cultural, environmental, and economic resource management.

Admission Requirements

In addition to master’s degree guidelines for admission to CWU master’s programs, applicants for admission must have the following qualifications:

1. A bachelor’s degree in a closely related discipline (e.g., anthropology, geography, economics, environmental studies). In some cases work experience and/or additional coursework may be accepted in lieu of a degree in a related field. Before admission, program faculty will evaluate the academic coursework and experience of all applicants for admission, and will recommend remedial course work if, in their judgment, there are deficiencies in pre-baccalaureate work that need to be overcome before entrance into the program.
2. A high proficiency in written and spoken English. Evidence of proficiency and potential includes: samples of previous writing, letters of recommendation, an informal interview, and any other evidence of academic success (e.g., standardized test scores).
3. At least one upper-level undergraduate statistics course and one undergraduate course in microeconomic principles.

Admission to the program and continuation in it may be conditional on the applicant’s satisfactory completion of remedial courses, but in some cases those courses may be taken after admission to the program.

Application Deadline and Materials: students must comply with all deadlines and procedures for “applying to CWU” in the graduate admissions section of this catalog.

Graduation Requirements

Graduate Committee: The student will have at least a three-member graduate committee, to be selected in consultation with the program coordinator and the dean of Graduate Studies and Research.

Thesis: Each candidate must successfully complete and defend a thesis that involves original research within the fields of cultural and environmental resource management.

Program Learner Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to:

• Communicate in the disciplinary language about cultural and environmental resource management issues. 
• Identify resource-based conflicts in the field of cultural and environmental resource management and formulate interdisciplinary solutions.
• Develop professional skills by participating in conferences, workshops, clubs, and other networking opportunities. 
• Propose a research-based thesis that integrates relevant literature, has clear methodology, and contributes to the field of cultural and environmental management.