Location:

Keene, United States

Program Type:

Full Degree

Degree Level:

Master

Specialty:

Environmental Science

Program Overview

Program Description:

Be a passionate advocate for environmental conservation, education, and justice.

Learning the skills of ecological inquiry, complex problem solving, and building relationships with professional networks and local communities equips you to be an effective conservation professional in nonprofit conservation organizations, state and federal agencies, educational settings, and private consulting firms. Developing and implementing conservation plans, conducting natural resource inventories, managing land for plant and wildlife habitat, working with local communities to generate solutions to environmental problems, and teaching conservation in formal and informal educational settings are all aspects of Conservation Biology.

Program Overview
Students in the Conservation Biology concentration develop strong skills in natural history, ecological research, quantitative analysis, geographic information systems (GIS), environmental communication, and organizational leadership. If you join our program, you will gain deep understanding of the guiding principles of environmental studies and conservation biology, practical field experience to solve applied environmental problems, and leadership skills to facilitate solutions collaboratively.

Requirements for our MS Degree with a concentration in Conservation Biology include a combination of foundational content courses (“Core” courses), conservation-focused courses (“Concentration” courses), and various electives, as well as research and applied internships. Graduates leave with strong interdisciplinary training that balances breadth and depth and are able to conduct rigorous scientific study and understand the social contexts essential to forging effective conservation initiatives. By learning to link science to the conservation and management activities typical of nonprofit organizations, state and federal agencies, educational institutions, and consulting firms, our graduates are well prepared to make a real difference in the conservation world.

Program Delivery

• 42 credits
• Fall & Spring Entry
• Classes on Thursdays and Fridays or Fridays and weekends
• 5 semesters required to complete coursework; thesis or project work variable in duration, depending on topic

Applied Professional Internships
One of the hallmarks of our program is that students are required to complete at least two applied internships (6 credits total), in which they gain valuable skills and build important professional networks. Students who choose to do a Master’s Thesis may use three of their required internship credits toward developing and executing their research projects.

Capstone Project
AUNE’s Conservation Biology concentration gives students the research and field skills to understand the linkages between ecology and real-life conservation issues. Central to the program is the verifying capstone. These capstones allow you to demonstrate your knowledge of how to plan, design and implement and report a substantial project. All capstones allow you to define research questions, collect conceptual and background information from related studies, identify protocols for appropriate data collection and analysis, and follow the work through to its completion.

International Service Program
You may wish to combine this concentration with Peace Corps service. Through the AUNE International Service Program, you can earn credit for your service tuition-free and change the world.

Professional Science Master’s
Antioch University New England is the only graduate school in New Hampshire partnered with the United States Council of Graduate Schools to allow our Environmental Studies students to gain a Professional Science Master’s (PSM) designation for their MS degree. A PSM designation complements the MS degree by showing prospective employers that our graduates have deep training in both STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) and professional skills in business (e.g., finance, grant and proposal writing), communication, leadership, and regulation (e.g., management, administration, program evaluation). The PSM designation is optional.

Career Outlook
Graduates from our Conservation Biology concentration have various important leadership roles in environmental conservation around the world. Some alums go on to doctoral work in ecology and conservation, many are publishing their research, and all are making the world a better place. 

Additional Program Information

Accreditation:

Antioch University New England is one of five campuses of Antioch University which is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is an independent corporation that was founded in 1895 as one of six regional institutional accreditors in the United States. HLC accredits degree-granting post-secondary educational institutions in the North Central region. See the Higher Learning Commission website for its student complaint process. Antioch University New England is authorized for operation in the state by the State of New Hampshire Department of Education.

Financial Aid:

Yes