About this Program
Hood's environmental biology master's program offers a 1-year, 30-credit track for accelerated learning. Designed for motivated students and working professionals seeking to advance their expertise in environmental science, this track combines relevant coursework with a 6-credit capstone internship that prepares graduates to address today's most pressing environmental challenges.
Program Overview
Tuition & Fees
Funding Opportunities
View our HOOD Talks about climate change's impact on Maine's lobster population here.
Hood's Accelerated Environmental Biology program equips students with the scientific knowledge and research skills needed to understand and address complex environmental issues, including climate change, conservation, sustainability and ecosystem health. The program emphasizes the biological processes that help maintain clean air, water and land resources while preparing graduates for leadership roles in government agencies, nonprofit organizations, environmental consulting firms, educational institutions and other organizations dedicated to protecting the environment.
Accelerated Track Summarized
This track will allow students to complete the environmental biology program at an accelerated pace while earning valuable research and work experience. After the completion of 24 ENV credits, the 1-year track will culminate in a capstone summer internship experience with faculty at Hood College. The internship will include the development of a research proposal, execution of the research, and preparation of a final report in the form of a scholarly paper.
Our Mission
By combining intensive coursework with substantial internship opportunities, Hood is preparing graduates to make an immediate impact in their careers and their world. Our program’s ultimate goal is to have graduates emerge with the expertise in environmental biology that will enable them to assume key positions in the public and private sectors charged with protecting our environmental future.
Program Learning Goals
Upon graduation from the accelerated environmental biology master’s program, our students will be able to:
- Problem solve and apply the scientific method to the field and literature of environmental biology.
- Collect, analyze, interpret and display scientific data using appropriate, current methods and software.
- Effectively communicate scientific information to diverse audiences through writing and oral presentation.
- Demonstrate a broad knowledge of environmental biology and ecology.
Real-World Connection
The accelerated track creates an opportunity for students to accelerate their education while gaining meaningful research experience that strengthens their professional credentials. Multiple research and non-research tracks permit students to customize a path that is best-suited for their career needs and goals. Learning key techniques, such as remote sensing, GIS, and field identification and sampling, opens new windows to understanding and protecting natural resources.
A Well-Rounded Education, From the Lab to the Field
The Accelerated Environmental Biology program emphasizes a field and laboratory approach to learning and promotes hands-on research opportunities. Hood’s ENV program is ideal for working professionals and recent graduates who want to take their commitment and their careers to the next level. Hands-on experiences and small class sizes keep instruction focused and learning interactive.
Students enrolled in the environmental biology M.S. program have the option of earning a GIS certificate with the completion of nine core credits and nine elective credits of GIS courses.
Degrees Offered
- MS
Department Offering
Related Graduate Programs
Are you ready to go further?
Program Requirements and Course Listings
Admission Requirements
Applicants with an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher are preferred. At minimum, all applications must have completed and earned a B or better in the following:
- Two college-level biology courses (with lab)
- Two college-level chemistry courses (with lab)
- One college-level math course (e.g., statistics, algebra, pre-calculus, calculus)
To apply to the environmental biology master's program, please:
- Complete and submit the online application, including an essay of 550 words or less describing background experience and future goals.
- Request an official transcript be submitted by each institution attended
Applicants who have an undergraduate GPA below 3.0, must also submit the following:
- Two letters of recommendation. Letters can be emailed to gofurther@hood.edu.
Priority Application Deadlines:
- December 1: Spring semester application deadline
- May 20: Summer I session application deadline
- June 30: Summer II session application deadline
- August 15: Fall semester application deadline
Transfer credit policy for admitted students
Students may transfer a maximum of 6 graduate credits from an external, accredited institution, or another Hood graduate program prior to the first semester of study in the current program. Please review the full graduate transfer credit policy in the College catalog.
Students in the accelerated track will complete 24 credits of Environmental Biology coursework before culminating their studies with a 6-credit, summer internship with partnered institutions in the field or Hood College faculty.
A required core of courses provides students with a comprehensive background in all aspects of environmental biology. Students will be able to place environmental issues into a broad social, political and economic context; however, the primary core course emphasis will be on using environmental biology principles to identify and solve environmental problems.
The elective courses provide each student with the opportunity to tailor their program to meet particular professional needs. Some electives are clearly rooted in natural science and mathematics. These are the ones most students will choose in order to further their careers in environmental research, regulation, consulting and teaching. Other electives come from the social and political sciences and are well-suited for students planning to enter the realm of public policy. There are also 1-credit elective offerings that stress laboratory and field techniques.
All students must complete the following:
| ENV 501 | Introduction to Environmental Biology | 3.0 |
| ENV 502 | Principles of Ecology | 3.0 |
| ENV 503/ENSP 403 | Pollution Biology | 3.0 |
| ENV 505 | Biostatistics | 3.0 |
| ENV 507/ENSP 407 | Natural Resource Management | 3.0 |
| 1-Year Track Students Only | Reading and Communicating Science | 3.0 |
All students must complete one of the following (3 credits each):
| ENV 511 | Conservation Biology | 3.0 |
| ENV 512 | Insect Ecology | 3.0 |
| ENV 513 | Marine Ecology | 3.0 |
| ENV 551/BIOL 451 | Plant Ecology | 3.0 |
| ENV 563 | Freshwater Ecology | 3.0 |
Elective Courses
Electives include, but are not limited to, the following:
| BMS 537/BIOL 437 | Introduction to Bioinformatics | 3.0 |
| CHEM 501/CHEM 401 | Environmental Chemistry | 3.0 |
| ECPS 514/ECPS 414 | Environmental Policy | 3.0 |
| ENV 506 | Environmental Microbiology | 3.0 |
| ENV 511/ENSP 411 | Conservation Biology | 3.0 |
| ENV 515 | Research Design & Data Analysis | 3.0 |
| ENV 516 | Watershed Hydrology | 3.0 |
| ENV 522 | Ecological Sampling | 1.0 |
| ENV 524 | Taxonomy | 1.0 |
| ENV 526 | Analytical Techniques | 1.0 |
| ENV 528 | Specialty Courses | 1.0 |
| ENV 550 | Current Topics in Environmental Biology | 3.0 |
| ENV 565 | Environmental Toxicology Laboratory | 1.0 |
| ENV 564 | Environmental Toxicology | 3.0 |
| ENV 575 | Independent Study | 1 - 3 |
| ENV 577 | Climate Change | 3.0 |
| ENV 599 | Special Topics | 6.0 |
If not taken as part of core requirements:
| ENV 512 | Insect Ecology | 3.0 |
| ENV 513 | Marine Ecology | 3.0 |
| ENV 541 | Behavioral Ecology | 3.0 |
| ENV 551/BIOL 451 | Plant Ecology | 3.0 |
| ENV 563 | Freshwater Ecology | 3.0 |
1-Year Track - 30 credits:
After the successful completion of 24 ENV credits, the 1-year track will culminate in a capstone summer internship experience either with faculty at Hood College or faculty at collaborating institutions. The internship will include the development of a research proposal, execution of the research and preparations of a final report in the form of a scholarly paper.
Examples of research topics
- Native insect pollinators in sustainable agriculture
- Amino acid metabolism in corals and anemones
- Restoration ecology of the regal fritillary butterfly
- The effect of atrazine on earthworm reproduction
- The effects of crayfish on headwater stream communities
- Nitrogen mineralization and phosphorus availability in composted poultry litter
- Antibiotic resistance patterns in fecal streptococcus from environmental samples
- Environmental stresses causing DNA damage and it subsequent repair in sea anemones
- An evaluation of membrane bioreactors to treatment saline wastewater in marine aquaculture
- Morphological systematics of the Crystal Darter
- Nonnative plant invasion following hurricane damage
- Chemical interactions between competing mosquito species
Please refer to the following web links:
Graduate Forms & Guidelines
https://www.hood.edu/graduate/academics/graduate-forms-guidelines
Environmental Biology Master’s Independent Research Project ENV 579/ENV 579G
ENV 579 guidelines_june2020_1.pdf
Environmental Biology Master’s Thesis ENV 580/ENV 580G
ENV 580 guidelines_june2020.pdf
Environmental Biology Master’s Internship ENV 591/ENV 591G
ENV 591 guidelines june2020_1.pdf
12 Months
30 Total Credits
| Median Salary (Public Data) | Job Titles (Alumni Data) | Companies of Employment (Alumni Data) |
|---|---|---|
| $71,000 | EHS Program Manager | |
| Junior Embryologist | Maryland Department of the Environment | |
| Soil Conservation Technician | City of Rockville | |
| Water Quality Coordinator | Howard Hughes Medical Institute | |
| Environmental Biologist | Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc. |
Program Contact
Program Director
Phone
301-696-3662
Email
Assistant Director of Graduate Admission
Phone
Office: 301-696-3601 Cell/WhatsApp: +1 240-651-4015
Email
Graduate Dean Focus | April Boulton
"I believe the future belongs to individuals who can combine technological fluency with strong human skills"
Hood Grad Student to pursue her PhD on aquatic insects
Earning her M.S. in Environmental Biology in September '22, Kierstyn Higgins reflects on her experience as a graduate student while at Hood College. In the Fall, she will begin her doctoral degree in Ecology at the Pennsylvania State University.
Graduate Student Spotlight | Jared Tomlin
"The campus is beautiful, the tuition is affordable and the school is highly rated. On top of all of that, Hood has a track record of students participating in NASA-funded internship programs, like DEVELOP, where I knew I wanted to be."