Dear MSEM students, alumni, and community,
I am delighted to welcome our continuing students, faculty, new practitioner instructors, staff, prospective students, and the broader MSEM community to the Spring semester. As every year, Spring brings longer days, better weather, and renewed energy, along with a sense of focus and determination to pursue the goals we set as the previous year came to a close. MSEM kicked off the year by gathering for breakfast on a beautiful sunny Saturday morning before classes began, reconnecting over memories from the holiday break and sharing those aspirations for the months ahead.
There are many reasons to be excited about Spring 2026. True to our commitment to staying aligned with the evolving needs of the environmental profession, we continue to add new electives taught by experienced professionals from the environmental management field. This Spring, we are offering two new electives: Greenhouse Gas Accounting and Green Buildings, both taught by MSEM alumni. Savanna Smith (MSEM ’23) and Gail Lee (MSEM ’93) bring expertise from their private and public sector and are teaching students practical, hands-on skills directly applicable to their future careers. Returning adjunct instructors Ken Schwarz and Susan Hopp will also be teaching Intro to Hydrology and Sustainability Leadership and Implementation respectively.
Field experiences remain a hallmark of the MSEM experience as one of the many ways our curriculum bridges the gap between theory and real-world environmental systems. Later this semester, students in Stream and Riparian Ecology, Environmental Toxicology, and Wetland Ecology will reinforce their learning by visiting environmental systems they study in the classroom. Our Environmental Policy class will be teaching students to connect their domain-specific expertise with sound policy making and implementation. Last, but not least, due to continued high demand, we are also offering Intro to LiDAR, GIS for Wildfire Management and Intro to Google Earth Engine, providing students with concrete skills in applied geospatial analysis and allowing them to obtain their GIS certification while completing their MSEM degree.
Spring is a particularly impactful semester for MSEM students because, alongside their coursework, all students conduct meaningful, applied research connected to their future career goals. MSEM is unique in being a course-based MS program that builds deep domain expertise, while also requiring an applied research component. Through this combination, students develop essential professional skills: identifying relevant environmental management questions, gathering and evaluating science-based evidence, and communicating technical information to diverse audiences. Each Spring, first-year MSEM students focus on developing their research questions, while second-year students work intensively on answering theirs. I encourage the community to join us at the MSEM Conference on May 14, 2026, when students will present their Master’s Project research. Stay tuned for the conference program and an invitation to join us in person or remotely.
As MSEM Academic Director, I am also excited about three new initiatives that will move into their implementation phase this Spring:
- Summer courses for incoming students. For the first time, MSEM will offer Summer courses beginning in mid-June, in addition to our Fall and Spring offerings. This inaugural format will allow students to spread coursework across additional semesters or complete their degree sooner. New students interested in starting in the summer should reach out to us to discuss details, as there are additional financial aid opportunities specific to the summer start.
- Environmental Project Management Certificate. This new certificate is designed for early-career environmental professionals and emphasizes applied, case-study-based learning across multiple environmental subdisciplines. Developed in collaboration with our advisory board and practitioner instructors, it focuses on practical skills that go beyond foundational PM theory and helps students to successfully lead environmental projects in their first jobs after graduation.
- Expanded research partnerships with local organizations. Several MSEM students will engage in new and continuing collaborations with Bay Area organizations, working on real-world projects ranging from ecological data analysis for habitat restoration to urban space planning and management. MSEM students bring strong technical preparation, including experience with geospatial tools, data analysis, and critical review and synthesis of published scientific and policy-relevant work. MSEM matches project needs with student skill sets and interests; if you have a project that could benefit from an MSEM student’s expertise, now is an ideal time to reach out.
Looking into the future, our admissions cycle for Fall 2026 is underway. As we are reviewing applications, we are excited by the impressive backgrounds of prospective MSEM students. A common question we hear from prospective applicants is: What makes an MSEM application successful? The common characteristic of our admitted students is a clear interest in the environmental profession and a thoughtful articulation of how the program supports their career goals. In pursuing these goals, MSEM students share a commitment to protecting communities and ecosystems through science-based, data-driven, and sustainable solutions. If you know someone who shares this passion, please share this post with them and encourage them to reach out to us. We can help them decide if MSEM is the right fit for their career goals.
Priority Application | Deadline: February 15th
Regular Application | Deadline: March 15th; rolling applications thereafter.
We are at a critical juncture in the environmental profession. Challenges are growing more complex, data more abundant, and decision-making is increasingly made under significant uncertainty and constraints. Addressing environmental challenges requires not only technical expertise, but also interdisciplinary training and integration across science, data, policy, and management. This is the mission of MSEM: to train professionals to provide management solutions to environmental problems using innovative, interdisciplinary approaches and succeed in this new phase of the profession.
On behalf of our faculty and staff, I welcome our community to the Spring 2026 semester and look forward to what’s ahead. Stay connected through our blog and social media channels (Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn), and join us at upcoming MSEM events. If you have any questions or want to learn more about our program, feel free to reach out; we love hearing from you.
Warm regards,
Amalia Kokkinaki, PhD
MSEM Program Director
