Program Description

The Graduate Program in Ecology and Environmental Science provides an institutional focus for University strengths in ecology, environmental science, and environmental policy. The primary mission of this program is to offer students the opportunity to acquire a Masters and/or Doctorate degree with an integrated multi-disciplinary approach to the analysis and resolution of ecological and environmental problems.

The University of Maine offers one of the nation's leading interdisciplinary graduate training programs in ecology, environmental science, and environmental policy. The EES Graduate Program includes over 80 faculty members in 16 academic departments who collectively represent a broad spectrum of expertise in the analysis of physical, chemical, biological, ecological, policy-related, and paleoecological aspects of terrestrial, marine, and freshwater ecosystems. Faculty and their students are currently studying a wide range of challenging problems in ecology, environmental science, and environmental policy in locations as nearby as the local bogs of Maine and as distant as the Hawaiian Islands and the marshes of Hudson Bay.

In the EES Program, there are three basic degree options: M.S. Masters Non-Thesis, M.S. Masters with Thesis, and Ph.D. It is generally recommended that students complete an M.S. degree, prior to enrolling in a doctoral program. However, highly qualified students with a B.S. degree may be considered for admission to a Ph.D. program.

Forms and Degree Guidelines

Students enrolled in the EES Graduate Program should use the EES Checklist to track progress in completing program requirements. Please also examine the list showing examples of courses in each EES Subject Division, the guidelines for Preparation of Thesis Proposals, and the statement on Optional Areas of Concentration. Program of Study forms for Masters or Doctoral degrees should be completed and submitted within the first year of matriculation. (Download Adobe PDF Reader here.)

Graduate School forms are available at Graduate Forms and include the Program of Study, Completion of Requirements, Notice of Oral Examination, Final Thesis Acceptance, Tentative Thesis Acceptance, Notification of Results of Oral Exam, Thesis Guidelines, and Graduation Checklist forms.