Curriculum

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

Master of Science in Environmental Metrology and Policy (EMAP) Program students must successfully complete 40 credits with an average of accumulative GPA no less than 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. A combined EMAP-MS/Chemistry PhD track is being finalized and will become available in Fall 2018 for enrolled EMAP students.

The EMAP-MS Program is a 35-credit program of different schedule options that consists of 4 courses of 3 credits each; 11 courses of 2-credits each; a one capstone project of 1 credit that requires a comprehensive report and an oral presentation; and a seminar series. Its standard curriculum follows a 2-year/4-semester schedule, but students can also choose to follow an accelerated 1.5-year/3-semester, a 2.5-year/5-semester, or a 3-year/6-semester schedule, whichever fits students’ needs. All lecture courses are scheduled after 4pm on weekdays and lab courses on Saturdays so students can have the option of pursuing the degree while still working full time and there are plenty of opportunities for the latter. For the planned combined EMAP-MS/Chemistry PhD track that will become available to enrolled students in Fall 2018, interested students will be required to apply to the combined track by the end of his/her 2nd semester of the EMAP-MS and will then follow a modified curriculum once admitted.  

All graduate students must maintain an average accumulative GPA of no less than 3.0 (4.0 scale) to be in good standing.

A field experience is required during the first summer semester. During the ten-week field research assignment students will engage in actual field research with a research mentor. Proposed locations: primarily students will complete their research experiences at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Other governmental agencies or NGOs in the area will also serve as potential locations: USGS, NIOSH, NIH, FDA, OSHA and other locations as appropriate.

Core Curriculum

Core Courses in Environmental Metrology

• EMAP-501: Chemistry of Environmental Exposures (Year 1-Fall)
• EMAP-502: Statistical Methods in Metrology (Year 1-Fall)
• EMAP-505: Occupational and Environmental Toxicology (Year 1-Fall)
• EMAP-511: Introduction to Environmental Metrology (Year 1-Spring)
• EMAP-512: Environmental Metrology Lab I: Instrumental Principles and Measurements (Year 1-Spring)
• EMAP 517: Introduction to Data Science and Machine Learning for Environmental Metrology, (Year 2-Spring, strongly recommended but could petition to substitute it by an elective)
• EMAP-513: Environmental Metrology Lab II: Guided Independent Research (Year 2-Fall)

Core Courses in Risk Assessment and Environmental Policy:

• EMAP-503: Introduction to Environmental Policy Science (Year 1-Fall)
• EMAP-514: Introduction to Environmental Risk Assessment and Management (Year 1-Spring)
• EMAP-504: Introduction to US and International Environmental Laws and Regulations (Year 1-Fall)
• EMAP-515: Advanced Environmental Policy Making Science I:  A Study of Practical Cases (Year 1-Spring)
• EMAP-516: Advanced Environmental Policy Making Science II:  A Study of Practical Cases (Year 2-Fall)
• EMAP 520: Introduction to Alternatives to Animal Tests (Year 2-Spring, strongly recommended but could petition to substitute it by an elective)

All students are also required to conduct a 10-week research internship during the in-between summer. The research project of the summer internship will be continued by the Metrology Lab II and the capstone course in Year-2.

Elective courses are as follows:

• One course in Environmental Health/epidemiology, Ethics or Justice (e.g., MICB-589-Environmental Health & Policy, Year 2-Fall) or equivalent.
• One course in Economics, Government, or Anthropology (e.g., ECON-551: Microeconomics, Year 2-Fall) or equivalent.

Although not earning any course credits, students are also required to attend a weekly interdisciplinary EMAP Seminar Series each semester where leading scholars (NIST, EPA, academia) in environmental metrology and environmental policymaking present works in progress. The following EMAP 4-semester curriculum diagram illustrates the integral connections among the courses.