The Master of Arts in Political Science, Environmental Politics and Policy Specialization examines the interplay between the environment and politics and the scope and severity of environmental governance challenges using interdisciplinary evidence, diverse perspectives, and multiple approaches. Specialists in this field normally examine key actors, institutions, and norms of environmental politics in domestic and international contexts for private or public organizations.
For more information on the Master of Arts in Political Science please email cla_polisci@mail.colostate.edu.
Students interested in graduate work should refer to the Graduate and Professional Bulletin.
Learning Objectives
Students who choose the Environmental Politics and Policy specialization will:
Diagnose:
- Examine the interplay between the environment and politics and the scope and severity of environmental governance challenges using interdisciplinary evidence, diverse perspectives, and multiple approaches
Contextualize and Theorize:
- Examine key actors, institutions, and norms of environmental politics in domestic and international contexts.
- Evaluate key theories explaining the roles of actors, ideas, beliefs, identity and cultures in environmental politics.
- Critique normative approaches and empirical measures of environmental problems
- Appraise theoretical and normative approaches to environmental discourse, practice, performance, and politics.
- Apply theory to improve the practice of environmental decision making.
Organize and Communicate:
- Identify and assess organizational and administrative strategies of environmental groups, institutions, and administrations.
- Analyze and develop organizational, administrative, institutional, and communicative strategies related to environmental politics.
- Design solutions to environmental problems reflective of theoretic and normative complexity.
Research:
- Design and implement research projects that measure, contextualize, communicate, or explicate environmental politics topics and concerns.
- Develop and execute comparative and case-based approaches to evaluating environmental institutions, beliefs, contexts, cultures, and practices.
- Develop and practice professional writing, speaking, and networking skills directed to broadly impacting environmental politics
Inform:
- Examine the interplay between the environment and politics and the scope and severity of environmental governance challenges using interdisciplinary evidence, diverse perspectives, and multiple approaches.
Effective Fall 2021
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Course: | ||
| POLS 670 | Politics of Environment and Sustainability | 3 |
| Methods Courses: | ||
| Select one course from the following: | 3 | |
| Approaches to the Study of Politics | ||
| Scope and Methods of Political Science | ||
| Select one course from the following: | 3 | |
| Qualitative Methods in Political Science | ||
| Quantitative Methods of Political Research I | ||
| Public Policy Analysis | ||
| POLS 699 | Thesis | 6 |
| POLS Electives (see list below) | 6 | |
| Environmental Electives (see list below) 1 | 6 | |
| Additional Electives | 3 | |
| Program Total Credits: | 30 | |
POLS Electives (Select a minimum of 6 credits)
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| POLS 500 | Governmental Politics in the U.S. | 3 |
| POLS 501 | Citizen Politics in the U.S. | 3 |
| POLS 509 | Gender and the Law | 3 |
| POLS 520 | Theories of Political Action | 3 |
| POLS 530 | International Relations | 3 |
| POLS 531 | International Security Studies | 3 |
| POLS 532 | Governance of the World Political Economy | 3 |
| POLS 540 | Comparative Politics | 3 |
| POLS 541 | Political Economy of Change and Development | 3 |
| POLS 542 | Democracy and Democratization | 3 |
| POLS 544/ETST 544 | National Identities and Nation Building | 3 |
| POLS 550/PPA 550 | Advanced Public Administration | 3 |
Environmental Electives (Select a minimum of 6 credits. Students should select no more than 3 credits of a non-POLS subject code, and no more than 3 credits of a 300-400-level course)1
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ANTH 515 | Culture and Environment | 3 |
| ANTH 532 | The Culture of Disaster | 3 |
| ANTH 554/ESS 554 | Ecological and Social Agent-based Modeling | 3 |
| GES 440/ATS 440 | Sea Level Rise and a Sustainable Future | 3 |
| GES 441 | Analysis of Sustainable Energy Solutions | 3 |
| GES 460 | Law and Sustainability | 3 |
| GES 520 | Issues in Global Environmental Sustainability | 3 |
| HIST 539 | Reading Seminar--World Environmental History | 3 |
| NR 503/GR 503 | Remote Sensing and Image Analysis | 4 |
| NR 567 | Analysis of Environmental Impact | 3 |
| NRRT 605 | Human Dimensions of Natural Resources Theory | 3 |
| POLS 361 | U.S. Environmental Politics and Policy | 3 |
| POLS 362 | Global Environmental Politics | 3 |
| POLS 364 | Air, Climate, and Energy Policy Analysis | 3 |
| POLS 442 | Environmental Politics in Developing World | 3 |
| POLS 462 | Globalization, Sustainability, and Justice | 3 |
| POLS 692 | Seminar in Environmental Policy | 3 |
| POLS 709 | Environmental Politics in the U.S. | 3 |
| POLS 729 | Political Theory and the Environment | 3 |
| POLS 739 | International Environmental Politics | 3 |
| POLS 749 | Comparative Environmental Politics | 3 |
| POLS 759 | Environmental Policy and Administration | 3 |
| PPA 555 | Environmental Law and Policy | 3 |
| SOC 562/AGRI 562 | Sociology of Food Systems and Agriculture | 3 |
| SOC 564 | Environmental Justice | 3 |
A minimum of 30 credits are required to complete this program.
- 1
Graduate students may use 300 or 400 level undergraduate courses approved by their committee in the Program of Study (GS Form 6) up to the limits set by the Graduate School. Graduate students may apply remedial undergraduate courses they were required to take as a condition of their admission toward the degree if such undergraduate credits are consistent with the requirements of the degree AND approved by their committee in the Program of Study (GS Form 6).
Effective Fall 2021
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Course: | ||
| POLS 670 | Politics of Environment and Sustainability | 3 |
| Methods Courses: | ||
| Select one course from the following: | 3 | |
| Approaches to the Study of Politics | ||
| Scope and Methods of Political Science | ||
| Select one course from the following: | 3 | |
| Qualitative Methods in Political Science | ||
| Quantitative Methods of Political Research I | ||
| Public Policy Analysis | ||
| POLS Electives (see list below) | 6 | |
| Environmental Electives (see list below) 1 | 6 | |
| Additional POLS Electives 1, 2 | 15 | |
| Program Total Credits: | 36 | |
POLS Electives (Select a minimum of 6 credits)
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| POLS 500 | Governmental Politics in the U.S. | 3 |
| POLS 501 | Citizen Politics in the U.S. | 3 |
| POLS 509 | Gender and the Law | 3 |
| POLS 520 | Theories of Political Action | 3 |
| POLS 530 | International Relations | 3 |
| POLS 531 | International Security Studies | 3 |
| POLS 532 | Governance of the World Political Economy | 3 |
| POLS 540 | Comparative Politics | 3 |
| POLS 541 | Political Economy of Change and Development | 3 |
| POLS 542 | Democracy and Democratization | 3 |
| POLS 544/ETST 544 | National Identities and Nation Building | 3 |
| POLS 550/PPA 550 | Advanced Public Administration | 3 |
| POLS 558/PPA 558 | Administrative Law | 3 |
| POLS 626 | Political Research Laboratory | 1 |
| POLS 660/PPA 660 | Theories of the Policy Process | 3 |
Environmental Electives (Select a minimum of 6 credits. Students should select no more than 3 credits from a non-POLS subject code, and no more than 3 credits of a 300-400 level course)1
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ANTH 515 | Culture and Environment | 3 |
| ANTH 532 | The Culture of Disaster | 3 |
| ANTH 554/ESS 554 | Ecological and Social Agent-based Modeling | 3 |
| GES 440/ATS 440 | Sea Level Rise and a Sustainable Future | 3 |
| GES 441 | Analysis of Sustainable Energy Solutions | 3 |
| GES 460 | Law and Sustainability | 3 |
| GES 520 | Issues in Global Environmental Sustainability | 3 |
| HIST 539 | Reading Seminar--World Environmental History | 3 |
| NR 503/GR 503 | Remote Sensing and Image Analysis | 4 |
| NR 567 | Analysis of Environmental Impact | 3 |
| NRRT 605 | Human Dimensions of Natural Resources Theory | 3 |
| PHIL 564 | Seminar in Animal Rights | 3 |
| PHIL 565 | Seminar in Environmental Philosophy | 3 |
| POLS 361 | U.S. Environmental Politics and Policy | 3 |
| POLS 362 | Global Environmental Politics | 3 |
| POLS 364 | Air, Climate, and Energy Policy Analysis | 3 |
| POLS 442 | Environmental Politics in Developing World | 3 |
| POLS 462 | Globalization, Sustainability, and Justice | 3 |
| POLS 692 | Seminar in Environmental Policy | 3 |
| POLS 709 | Environmental Politics in the U.S. | 3 |
| POLS 729 | Political Theory and the Environment | 3 |
| POLS 739 | International Environmental Politics | 3 |
| POLS 749 | Comparative Environmental Politics | 3 |
| POLS 759 | Environmental Policy and Administration | 3 |
| PPA 555 | Environmental Law and Policy | 3 |
| SOC 562/AGRI 562 | Sociology of Food Systems and Agriculture | 3 |
| SOC 564 | Environmental Justice | 3 |
A minimum of 36 credits are required to complete this program.
- 1
Graduate students may use 300 or 400 level undergraduate courses approved by their committee in the Program of Study (GS Form 6) up to the limits set by the Graduate School. Graduate students may apply remedial undergraduate courses they were required to take as a condition of their admission toward the degree if such undergraduate credits are consistent with the requirements of the degree AND approved by their committee in the Program of Study (GS Form 6).
- 2
Outside courses optional and/or as recommended by the Student’s Graduate Committee.
For more information, please visit Requirements for All Graduate Degrees in the Graduate and Professional Bulletin.
Summary of Procedures for the Master's and Doctoral Degrees
NOTE: Each semester the Graduate School publishes a schedule of deadlines. Deadlines are available on the Graduate School website. Students should consult this schedule whenever they approach important steps in their careers.
Forms are available online.
| Step | Due Date |
|---|---|
| 1. Application for admission (online) | Six months before first registration |
| 2. Diagnostic examination when required | Before first registration |
| 3. Appointment of advisor | Before first registration |
| 4. Selection of graduate committee | Before the time of fourth regular semester registration |
| 5. Filing of program of study (GS Form 6) | Before the time of fourth regular semester registration |
| 6. Preliminary examination (Ph.D. and PD) | Two terms prior to final examination |
| 7. Report of preliminary examination (GS Form 16) - (Ph.D. and PD) | Within two working days after results are known |
| 8. Changes in committee (GS Form 9A) | When change is made |
| 9. Application for Graduation (GS Form 25) | Refer to published deadlines from the Graduate School Website |
| 9a. Reapplication for Graduation (online) | Failure to graduate requires Reapplication for Graduation (online) for the next time term for which you are applying |
| 10. Submit thesis or dissertation to committee | At least two weeks prior to the examination or at the discretion of the graduate committee |
| 11. Final examination | Refer to published deadlines from the Graduate School Website |
| 12. Report of final examination (GS Form 24) | Within two working days after results are known; refer to published deadlines from the Graduate School website |
| 13. Submit a signed Thesis/Dissertation Submission Form (GS Form 30) to the Graduate School and Submit the Survey of Earned Doctorates (Ph.D. only) prior to submitting the electronic thesis/dissertation | Refer to published deadlines from the Graduate School website. |
| 14. Submit the thesis/dissertation electronically | Refer to published deadlines from the Graduate School website |
| 15. Graduation | Ceremony information is available from the Graduate School website |