Skip to content

Professional Science Master’s Degree

Home › Program Finder › Professional Science Master’s Degree

All six concentrations in the Master of Science in Environmental Studies (MSES) program and the Resource Management and Administration program have been approved for recognition as Professional Science Master’s (PSM) by the Council of Graduate Schools.

The Sustainable Development and Climate Change (SDCC) concentration in the RMA program was approved for PSM recognition in 2010. Antioch University's School of Environment and Sustainability offers the only Professional Science Master’s-recognized degrees in New Hampshire at our New England campus, which is three of only 277 PSM-recognized programs available in the U.S.

The programs bear the official PSM logo, and are included on the Professional Science Master’s website.

PSM Designation Requirements

Students in AUNE’s Master’s of Science in Environmental Studies (MS ES) program, or the Master’s of Science in Resource Management and Administration program, who wish to earn a PSM designation must take:

  • Eighteen (18) credits of natural science, math, technology, or computational sciences, including Earth Systems and Climate Change and Community Ecology of the New England Landscape.
  • Twelve (12) credits of PLUS/Professional skills courses
  • A professional skills component (ie an internship)
  • An experiential component (ie one of the capstone options) that an opportunity for students to demonstrate proficiency in written and oral communication skills.

 Students work closely with their academic advisers to develop a detailed program plan that best meets their academic and professional goals.  With careful planning credits taken for the degree programs can meet the requirements of the PSM designation.

About the Professional Science Master’s Recognition

The Professional Science Master’s is an innovative approach to graduate education that enables students to pursue advanced training in science or mathematics without a PhD, while also developing sought-after workplace skills often learned in an MBA program.

Launched in 1997 with support of the Alfred B. Sloan Foundation, and designed in collaboration with industry, a Professional Science Master’s can be completed in two years, and combines interdisciplinary academic study with research projects and internships in businesses and the public sector.

To date, graduates successfully work in industry, government and non-profit organizations. Federal support for the Professional Science Master’s has been growing over the past several years. The National Science Foundation (NSF) recently awarded $15 million in grants to develop or expand PSMs, an initiative authorized by the America COMPETES Act and funded by the 2009 stimulus bill. Read the Chronicle of Higher Education commentary in support of Professional Science Master’s-recognized graduate degrees.