UNC’s energy master’s program combines science, business

The ever-evolving worlds of science and business are merging, and a new breed of scientist is more important than ever to maintain America’s competitive edge in the global marketplace.

The University of Northern Colorado in Greeley is preparing graduate students to bridge the gap between science and professional skills with its new professional science master’s degree in environmental geosciences, which will enroll its first students this fall.

The new and innovative program – the first professional science master’s degree program in the state with a focus on environmental geosciences – allows students to pursue advanced scientific training while developing highly valued professional workplace skills such as communication, management, policy and entrepreneurship.

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In addition to interdisciplinary coursework, the new master’s program requires an internship with a science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM)-related company or agency as part of students’ preparation for high-level careers as highly skilled scientists with leadership and communication skills at environmental and resource extraction industries and agencies.

The program’s launch is the result of years of planning by a multidisciplinary team comprised of UNC faculty, administration, alumni and executives from the area’s energy and environmental industries and local governments and nonprofit agencies.

Some of the non-UNC members of the planning team make up an 11-member advisory board that will help oversee the program moving forward, including development of additional curriculum and faculty positions as the program expands.

The program began to take shape in 2012 when two alumni from UNC’s geology program told a faculty member that it had taken 25 years for them to become chief executive of their respective companies because they didn’t possess the workplace skills to assume the positions any sooner.

“These alumni saw a need in the energy industry for exactly this kind of program and came to us knowing we had the ability to develop this professional master’s degree program,” said Emmett Evanoff, associate professor of geology. “This professional master’s is a way to develop communication and management skills without the heavy time commitment of an MBA, plus gain scientific knowledge.”

Students admitted into the program must have an undergraduate degree in a STEM field with an overall 3.0 grade-point average and an interest in a high-level professional geoscience career. The 30-credit degree includes course work in geosciences, applied sciences related to water, minerals and energy, and environmental management.

Along with the rigorous scientific training, students take graduate courses in communication, entrepreneurship and business management from UNC’s Monfort College of Business. The interdisciplinary degree is completed by developing technical skills in fields such as statistics or geographic information science.

In order to prepare both a technically and professionally competent scientist for the environmental and resource extraction industries, class sizes are kept small to help facilitate mentoring by the faculty.

In addition to the graduate coursework, the required three-credit internship provides professional experience under the supervision of a specialist within a company or agency. Students are required to work on a specific scientific project within their area of interest to hone research and management skills.

Don Day, president of Day Weather Inc. and a member of the program’s advisory board, said he’s had many successful interns and full-time hires from UNC.

“Interns from the Environmental Geosciences Professional Science Master’s degree program will be motivated and will bring increased productivity to any business and operation,” Day said. “My experience with UNC interns in the past has shown that they are young, fresh and willing to prove themselves. Interns are able to work on a variety of projects with enthusiasm.”

Jan Rowe, 24, has enrolled in the Environmental Geosciences Professional Science Master’s program because it was the perfect fit for his goals as a scientist.

“I want to make myself marketable to a future employer,” Rowe said. “I have a bachelor’s degree in business and a minor in earth sciences from UNC. With this advanced degree, I’ll expand my scientific knowledge while also gaining experience in the industry through internship and field work.”

More information about the program is available at www.unco.edu/nhs/esci/psm/.

William H. Hoyt, Ph.D, chairs the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and is a professor of oceanography at the University of Northern Colorado.