Background of the program

Global environmental problems are among the biggest challenges of the 21st century. Environmental issues involving water pollution, soil degradation, and natural resource depletion have created new challenges of global warming, food insecurity, and economic and political turmoil across the globe. Understanding the principles, processes, and causes of these environmental problems requires comprehensive science and research-oriented curricula to understand the science underlying these problems and develop solutions.

Agricultural (including poultry and livestock) and tree farming, forest management, and a mining-based economy are rapidly changing in Kentucky. As the workforce attempts to find alternative, profit-maximizing, and sustainable land management practices, higher education must consider shifting trends of current and future job opportunities towards technology-oriented ones for optimizing resources. A significant component of future job opportunities and challenges will involve resource conservation, finding a sustainable nexus of food energy and water, AI, data and technology-savvy environmental policies & practices, efficient use of current energy sources, and development of alternative energy sources.

More environmental scientists, problem-solving professionals, and policymakers who can integrate scientific knowledge, interdisciplinary approaches, technology, and data analytics are needed to solve current environmental problems in Kentucky and worldwide. KSU's Master of Science in Environmental Science and Technology (MEST) is designed to address this demand.

Goal and Program Learning Outcomes

The goal of KSU’s MEST degree program is the pursuit and dissemination of environmental knowledge and technology. The revised MES program broadens the scope of scientific and technological studies of the environment through the offering of innovative curricula grounded on the existing MES courses, faculty expertise, research, and laboratory capacity, as well as feedback received from former MES students, AFE/MES Retreat, and campus-wide review workshop organized by CPE and Gray Associates in Summer 2023. The revised curricula include courses to teach fundamentals of environmental science, hydrology, Environmental Research methods, plant, water, and soil instrumentation, Ecosystems and Biome Science, bioremediation, toxicology and waste management, resources economics, environmental law, and policy, as well as application of GIScience Technology and Remote Sensing techniques. The revised program emphasizes basic and applied environmental and ecological science research and teaching (through the Capstone course) using case studies, land degradation, and ecosystem change data from Central and Eastern Kentucky. Graduates of the KSU MEST program are expected to hold positions as environmental scientists, policy analysts, inspectors/regulators in state and local government agencies, and industries, as well as continue a career path to pursue doctoral programs at other universities.

The new MEST program is expected to grow fast by recruiting domestic students from diverse undergraduate backgrounds and various geographic locations. The program is designed to attract competitive students who have interests in blending science and technology for meaningful employment, a commitment to humanity, sustainable resource management, and problem-solving.

Degree Requirements

The MEST program is made up of 36 credits including thesis or capstone project work. It should be noted that the capstone project is typically less comprehensive than a traditional master’s thesis, so students choosing this option are required to take two additional elective courses. Students interested in pursuing the master’s degree full-time should plan to spend about two years in residence. Students in the online MEST program will complete all classes and capstone research without needing to be on campus.

Thesis Option

The purpose of the thesis option is to demonstrate the student’s ability to investigate a research topic and report the findings in proper scientific publication style. This enables the student to gain experience in a specific area of environmental science and to report research results in a publishable document. The program has a student handbook that gives more specific requirements for the formatting and process that need to be followed. It is distributed at the orientation at the beginning of your first semester. Experience in the literature review, experimental design, data collection, statistical analysis, and manuscript preparation are obtained by students completing the thesis option. Students who intend to further their graduate education (e.g., obtain a doctoral degree) should choose this option because doctoral programs often require students to demonstrate their ability to successfully complete a master’s thesis. Required courses and a thesis topic must be approved by the student’s graduate committee.

Capstone Project Option

Graduate students enrolled in the non-thesis option are required to complete a capstone project as determined by their major professor and approved by their committee. The MEST graduate student Handbook provides specifics on formatting and other requirements and is available to all students during their first semester. Examples might include a literature review, a public service project, or Cooperative Extension work. A detailed proposal is submitted for approval to the student’s committee before the project is conducted, and a final project report must be approved by the student’s committee.

Graduate Committee

The Graduate Committee consists of three School of Agriculture and Natural Resources (SANR) faculty members, and it can include one additional member from outside of SANR. Students are required to hold their first committee meeting during their first semester and present a thesis/caption proposal in the second semester of study.

The major professor will guide the student on research, analysis, writing, and other scholarly aspects of the work. Members of the student's committee contribute, but the primary responsibility is that of the major professor.

Submission of a thesis or Capstone manuscript is defined as the time at which the first complete draft of such is submitted to the major professor for review. After the major professor approves the draft for committee revision, the student will then submit the manuscript for critical review by the committee. Each may suggest improvements and refuse approval pending additional work. When committee members and the major professor sign the Approval Page, they certify that the thesis or capstone manuscript is clear and accurate, that it represents an original and worthwhile contribution, that the suggestions made by them are incorporated into the final work, and that the work conforms to the standards of Kentucky State University College of Agriculture, Health, and Natural Resources (CAHNR). No faculty member will sign a thesis until it is of foremost quality and meets all requirements. The major professor and committee members must sign their names personally. There can be no temporary substitute members and no other person may sign a committee member's name on an Approval Page, even with the authorization of the committee member involved and the major professor. Electronic signatures are allowed for students completing their degree online.

Written Comprehensive Exams

All MEST students pursuing a thesis or capstone track will complete a written comprehensive exam to be administered by the faculty mentor with questions from the student’s faculty mentor and committee members. This exam must be administered before the student defends and must have a majority of the committee members award a passing grade to the questions they have provided.

Thesis Option

Capstone Project Option

Elective Courses