Opinions Sought - MS Environmental Management

I have been reading and searching this discussion forum for several weeks. The conversations have been scintillating. Unfortunately, I have not been able to locate answers to my questions in the field of Environmental Management.

With the knowledge I have gained from the opinions expressed in this forum regarding the quality of the various DL institutions and that gleaned from Dr. Bear's wonderful book on earning DL degrees, I have narrowed down my list of potential schools. However, I may have missed a quality institution or misinterpreted their information.

The schools I like are:

University of London
Open University
University of Queensland

Let me give you a little background on my interest and me. I am currently a director of environmental, health and safety for a fortune 100 company in the US. I possess a BS in Health Sciences from Purdue University and a MS in Hazardous Waste Management from the University of Idaho. I wish to pursue a DL education due to my travel demands, the increased flexibility that an online degree offers, and the ability to participate in education that is not locally available. I have a strong interest in leading environmental trends such as sustainability, social responsibility, life cycle analysis, etc.

My questions are:

1. Do you have experience with one or more of the programs?
2. Is the residency issue for the Open University a big deal (yes I saw Dr. Bear's post regarding this but I would like to hear from someone who has done this and could give me a few pointers; all in secrecy of course)?
3. The University of Queensland is only a BS program. I have requested information about a DL MS but no information has been received to date. Is there a potential for doing a MS there in Environmental?
4. Did I miss a school in my search?

My sincerest thanks,

Bill Lechner

 

There are probably other options; I don't have a copy handy at the moment, but when I did the subject index for the 14th edition of Bears' Guide (which can be ordered off of Amazon.com), I ran across a fair number of programs in environmental management and environmental studies, most of them in Australia, as I recall.

Of the three programs you mentioned, I would probably go with London's; it requires no residency, it's inexpensive for a British program, you can proceed through it at more-or-less your own pace, and they've been at this since 1836.

Applying to the Open University as a U.S. student is a precarious process, I've been told--and when I looked into their Ph.D. program in Religious Studies, I was not encouraged to apply. I wouldn't bother with them unless I was particularly interested in getting an OU degree. They're certainly a legitimate school, and an international leader in distance education, but I don't think they're eager to get American students.

AQF-accredited Aussie schools are always sound; if you find a particular external master's program that might fit your needs, I would recommend requesting an information packet and comparing cost/duration/requirements point-by-point with the London program. If you're looking at possibly doing an external British or Aussie Ph.D. down the road, I'd also recommend that you go with a program that includes a thesis of at least 15,000 words. If you're doing a master's where the residency requirements are not made clear, and where residency is an important issue to you, be sure all policies and requirements are stated in writing.

Good luck.


Cheers,

 

Got that right doc!

My first experience with the Open University was interesting, I inquired about a Canadian student taking their law program and I was sent a short email saying sorry we cannot help you. Rather abrupt but to the point.

A reference to another school would have been nice.

 

There are a few Masters Programs relating to Environmental studies that I was able to locate:

Rochester Institute of Technology
MS in Health Systems Administration
57 qtr. hr. credit requirement / $587 per qtr. credit
(Expensive) No residency

U of Idaho (Outreach)
MS in Environmental Science Management (water emphisis)
30 credit hours / $410 per credit
No residency

U of Findlay
MS in Environmental, Safety and Health Management
33 credits / $365 per credit
No residency

U of Alabama (Quest)
MS Human Environmental Sciences
30 credits / $180 per credit
No residency

National Technology University
MS Environmental Systems Management
30 credits / $660-$800 per credit
No residency

There's others: Virginia Polytech, Columbia U, Georgia Institute of Technology, but the degree credit costs are expensive (over $750 per credit hour)

Overseas:

University of Portsmouth (MSc in Occupation & Environmental Health and Safety Management) through distance-learning

Staffordshire University (Msc in Water & Environmental Management)

Charles Sturt University (Master of Applied Science in Environmental Management and Restoration)

I'll keep looking...

 

And MSc in Environmental Management from Imperial College at Wye, University of London.

 

Other options...

University of Denver offers an online/short residency [?] program.
This may have appeal if you do cross-country hops

Also, if you are in the Wash., D.C./Baltimore area, The Johns
Hopkins University program--TOP NOTCH credential!--is available in both locales, and increasingly, on the internet.
But pricey..although your business might cover it.

--Orson