American University of Beirut

Background​​

The Interfaculty Graduate Environmental Sciences Program (IGESP) is a multidisciplinary field of study which leads to the Master of Sciences degree in Environmental Sciences with four possible majors: Environmental Technology, Ecosystem Management, Environmental Health, and Environmental Policy Planning.

Together, these majors ensure adequate coverage of all environmental and sustainable development issues prevailing in Lebanon and the Arab World, in their various ecological, economic, political and social dimensions.

The program has been designed to cater to the rising demand for environmental scientists in the Middle East region. The specificity of the region’s environment is reflected both in the program’s academic and educational perspectives.

Founded in the mid-1990s, the IGESP program, recognizing Lebanon’s unique diversity – environmental, societal and cultural – also understands that various environmental problems affect the integrity of the country’s ecosystems. Accordingly, IGESP adopts a holistic approach to resolving those problems, and offers a course of study designed to address both the most salient environmental issues as well as more specialized topics.

IGESP draws on the resources of various faculties/departments and provides opportunities for study and research in the field of the environment in its totality. While the program caters mostly to physical and natural sciences students, it is offered to students holding a bachelor’s degree in any approved relevant discipline of engineering, natural or social science, or humanities. It provides graduates with the necessary tools to assess diversified and multidisciplinary environmental issues. The program focuses on enhancing students’ research, analytical, problem-solving and critical-thinking skills by emphasizing the case study approach to learning and solving environmental problems.

Like all programs at the American University of Beirut, IGESP is registered in the US through the New York State Education Department.

Mission

The mission of the AUB IGESP Program is to contribute to building the environmental capacity in Lebanon and the region through human resources development as well as research and community involvement. The essence of the program lies in its interdisciplinarity. The program is firmly based on a holistic view of the environment that integrates the ecological, technical, health and socioeconomic dimensions. We aim to train creative, flexible and cross-curricular graduates capable of appreciating, building on, and applying cutting-edge knowledge for the management of the environment. Our graduates are empowered with exceptional technical, managerial, critical evaluation, research and reporting skills.

Vision

The IGESP Program aspires to be the leading interdisciplinary program bridging environmental education, research and service through close partnership with academic institutions and civil society actors.

General Information

The degree of Master of Science (MS) in Environmental Sciences is offered with four possible majors:

• Ecosystem Management in the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences (FAFS).
• Environmental Health in the Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS).
• Environmental Technology in the Maroun Semaan Faculty of Engineering  and Architecture (MSFEA).
• Environmental Policy Planning in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS).
  

The program draws on the resources of various departments of the faculties of Agricultural and Food Sciences (FAFS), Arts and Sciences (FAS), Engineering and Architecture (MSFEA), Health Sciences (FHS) and Medicine (FM), and it provides opportunities for study and research in the general field of environment.

The program provides graduates with the necessary tools for professional practice and/or the pursuit of higher education. It is administered by an interfaculty committee that coordinates with the graduate committees of the faculties concerned.

Criteria for Admission

To be accepted into the program, an applicant must:

• meet general university requirements for admission to graduate study.
• be recommended by the appropriate faculty graduate committee and accepted by the Interfaculty Coordinating Committee of the program.
• provide at least two academic letters of recommendation and one other professional letter if relevant.
• submit a detailed effective statement of purpose (400-500 words) for each major indicating the purpose for pursing graduate study in the particular field at AUB and specifying the applicant’s research interests and/or practical experience in the field. Note: The statement should be oriented to the major.
• have a background that is relevant to the major.
  

Applicants to the program may be admitted under the following categories:

• graduate – if the average in the last 60 credits or the last two years is greater than 3.3.
• graduate on probation – if the average in the last 60 credits or the last two years is less than 3.3 and greater than 3.0.
  

Adequate preparation to take any graduate course is decided by the academic advisor and the Interfaculty Graduate Environmental Sciences Program Committee (IGESPC).

Degree Requirements

Requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Environmental Sciences (any major), both thesis and non-thesis options, are tabulated below. The master’s degree with thesis option will normally require between 20 and 24 months to be completed. In both options, the student is required to complete 30 credits of which 9 credits are core courses.

Core courses, as well as basic and broad electives, are listed below. Other relevant electives not listed below may be accepted on a case-by-case basis. These courses are structured to provide students with a diversified and multidisciplinary background in environmental sciences. Students have to register for the core course offered by their faculty of concentration. Students are also required to select two other supplementary courses from the list of c​ore courses approved by the program. Students may not select two core courses from the same faculty. Students can take other elective courses from other faculties after securing the approval of the advisor. Specific faculty/department requirements are defined under each respective faculty/department.​​​​

A student can take other elective courses from other faculties after securing the approval of her/his advisor.

Graduation Requirements

See General University Academic Information in this catalogue.​

Core Course Descriptions

• Master Degree Program in Environmental Sciences Graduate Courses​