Welcome

The Bren School welcomes to the Master of Environmental Science and Management (MESM) program students who bring a firm commitment to their academic studies and intend to pursue careers as environmental management professionals dedicated to identifying and solving environmental problems.

Our rigorous admissions standards emphasize previous academic and professional experience, as well as other relevant skills and knowledge that we believe will contribute to a student's success in one of the School’s six areas of specialization. Thus, the application review process focuses not only on prior educational performance, but also on letters of recommendation and the personal statement of intent.

How to Apply

All prospective Bren students are required to apply through the UC Santa Barbara Graduate Division and must complete the UCSB Graduate Division’s online application: (I need a url link).  

All information regarding university requirements, application fees, domestic and international applications, and test scores can be found on the Graduate Division’s Prospective Students webpage at: http://www.graddiv.ucsb.edu/prospectivestudents/

The Bren School requires the following supplemental materials to be sent directly to the department what department? The Graduate Department? Or do you mean the Bren School?:

• Three letters of recommendation

• Two copies of your Statement of Purpose

• Two copies of your resume

• Two copies of official transcripts

Please send materials to:

Donald Bren School of Environmental Science and Management

University of California

Santa Barbara, CA 93106-5131

Attn: Graduate Program Assistant

Admissions Deadline

Applications must be received by January 10, 2008 in order for the applicat to receive primary consideration and be eligibile for school-based financial support. Late applications will be considered until February 15, 2008, space permitting. Applications are reviewed after the admissions deadline; however, all application materials must be postmarked no later than the deadline.

Bren School Requirements and Preparation

We accept applicants from any undergraduate major; however, we do require some prerequisite coursework, which, although not required for you to be admitted to the program, must be completed before you enroll.

Generally, the following preparation is required for admittance to the MESM program:

• Calculus – two quarters or one semester.

Note: If you are admitted to the MESM program, you may need to participate in a 2-
week, no-credit preparation/review math workshop prior to the the school year, even if you have taken calculus.

• Science – three quarters or two semesters in any combination of chemistry, biology, physics, earth

science, or atmospheric science. Chemistry is especially valuable preparation.

• Statistics (recommended) – one semester or quarter in an introductory class.

Note: If you are admitted to the MESM program and have not taken statistics (or need to review materials covered in previous coursework), you will be required to participate in a 5-week no-credit workshop during the first half of the fall quarter.

We will accept high school Advanced Placement courses as satisfying the above requirements.

If you lack essential preparation, please include a memo in your application outlining how you plan to rectify the deficiency before enrolling in fall.

 

Frequently Asked Admissions Questions

We invite all prospective applicants to review our Frequently Asked Admissions Questions page for answers to Bren-specific application questions.  (link: need url to our Frequently Asked Questions page/rename page to Frequently Asked Admissions Questions Page-update)

Contact Information

If you have any questions regarding the Bren Program or application process, please contact us at admissions@bren.ucsb.edu or call 805-893-7611.