Doctor Of Environmental Management (D.Env.M.)

Program Interim Directors:
Dr. Michael Kruge
Dr. Huan Feng

The Environmental Management doctoral program seeks to foster an emerging inter-disciplinary approach to the study of the environment and humankind's impact on natural resources. Broadly defined, the interdisciplinary program fosters understanding of the structure and function of environmental systems and their management.  More specifically, the program focuses on the causes, impacts, and responses to environmental change in major urban areas. The doctoral program meets the urgent need for highly qualified, trained personnel in the private and public sectors to solve the world's growing environmental problems. Because a deep understanding of environmental issues and solutions to environmental problems requires the knowledge and analytic approaches of several disciplines, the program's faculty includes a wide range of natural, social and management scientists. 

Research Themes: The doctoral program is centered on three separate yet interlocking research themes. Graduate students trained through the doctoral program focus on the intersections of these themes.   The themes to be studied are: 

• Water-Land Systems - Interactions between hydrological systems, including aquatic, estuarine, and coastal environments, and landscape structure and pattern.

  The water-land systems approach considers the interactions of fluvial, estuarine, marine, groundwater, and wetland systems with patterns of human settlement and industry.  The highly urbanized northeastern region of New Jersey, while compact geographically, is part of a complex coastal environment in which such interactions can readily be observed.  Since the region has a long history of coastal industrial activity, land- and water-use impacts over time can be readily studied. MSU is situated in the heart of the region; consequently students can conveniently conduct doctoral research projects and training exercises there.
   

• Sustainability, Vulnerability, and Equity - Conceptualization and operationalization of these emerging areas of study within the context of urban environmental management. 

  The concepts of sustainability, vulnerability, and equity have become critical for understanding urban environmental management.  A primary objective of the doctoral program research mission is to more formally integrate these theoretical advancements into urban environmental change and management theory and practice.    The themes of sustainability, vulnerability and equity constitute an interdisciplinary approach to urban environmental management that is based on the study of organizations and institutions. Research approaches within this component of the program are as follows: 

  1. Analysis of natural systems for the construction of indicators and establishing models for monitoring urban systems (e.g., water supply, material-use, waste systems) and associated environmental improvement or degradation;

  2. Research into existing conditions and opportunities for enhancing the conditions of sustainability and equity, and vulnerability reduction in organizations and institutions, i.e., business, education, governmental, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs); and

  3. Research into the dynamics of public policy and environmental sustainability, vulnerability, and equity.   
   

• Modeling and Visualization - State-of-the-art computer-assisted techniques and methods to study the process of environmental change.

  Modeling and visualization have become critical tools for environmental managers in advancing their understanding of how the major elements of the complex physical and human environment interact, particularly with respect to the urban environment. More sophisticated data gathering and processing devices, and updated software packages are the cutting-edge research tools for the environmental analysis and modeling community.  This component of the doctoral program facilitates the integration of these new techniques and methods into the analysis of urban environmental issues.  Within the program, there are several main research modeling and visualization themes. They include for example:

  1. Linking environmental models to remote sensing and GIS for application to landscape dynamics;

  2. Marine sediment and associated contaminant transport and chemodynamic modeling; and

  3. Integration of modeling with other technologies like optical sensors and data acquisition electronics.

Goals of the Doctor of Environmental Management Program: The overall mission is to emphasize research that is grounded in an interdisciplinary, systems-based approach to address environmental management issues.  The specific objectives of the program are:

• To prepare environmental management professionals who will use research in a data based decision-making process that is firmly rooted in current scientific knowledge and methodology.
• To prepare environmental professionals who will recognize and analyze the relationships among the scientific, technological, societal and economic issues that shape environmental research and decision-making.
• To provide professionals already working in the environmental industry with an opportunity to pursue a rigorous, research-based, advanced degree as part-time, and evening students.

For information about the academic program:

       Call:          973-655-5423
       Fax:          973-655-6810
       Email:       mcnicholasp@mail.montclair.edu

       Please visit the program website for more information.

For general graduate school information and graduate application materials:

Go to Doctoral Application booklet to print out a PDF with the doctoral application forms and instructions.

       Call:          973-655-5147 or 800-331-9207
       Fax:          973-655-7869
       Email:        Graduate.School@montclair.edu