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Engineering & Community Practice, M.S.

Among the few programs of its kind in the nation, this one year master’s degree program is designed to develop future engineering leaders who work with and within communities to sustain, restore, and protect our environment. The program draws upon engineering, resource management, Native/Indigenous knowledges and community informed best practices to address environmental issues. It is also designed to integrate theories and methods drawn from Engineering and Native American Studies, preparing graduates to promote social responsibility and civic engagement by building partnerships and projects with Indigenous and underserved communities.

Why this program

Engage in a community based project with one Engineering and one Native American Studies faculty member throughout the entire year. This project will serve as the cornerstone of the program, guided by a balanced range of courses in both disciplines.

Explore Native sovereignty and federal laws and policies, such as Environmental Protection Act regulations—knowledge that is invaluable whether you decide to work directly with tribes or other communities. Apply 'decolonizing methodologies' to the practice of community based partnerships that respect Native sovereignty and self-determination, while critically engaging with engineering practices and policy/legal frameworks that impact Native lands and communities.

Apply engineering analysis and design to identify critical environmental resources problems and solutions aimed at restoring and sustaining the global environment and assist communities who depend on access to natural resources.

two students and a professor looking at papers and piece of equipment on a table

Application Information

The program is aimed at students who have an undergraduate engineering degree in a related field (such as environmental, civil, or mechanical engineering) or those who have completed the necessary prerequisite courses prior to be successful in graduate-level engineering design electives.

Engineering & Community Practice, M.S. How to Apply

Did you know?

The region has a significant Native American population and includes 13 Tribal Nations, including the state’s largest Tribal Nations and largest land-based tribes.

Engineers from Cal Poly Humboldt’s Schatz Energy Research Center helped design and develop a groundbreaking microgrid for the Blue Lake Rancheria Tribe. Engineering faculty have worked on other projects such as the world-famous Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary.

Engineering students have been involved with the Campus Center for Appropriate Technology, an eco-demonstration home run by students who use and test technology that is environmentally, socially, and financially sustainable.

Partner and engage with the NAS Food Sovereignty Lab & Traditional Ecological Knowledges Institute with hands-on learning in Indigenous knowledges, environmental management and community informed research.

student taking a sample from the water

Careers

Graduates of the program will be on track to pursue engineering and resource management positions that require strong technical and management skills with a particular focus on interfacing and working with Indigenous and traditionally under-served communities.

  • Environmental Engineer
  • Water Resources Engineer
  • Environmental Engineer
  • Engineering Planning and Management
  • Water and Wastewater Engineer
  • Energy Systems Engineer
  • Energy Policy Specialist
  • Environmental Consultant
  • Tribal/Municipal/City Engineer
students interacting in front of a body of water

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Public Sociology M.A.

Public Sociology takes sociology into the real world. 
 
The master’s program in public sociology, focuses on social justice and environmental sustainability, while fostering a network of students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members who are committed to social change.  Students are taught to translate their work for the non-academic world and make an impact on the broader community. Our students focus on both teaching and practicing sociology, while developing capacities to build socially-just communities. Our program is a good fit for students who would like to pursue either a Ph.D. to either teach or conduct research in higher education, or to work in research institutions,  or a career without needing a Ph.D. Such careers include leading a non-profit, managing a government agency, or teaching at a community college.

Why this Program

The master’s in Public Sociology provides students with multiple skills—including qualitative and quantitative research skills, how to conduct program evaluations, and how to effectively teach.

Working professionals can get their degree part time, or full time, taking evening classes.

Sociology graduates offer a unique understanding of the social world and possible social solutions to major social issues, as well as the day-to-day issues faced by every organization. 

A Master's student teaching a class

Application Information

Graduate Coordinator: Mary.Virnoche@humboldt.edu

College of Arts, Humanities, & Social Sciences (CAHSS) Recruitment Coordinator: cahss.grad@humboldt.edu

Coursework 2-Year Plan Catalog Description/Requirements Course Rotations
Application Info Graduate Theses and Projects

Program Emphases

Students learn cutting-edge pedagogical practices, and receive both hands-on experience and close mentorship. This is great preparation for teaching at a community college, facilitating and leading groups, designing educational materials, or securing a teaching assistantship in a PhD program.

Students develop into well-trained and valuable applied sociologists. They build their skills through classes, a 240-hour placement with a community partner, paid research opportunities, and their thesis/capstone work.

Combined Bachelor’s and Master’s Program

Earn your B.A and M.A. in just five years (three years for transfer students) with our Combined Bachelor’s and Master’s Program.

You can complete either a Sociology B.A. or a Criminology & Justice Studies B.A, then continue on to receive a Public Sociology M.A. 

Sociology B.A. / Public Sociology M.A. Contact our Graduate Program Coordinator
Criminology & Justice Studies B.A. / Public Sociology M.A.

Did You Know?

There is much you can do as a Sociology major to plan for your future. You can join professional associations, and attend, and/or present papers at relevant conferences like Pacific Sociological Association,  American Sociological Association, and the Critical Criminology Association, among many others. 

Graduate students are actively involved in faculty research and social action projects, many of which are linked with community organizations and government agencies.

Our program is structured to move students through the program in a timely manner. In fact, the majority of our students finish their degrees within two years.

A student in front of a sociology banner

Careers

Former Humboldt Public Sociology graduates have gone on to work, and take leadership, in the non-profit sector, activist organizations and social service agencies, work in higher education, teach at a community college, pursue a Ph.D., and much more!

  • College and University Professor
  • Director, Career Center
  • Director, Strategic Marketing & Communications
  • Executive Diversity Officer
  • Grant Writer
  • Harm Reduction Research Analyst
  • Healthcare Data Analyst
  • Organizing Director, Community Organizing Network
  • Policy Analyst
  • Program Director, Non-profit
  • Professional Advisor, College and Universities
  • Research Analyst
  • Research Director, Institutes and Agencies
  • Senior Health Education/Health Equity Coordinator

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Social Work, M.S.W.

The Master of Social Work program is an advanced generalist with an emphasis on working in rural and Indigenous communities. The program teaches students how to achieve a disciplined, compassionate presence to a caring, and ethical practice. The program prepares students for advanced generalist practice which emphasizes multi-system, multi-level approaches in which practitioners and clients work in collaboration to enhance the functioning and resilience within systems through building on existing strength.

Why this Program

Our program’s emphasis is on working with Indigenous and rural communities and coursework designed to decolonize mainstream social work practice. 

MSW students are matched with skilled social work practitioners for required community placements, offering mentorship as well as integration of theory and practice.

Our distance learning program was created in partnership with county and tribal social service providers in far northern California, with the goal of developing a workforce prepared to serve rural and tribal communities in the region. Courses are designed to support people who are rooted in their communities.

Students attending class

Application Information

The Master of Social Work program is an advanced generalist with an emphasis on working in rural and Indigenous communities. The program teaches students how to achieve a disciplined, compassionate presence to a caring, and ethical practice.

Online learning is available through our Distributed Learning program. 

Master of Social Work, M.S.W. M.S.W. Advanced Standing M.S.W. Application Process

Did You Know?

Students develop a framework for practice guided by personal and professional values and ethics. Cultural humility, compassion, partnership, empowerment, non-expert relational paradigms, critical reflection, and social action for justice are the concepts that form the foundation for learning and developing social work practice at Cal Poly Humboldt.

Students attending class

Careers

Whether you want to advance in your current career, make a transition, or add a degree to amplify your voice and better serve the community you call home, our accessible program has an option to meet your needs.

 

  • Addictions
  • Adoptions
  • Agency Administration
  • Child Welfare
  • Clinical Settings
  • Community Organizing
  • Corrections
  • Domestic Violence
  • Family Planning
  • Foster Care
  • Gerontology
  • Group Homes
Students attending class

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Environment & Community, M.A.

Our program focuses on the diverse relationships between environment and community using interdisciplinary perspectives. 

We find just and sustainable solutions to complex social and environmental challenges, grounded in the knowledge that racial justice, settler colonialism, and environmental problems are deeply intertwined.

We seek to foreground intersectional and decolonizing understandings of power/privilege and identity in environment and community interrelationships.

Why This Program

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We embrace critical interdisciplinarity in the context of environment and community relations.

We advance just sustainability and environmental justice using frameworks that acknowledge the power-laden connections between race, other axes of social difference, and environment.

We learn with and from our students, teaching advocacy, supporting their interests, and mentoring them to be effective leaders.

Students at event
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Application Information

Environment & Community is a two-year master’s degree that prepares students to analyze environment-community issues. For Humboldt students we offer a combined degree pathway where you can earn a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in five years.

Environment & Community, M.A. How to Apply Dual Degree Pathway

Did You Know

E&C graduate students have a broad array of interdisciplinary interests, connected by a common commitment to work towards sustainable and just environment and community relationships.

Graduates have a strong foundation in social science theory and research, the skills for a career or higher degree in a number of fields, and work for nonprofit, government, and educational organizations.

We offer a Dual Degree Pathway. You can earn both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in five years.

Students in front of mural

Careers

Many graduates work for nongovernmental organizations, while others work for government agencies, in education, and in the private sector. Some pursue law or Ph.D. degrees. All our graduates have a strong foundation in community-based methods and research, and the skills for a career or higher degree in a number of fields.

  • Conservation Agent
  • Environment Program Director
  • Environmental Specialist
  • Outreach Coordinator
  • Paralegal
  • Senior Planner
  • Transportation Planner
  • Water Conservation Specialist
  • Development Director
  • Development Writer
  • Director of Programs
Student filming at community garden project

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Natural Resources, M.S.

The graduate program in Natural Resources is designed to provide students with the knowledge and experience necessary to address natural resource problems and to carry out scientific investigations including design, implementation, and evaluation of research in their specific area of study. While the program is designed to provide an in-depth understanding of the student's area of emphasis, it’s also intended to develop an appreciation for the interdisciplinary character of natural resource problems.

Why This Program

Research

Science and Natural Resources graduate students conduct original scientific investigations under the guidance of their major advisor.

Fieldwork

Mountains and wetlands. Forests and rivers. Beaches and bays. They’re all nearby, and they’re all used as living laboratories.

Personal Attention

It’s the difference between sitting through class and being part of it. Feel challenged and inspired by faculty who will support your success.

Research on a river

Concentrations

Environmental Science & Management (ESM) graduate studies are oriented toward environmental analyses and land use planning, ecological restoration, human dimensions of natural resources, and geospatial science.

ESM Concentration Catalog information

Application Information

The Fisheries program is designed primarily to produce graduates who can assess, manage, and conserve fish habitats, populations, and commercial and recreational fisheries. The program is broad enough to allow students to prepare themselves for work in additional areas such as water pollution ecology, fish population dynamics, and fish culture.

Fisheries Concentration Catalog Page

Application Information

Graduate students in Forests, Fire, Watershed & Range are focused on a wide variety of topics including forest ecology, tree physiology, conservation biology, forest growth, and administration of forest land for ecosystem management. Fire focuses on wildland fire processes and management. Watershed focuses on watershed processes and the interactions between geophysical and biological factors expressed in bounded drainages. The interplay between watershed processes and management of other natural resources is integral. Range focuses on the management of rangeland ecosystems.

Forests, Fire, Watershed & Range Concentration Catalog Page

Application Information

Graduate Student Research

Forestry Graduate Faculty

For more information, please contact a faculty member in the Natural Resources Graduate Program. It is most helpful to contact faculty members whose research and academic interests align with yours.

Meet our graduate faculty

Wildlife emphasizes research on wildlife species, behavior, and habitat requirements within the complex ecological interactions that govern the outcome of various land use practices. Wildlife managers should be able to maintain sustained yields of game animals, to minimize wildlife depredation, and to reverse conditions threatening species with extinction.

Graduate Research Topics

Wildlife Concentration Catalog Page

Application Information

Did You Know

The campus fish hatchery has a recirculating freshwater system with incubators, troughs, fiberglass circular tanks, concrete circular tanks, and raceways. 

One of the best-equipped university fire research facilities in the United States, Humboldt’s fire lab has a fire platform, ventilation hood, and a thermal imaging camera used in the lab and during wildland fires.

Just minutes from campus, the lab for marine education and research includes a system that recirculates seawater, a remotely operated underwater vehicle, a wet laboratory for rearing marine invertebrates and fishes, and a culture room for larval invertebrates and algae.

Fire lab

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Environmental Systems, M.S.

You want to make a difference in the world? A master’s degree in Environmental Systems opens the door to making an impact on the world and its resources. The graduate program in Environmental Systems at Cal Poly Humboldt offers three options in Environmental Resources Engineering, Geology, and Energy Technology & Policy within a single graduate program.

Why this program

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Environmental Systems is an interdisciplinary Master of Science program that helps students better understand and shape the complex systems that underpin our society.

Near empty beaches, mountain ranges, wild rivers, and ancient redwood forests, Cal Poly Humboldt is an ideal place to live and learn.

At Cal Poly Humboldt, we believe strongly in the power of experiential education. Students learn through coursework, hands-on projects, and field work.

two people in the field wearing vests and hard hats carrying a clipboard
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Application Information

The curriculum normally requires two years for completion and includes a thesis or project, depending on the option, as part of the student's program of studies. A candidate for the degree will consult with their faculty advisor to prepare an individual program of study that must be approved by a faculty graduate committee. 

Environmental Systems, M.S. How to Apply

Program Concentrations

Each of the three focus area options listed below provide a solid scientific foundation for careers in scholarship or practice. They also provide opportunities to work on unique applications of systems thinking with peers and mentors.

The Energy Technology & Policy (ETaP) option is an interdisciplinary program for students interested in issues ranging from renewable energy engineering to climate change mitigation and from international development to energy policy in California. The program offers a rigorous curriculum for students who are interested in making a difference in these important areas of work. The ETaP option is a thesis based Masters that can be completed in approximately 2 years following a faculty recommended course curriculum.

ETaP - catalog information

ETaP - application information

ETaP - Graduate Option Projects & Student Work

The Environmental Resources Engineering (ERE) option of the Environmental Systems Graduate Program emphasizes the application of engineering skills to planning, design, and management problems involving environmental resources. Three general areas of research activity are available in the program, Water Quality, Water Resources and Renewable Energy Resources. The ERE option is a thesis or project based Masters that is typically completed in 2 years following a faculty recommended curriculum.

ERE - requirements & classes

ERE - application information

ERE - course selection advice

Most graduate students in the Geology option focus on geologic analysis or modeling and measurement of geomorphic processes with particular emphasis on neotectonics, uplift, and seismic hazard or hillslope erosion, sediment transport, and channel stability. However thesis projects have covered the range from structural geology, geophysics and igneous petrology to stratigraphy and paleontology.

Did you know?

The Schatz Energy Research Center is a national leader in areas including renewable energy microgrids and off-shore wind energy. It is also involved in international work related to energy access in off-grid areas.

Faculty and students from the Environmental Resource Engineering program were involved in the original design and development of the The Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary’s constructed wetland treatment system, and continue to play a key role in the continued optimization of the system.

The University is located along the active Cascadia subduction zone and south Cascades volcanic arc, as well as near the Six Rivers National Forest and Trinity Alps, giving student researchers unique opportunities to study diverse geologic processes.

student working on a piece of equipment

Careers

There are a variety of career opportunities for environmental systems professionals to pursue. These jobs span several specialties with a combined purpose to understand the earth and its resources, find solutions to environmental challenges, and encourage positive relationships between human-made systems and nature.

  • Civil Engineer
  • Energy Systems Engineer
  • Energy Policy Specialist
  • Environmental Consultant
  • Environmental Engineer
  • Geologist
  • Natural Resource Specialist
  • Transportation Planner
  • Water and Wastewater Engineer
  • Water Treatment Operator

Source: Indeed.com

hands holding a specimen bottle presenting it to a student

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