Welcome to the Admissions page for prospective applicants to the Bren MESM program.

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.

Bren School students come from around the world, bring diverse academic and professional backgrounds, and have strengths in everything from geography and biochemistry to economics and the fine arts. What unites them is their desire to be trained as environmental leaders in an exciting, intensive, and comprehensive professional program. Bren School students are intelligent, adaptable, resourceful, hardworking, and willing to take initiative.

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 provided by each prospective student.

Application

All applications for graduate study at the UCSB are submitted online to the Graduate Division. Applications are not submitted directly to the Bren School, though some supplementary materials described below are sent directly to us. Please note that an applicant may apply to only one department at UCSB per admissions period. In addition, the Bren School only accepts applications for fall-quarter admission.

Information and Assistance

In addition to the information on the Bren web site, prospective students should also review the Prospective Students section of the Graduate Division web site. This site provides detailed information on the application process, including instructions for submitting an application.

This Bren Admissions page provides Bren-specific information that is not included on the Graduate Division’s web site and also supplies answers to some frequently asked questions.

Prospective students’ primary contact for information and assistance is the Bren School staff Graduate Advisor, who can be reached via e-mail at admissions@bren.ucsb.edu or by calling 805-893-7611.

International Applicants

All international applicants should carefully review the International Students page on the Graduate Division web site.

The Bren School does not require international applicants to submit a pre-application. However, applicants are not encouraged to submit an application unless they are certain that they will be able to cover the full cost of their education and living expenses. There is little, if any, financial support available for international students applying to the Bren School MESM program. If admitted, applicants will need personal resources or scholarships from their government or other external entities to qualify for a visa and meet educational costs.

Open House

Prospective students are invited to our attend our annual Open House. In addition, all applicants who are admitted to the MESM program are invited to attend an Information Day in spring.

MESM Admission Deadlines

The application deadline for the MESM program is January 10; all application materials must be postmarked by this date. Late applications will be considered until February 15, space permitting. All applicants who apply by January 10 are automatically considered for school-based financial awards. We do not review applications until after the January deadline, and admissions decisions are normally communicated in early March.

Required Undergraduate Preparation for the MESM program

We welcome applicants from any undergraduate major, and we value a diverse study body; however, we expect applicants to have completed the following prerequisite course work. While you are not required to have completed the coursework to be admitted, generally, you must be complete it before enrolling, and lacking these perquisites will significantly weaken your application.

• Calculus – at least two quarters or one semester

If you are admitted to the MESM program, you will likely want or need to participate in a 2-week, no-credit preparation/review math workshop prior to the beginning of the school year, even if you have had calculus. The exception would be for admitted students who performed very well in previous calculus classes and have retained the knowledge from them. The Bren School emphasizes quantitative and analytical approaches to environmental problem solving, so it is essential for you to have an adequate mathematical foundation.

• Science – three quarters or two semesters

This may be in any combination of chemistry, biology, physics, earth science, or atmospheric science, though chemistry provides especially valuable preparation.

• Statistics – one semester or quarter

If you are admitted to the MESM program and you do not have a solid understanding of basic statistics (not uncommon even if for students who have had a statistics class), you will want to participate in a 5-week, no-credit workshop during the first half of the fall quarter. Students who desire a review of statistics in preparation for the core class in statistics and data analysis, which assumes strong familiarity with basic statistics concepts, are also welcome to participate.

We accept high school Advanced Placement courses as satisfying the above requirements.
If you lack essential preparation, please send the school a memo outlining how you plan to rectify the deficiency before enrolling in the fall, should you be admitted. A good plan will strengthen your application.

University Application Requirements

The UCSB Graduate Division requires all applicants for graduate study to have:

• Received a bachelor's degree or equivalent from an accredited 4-year institution prior to the quarter for which the applicant seeks admission.
  
  
• Earned an undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 or higher (on a four-point scale) for the last two years of undergraduate or post-graduate studies.
  
  
• Taken the Graduate Records Examination (general exam only).
  
  Neither the University nor the Bren School has a minimum required GRE score, as it is only one of many application elements considered during the review process. The GRE score is viewed holistically in the context of all the information provided by each applicant. The average combined verbal and quantitative score of applicants admitted to our program last year was approximately 1200. The Bren School does not require a subject test.
  
  Please use the following numbers on your GRE scores sheets:

Institution Code is 4835 (UC Santa Barbara)

Department Code is 0502 (Environmental Sciences)

• Taken the TOEFL or IELTS if the applicant’s native language is not English. Exceptions may be granted to applicants who have completed an undergraduate or graduate degree at an institution whose primary language of instruction is English. Scores for either examination may be no more than two years old at the time of application.

The TOEFL is the Test of English as a Foreign Language. The University requires a minimum score of 550 (paper test) or 213 (computer test).

The IELTS is the International English Language Testing System. The University requires a minimum Overall Band Score of 7.0 or higher.

The Bren School generally does not admit students to the MESM program unless they have TOEFL or IELTS scores significantly higher then the minimum required by the University. The MESM program is rigorous, and there is not time for students to develop their English skills simultaneously. In addition, the considerable amount of group work requires students to be highly proficient in English at the time they commence the program.

Please note that even with an acceptable TOEFL or IELTS score, all non-native English speakers who are admitted to UCSB must take the university's English Language Placement Exam (ELPE). The Bren School expects students to have completed all English as Second Language (ESL) courses recommended by the test results prior to starting coursework at Bren.

 

Application Materials Submitted to Graduate Division

• Electronic online application (add link).

Note: if you are a currently a graduate student at UCSB and want to apply to the MESM program, you are not required to submit an application or pay the application fee. Please contact the Staff Graduate Advisor for assistance and advice.

• Non-refundable application fee.

Applications are not processed until this is received.

• Check/Money Order submission form (if paying by check or money order).

Sent by the testing service to Graduate Division

• Official GRE scores, sent by the Educational Testing Service (ETS).

• TOEFL or IELTS scores (for applicants whose native language is not English).

Sent by the applicant to the Bren School

• Three letters of recommendation.

The cover sheet should accompany each letter. It is beneficial if you can provide at least one letter (and more, if possible) from a faculty member who knows your academic abilities. We realize that this may difficult for applicants who have been out of school for a number of years. If this is not possible, please provide letters from professionals in supervisory or managerial roles who can attest to your scholarly ability and potential, creativity, dedication, work performance, etc.

• Two copies of your Statement of Purpose (SOP)

Please note that 1) MESM applicants are NOT required to complete Question 2 on the Statement of Purpose supplemental form to the SOP and 2) MESM applicants must submit a formal resume in lieu of Question 3 on the supplemental form.

The Statement of Purpose should be at least one page but no more than two. Your SOP should outline your past experiences (not necessarily academic only) and how they have prepared you to succeed in a rigorous graduate program, your goals and how the Bren School will help you achieve them, and what led you to seek a career in the environmental field.

• Two copies of official transcripts from ALL post-secondary institutions and programs attended including Education Abroad Programs if the grades do not appear on your undergraduate transcripts.

• Two copies of your resume.

Although not required by the UCSB Graduate Division, the Bren School does require an applicant to submit a resume.

Contact Information

Bren School of Environmental Science & Management

University of California

Santa Barbara, CA 93106-5131

Attn: Staff Graduate Advisor

admissions@bren.ucsb.edu

(805) 893-7611

Frequently Asked Questions

• Are my GPA and GRE scores good enough?
• What if my GPA is less than 3.0?
• How do I send my GRE scores?
• I re-took the GRE. What scores will be used?
• I took the GRE before the application deadline but am worried that official scores the UCSB Graduate Division will not receive my official scores from ETS until after the deadline. Will my application be considered late?
• What role does work experience play in admissions decisions?
• If I am admitted, by what date do I have to accept or decline the offer of admission?
• If I am admitted, may I defer my admittance for one year?

Are my GPA and GRE scores good enough?

The average GPA for admitted MESM students is 3.5 and the combined verbal and quantitative average score is approximately 1200.

What if my GPA is less than 3.0?

The minimum GPA Graduate Division will allow is a 3.0 (on a 4.0-point scale) calculated for the last two years of undergraduate or postgraduate study. More specifically, your grade point average is calculated for all coursework done as an undergraduate or as a postgraduate, excluding the first 60 semester units or 90 quarter units, as well as such non-academic courses as physical education.

In rare cases, the school can petition the Graduate Division to admit a student who has a GPA that is slightly below 3.0 if the rest of the application is extremely strong and unusual circumstances may have contributed to the lower undergraduate GRE. We recommend that prospective students with low undergraduate GPAs enroll in courses relevant to the MESM program as a postgraduate student and bring their GPA above 3.0 before applying.

How do I send my GRE scores?

GRE scores are not sent via the applicant; they are sent by ETS directly to the UCSB Graduate Division.

I re-took the GRE. What scores will be used?

Applicants who take the GRE a second time and want scores updated must request that the new scores be sent to UCSB. UCSB will only review the most current complete set of scores reported. It is not possible to mix and match the highest scores from different tests.

I took the GRE before the application deadline but am worried that the UCSB Graduate Division will not receive my official scores from ETS until after the deadline. Will my application be considered late?

If you took the test on a date near the application deadline, please self-report your scores to the Bren School Graduate Advisor. We can use those scores to begin the review process but will require official scores before a final admission decision is communicated to the Graduate Division.

What role does work experience play in admissions decisions?

Work experience in a professional capacity is highly valued and significantly strengthens your application. Although experience in the environmental field suggests that your goals are well matched to the Bren School, we also highly value experience in other professional settings, provided your Statement of Purpose clearly conveys your reasons for embarking on a new environmentally related career path and your enthusiasm and commitment for doing so.

If I am admitted, by what date do I have to accept or decline the offer of admission?

April 15; however, if you have not received any financial support, you may request an extension until May 1. Please contact the Graduate Advisor.

If I am admitted, may I defer my admittance for one year?

No; the University does not allow us to defer admittance. However, we will keep your application materials (letters of recommendation, Statement of Purpose, transcripts, etc.) on file for one year. To reactivate your application, you must complete a new online application and pay the application fee, and because you would be competing in a different applicant pool than before, admission would not be guaranteed.

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