Proposal: Establish a Master of Applied Science option within the Cultural & Environmental Resource Management program at Central Washington University (CWU).
Introduction: The faculty and administrators of the Cultural & Environmental Resource Management (CERM) program seek to establish an applied project option for the existing CERM degree. Initial research and analysis of this degree option are presented below with supporting data points provided. This analysis and any conclusions presented should be considered only as supporting factual evidence, and not an endorsement for or against the implementation of this degree option. Narrative: The Departments of Anthropology and Geography, through the Cultural and Environmental Resource Management (CERM) Master ’ s Program, seek to develop an applied science option to the existing Master of Science degree. The existing 60-credit degree option, which was established in 1983, has seen the successful graduation of more than 345 master ’ s candidates who have gone on to find success in a variety of resource management fields or have pursued higher-level academic degrees. As one of the most highly regarded resource management programs in the western United States the CERM program continues to draw students from across the country and across the world. The current CERM program is a thesis-based degree, requiring 35 core credits and an additional 25 electives, culminating in an original written thesis. The thesis-based degree option can take a minimum of 2 years to complete, and in some instances, longer. As the demographics of master ’ s degree-seeking students has changed, the CERM program has realized the thesis-based option is not serving all students who wish to earn this advanced degree. For students returning to school to pursue a master ’ s degree for career advancement, the thesis-based option is n’t always a good fit. While students who desire to pursue higher-level academic degrees such as a Ph.D. may need to complete the more intensive thesis-based program, those seeking career advancement and those not planning to pursue more education may find the applied project option more attractive. The Master of Applied Science degree option will be an alternative option for students who are looking for a more expedited track or who seek opportunities to gain important resource management skills through an applied project. The 45-credit option will fit within the framework of the existing CERM MS degree and program and will offer an applied project to replace the thesis requirement. Although many Pacific Northwest universities offer master ’ s degrees that do not require a thesis, there are currently no such programs in Washington and even fewer universities offer Resource Management-specific degrees, which puts CWU in a unique position to fill a need within the region.
In its proposal, the department has identified four key reasons this applied project option will benefit the CERM Program, Graduate Studies, and CWU as a whole.
• Accessibility and Cost: Being sensitive to the cost barriers that arise with the larger thesis-based degree program, the CERM Program believes that by offering a smaller and experiential-based option they can improve diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusivity in the program through a more affordable and accessible degree completion option.
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