• Improve Enrollment through Undergraduate Feeder Programs: Growing the CERM Program enrollments is another benefit to offering the MAS degree option, which the department believes it can market to existing and potential CWU undergraduates as a streamlined undergraduate-graduate degree track. Marketing this degree option to current and potential CWU undergraduates in programs such as Anthropology, Geography, Environmental Studies, Economics, Geology, Biology, Political Science, and History as a five-year undergraduate-graduate degree track could provide a large incentive for students to attend as undergraduates and stay to complete their graduate degree. • Stability in Scheduling and Course Offerings: Anticipating higher enrollments in the program with the applied project option, the department expects more stability in scheduling and course offerings, while also improving enrollment in both CERM core courses and upper-level electives in Anthropology, Geography, and Economics. Improved enrollments will allow the department to teach the vital hands-on skills necessary for career advancement more often while filling the available capacity in both the CERM core courses and the departmental upper-level electives. • Better Serving Washington State and Pacific Northwest Resource Management Professionals: Through its extensive network of program graduates and regional resource management professionals, the department is acutely aware of the need for a well-trained resource management workforce. State agencies, Tribal communities, private, and non-profit organizations are all in need of skilled professionals and routinely turn to the CERM Program directors at CWU to advertise for openings. Additionally, resource management professionals seeking career advancement look to the CERM Program for additional education and training but are often discouraged by the thesis requirement. The option for the applied project for degree completion will better align with the needs of resource management organizations and those of existing professionals seeking career advancement. Finally, the enhancement to the CERM Program with the proposed MAS degree option provides an academic path in support of the mission of Central Washington University. The program fosters a high-impact practice through the applied project feature of the degree, which expands access and success to all students seeking a career in this field. The degree option further supports the authentic community partnerships that already exist between the department and agencies throughout the region while contributing to the sustainability of the CERM Program. Research and Analysis: The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) of the United States Department of Labor provides employment projections for 2021-2031 i . A search of the Occupational Outlook Handbook for Environmental Scientists & Specialists, Cartographers & Photogrammetrists, Conservation Scientists & Foresters, Urban & Regional Planners, and Archivists & Conservators shows projected growth of at least as fast as average to faster than average or between 4% and 12% through 2031. Environmental Scientists & Specialists (SOC Code 19-2041) which include among other occupations Climate Change Analyst, Industrial Ecologists, and Environmental Restoration Planners are expected to grow 5% through 2031. The typical entry-level position for this
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