Environmental Forensics (Certificate)
This program has been suspended indefinitely.
The Graduate Certificate Program in Environmental Forensics (EF) provides graduate students and working professionals with the analytical, interpretive, and communication skills needed to enter or advance within the EF profession, including the use of scientific techniques to investigate violations of environmental regulations and to apportion responsibility for environmental damages. The program examines the characterization of contaminants and determination of their origins, even if the discharge occurred decades ago. The methods employed include those of analytical (geo) chemistry, field geology and biology, and remote sensing, among other disciplines. Practitioners must also understand the legal framework and have considerable computational and statistical expertise. This program emphasizes both theory and hands-on experience in the geochemical fingerprinting of environmental matrices using polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), petroleum biomarkers and trace metals, as well as in applying electron and optical microscopy of earth materials to forensic problems.
Please refer to our programs of study page for a comprehensive list of all of the graduate programs offered within the university.
The Graduate School requires the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor’s degree in order to be eligible to apply for a graduate program. Applicants with non-U.S. degrees, please visit the International Applicants page to review the U.S. degree equivalency information.
In order to make applying for graduate school as seamless as possible for you, we have
created an application checklist. This checklist can be a reference point for you during the
application process to ensure that you have a comprehensive understanding of the steps
needed to apply, as well as all corresponding supplemental materials for your specific
program of interest.
- Application Deadline: Rolling Admission.
- Submit Online Application: Please create your online account and submit your application by following the general application instructions and pay (or waive) the non-refundable $60 application fee. Once this step has been completed, the online portal will allow you to upload your supplemental materials.
The following is a list of the supplemental materials that will accompany your application for the Environmental Forensics (Certificate) program:
- Transcript: One from each college attended.
- Essays/Personal Statement: Please write an integrated essay providing a response to each of the following questions.
- What are your goals for graduate study and your future career?
- In what ways do your academic background and your professional experiences provide evidence of your potential for success in the program you selected and in your eventual career? Please give specific examples of relevant coursework and/or experience.
- Is there any further information we should consider in assessing your candidacy?
