Jump To:  Graduate Search  >  Institution  >  College/School      

My Saved Schools  |  Print

School Web Site	News and Events	Program Information
Apply Now	Course Catalog	Faculty

Detailed Information

Programs of Study

Green Mountain College (GMC) offers two master’s degrees: a Master of Science (M.S.) in environmental studies and a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.). The M.S. in Environmental Studies Program offers three concentrations: conservation biology, writing and communication, and a self-designed concentration. The M.B.A. emphasizes sustainable business practices (better known as a green M.B.A.), with an optional track in nonprofit organization management. Both programs are offered through a Web-based distance-learning model that allows students to live at home and continue their full-time professional careers while working toward their degree. These graduate programs emphasize professional development through applied skills and build a secure foundation of theory. The online graduate programs are accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. The normal time expected to complete each degree is two years, which includes two brief on-campus residencies.

The 39-credit M.S. in Environmental Studies Program is distinctive in that students apply the skills and knowledge learned to issues in their own regions. This enables students to go beyond conventional education and learn to identify and solve problems in their communities. Classes typically begin with a case study and then move to a relevant theory as students are asked to apply the theory to issues in their bioregions. Concentrations are offered in conservation biology and in writing and communications. Under special circumstances, students may be allowed to work with an adviser to craft an individually tailored curriculum (self-designed concentration). Students in the M.S. in Environmental Studies Program can expect to gain a solid foundation in environmental science, law, policy, and organizing principles. Students have ongoing interaction with the College’s excellent faculty in disciplines as diverse as history, biology, business and economics, geology, communications, philosophy, law, education, English, and natural resource management.

The 37-credit M.B.A. program emphasizes sustainable business practices (better known as a green M.B.A.). Concentrations are available in general business administration and nonprofit organization management. Students learn how to achieve their economic objectives while addressing the needs of employees, their community, and other stakeholders. The program reflects the growing trend among successful companies to focus on the triple bottom line, seeking competitive advantages through practices that are socially responsible and environmentally sound. M.B.A. students gain a solid foundation in the core areas of business administration, including finance, accounting, marketing, organizational leadership, business law, and ethics. The program grounds this knowledge in the relationships that define the communities where students live and work. As one of the nation’s pioneer environmental liberal arts colleges, Green Mountain is especially well prepared to produce business leaders who are able to focus on economic success–without losing sight of the bigger picture.

Research Facilities

Griswold Library, the Jose M. Calhoun Learning Center, and Computer Services occupy a spacious and modern four-story building situated at the southern end of the campus. The focus of the library’s collection remains its bound collection of 72,000 volumes and accompanying periodicals. In recent years, access to the Internet and the addition of a number of electronic collections has significantly enhanced the library’s available resources. The library’s bound collection may be searched via the Web using the online catalog known as Quarry. More than 1,000 current and back-filed periodical titles in print, microform, and electronic format support the research efforts of students and faculty members, with electronic and print indexes providing access to these resources. The library’s homepage provides further links to a host of electronic and online resources. Griswold Library is a national participant in interlibrary loan services through its membership in New England’s library and information services network, NELINET. This association extends the College’s borrowing privileges to libraries throughout the United States and Canada.

The Calhoun Learning Center, located on the building’s top floor, actively uses the available resources provided by the library. Computer Services, located on the building’s ground floor, provides assistance to students and faculty and staff members across the campus. Classrooms and computer labs, which provide electronic access to both the College’s network system and to the Internet, are located in the library.

Financial Aid

Financial Aid is available to students in the College’s graduate programs, and the Office of Financial Aid works with students to determine their eligibility. All students applying for federal financial aid must take at least 6 credits per term. For more information, students should contact Wendy Ellis, Director of Financial Aid (802-287-8209; ellisw@greenmtn.edu).

Cost of Study

Tuition is $625 per credit in the M.B.A. program and $550 per credit in the M.S. program. M.B.A. students pay about $23,125 for 37 credits, while M.S. students pay around $21,450 for 39 credits.

Living and Housing Costs

Because these are distance-learning courses, student housing is not necessary. However, students attend two brief on-campus residencies, one at the beginning of each academic year. A list of local accommodations is available through the Office of Graduate Studies. The cost for lodging is not included in the tuition.

Student Group

There are about 850 undergraduate and graduate students; they come from thirty-three states and more than twenty-five countries. About 47 percent are New England residents.

Location

Vermont’s famously beautiful countryside provides the perfect backdrop for a college focused on the environment. Located in the historic town of Poultney, Vermont, the College is a rural campus positioned for convenient access to numerous metropolitan areas. Excellent interstate highways and public transportation connect the campus with New York City, Boston, and Montreal. Amtrak train service is 8 miles from the College. Several major ski resorts–Okemo, Killington, Pico, Bromley, and Stratton Mountain–are within an easy drive of the campus.

The College

Founded in 1834 by the Troy Conference of the Methodist Church, Green Mountain College is a coeducational, private college, accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc. As an environmental liberal arts college, Green Mountain offers students a special opportunity to integrate modern environmental thought into a traditional liberal arts or preprofessional course of study, regardless of their major.

Applying

M.S. applicants must submit the completed application, all undergraduate- and graduate-level transcripts, a current resume, three letters of reference, and a portfolio that demonstrates interest and experience in the proposed field of study and includes a 500-word essay. Students interested in the conservation biology track are expected to have studied biology, ecology, chemistry, and statistics as undergraduates. M.B.A. applicants must submit the completed application, official transcripts from all colleges and/or professional schools, three letters of recommendation, scores from the GMAT or a Quantitative Skills Assessment, and a personal essay. Applications are processed on a rolling basis.

The Faculty and Their Research

• Master of Science in Environmental Studies
• Meriel Brooks, Associate Professor of Biology; Ph.D., Arizona. Interface of science and policy, particularly as it plays out in recreational fisheries issues.
• Laird Christensen, Associate Professor of English and Environmental Studies; Ph.D., Oregon. American literature, creative writing, poetry, Native American literatures, and natural history writing.
• Natalie Coe, Assistant Professor of Biology; Ph.D., Minnesota. Beech bark disease.
• Theresa Coker, Assistant Professor of Environmental Education; Ph.D., Ohio State. Balancing the benefit and cost of outdoor learning.
• Steven Fesmire, Associate Professor of Philosophy and Chair of Department of Environmental Studies; Ph.D., Southern Illinois. Ethics (especially environmental and animal ethics), history of American philosophy (including Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, William James, and John Dewey), social and political philosophy, philosophical psychology (especially theories of imagination and metaphor).
• James Graves, Associate Professor of Botany and Environmental Studies; Ph.D., North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Biochemistry of secondary plant compounds, nutrient cycling in ecosystems, physiological ecology of plants, coevolution of fruits and avian frugivores.
• James Harding, Assistant Professor of Recreation and Natural Resource Management and Program Director; Ph.D., Montana. Environmental ethics as expressed through familiarity with place, decision making regarding low-impact recommendations, the ethics of rock climbing and rock climbers in the Bitterroot region of Montana.
• Steven Letendre, Associate Professor of Management and Environmental Studies; Ph.D., Delaware. Economic analysis of emerging environmental technologies and the development of policies and regulations to promote a sustainable energy future.
• Matthew Osborn, Assistant Professor of History and Environmental Studies; Ph.D., California, Santa Cruz. Modern European history, modern Britain, Latin American history, environmental studies.
• Rebecca Purdom, Associate Professor of Environmental Studies, Law and Policy and Director, College Honors Program and Prelaw Advising Program; J.D., Vermont. Paradox of wilderness restoration: public participation and public virtue.
• Ron Steffens, Associate Professor of Communications; M.F.A., Arizona. Journalism education, environmental communication, creative writing, creative writing in elementary and secondary schools, interdisciplinary education, computer-assisted instruction/distance education, natural resource management.
• Susan Sutheimer, Associate Professor of Chemistry, Chair of Department of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, and Director, Service Learning; Ph.D., Kent State. Understanding aquatic ecosystems based on chemical analysis of freshwaters; development of analytical methods for the determination of environmentally important chemicals (natural and manmade); acid rain (its sources and its implications); nutrients and pharmaceuticals in lakes (sources and analysis); modeling aluminum, chromium and lead speciation, binding and toxicity in natural waters.
• William Throop, Professor of Philosophy and Environmental Studies; Ph.D., Brown. Environmental ethics, theory of knowledge and contemporary Anglo-American philosophy.
• John Van Hoesen, Assistant Professor of Geology; Ph.D., Nevada, Las Vegas. Glacial and periglacial geomorphology, using GIS and Visual Basic to evaluate natural earth processes, and addressing long- and short-term climate change gleaned from the geomorphic record.
• Stefanie Wickstrom, Professor of Environmental Studies and Political Science; Ph.D., Oregon. Environmental politics and policy, Indian politics and policy, social movements and environmental justice in Latin America and the United States, the politics of identity, gender, and ethnicity.
• Master of Business Administration
• Steven Fesmire, Associate Professor of Philosophy and Chair of Department of Environmental Studies; Ph.D., Southern Illinois. Ethics (especially environmental and animal ethics), history of American philosophy (including Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, William James, and John Dewey), social and political philosophy, philosophical psychology (especially theories of imagination and metaphor).
• Karen Fleming, Professor of Business and Program Director; M.B.A., Harvard.
• Paul Hancock, Professor of Economics; Ph.D., New School for Social Research. Labor history, history of economic thought, migration theory.
• Steven Letendre, Associate Professor of Management and Environmental Studies; Ph.D., Delaware. Economic analysis of emerging environmental technologies and development of policies and regulations to promote a sustainable energy future.
• Jacob Park, Assistant Professor of Business and Public Policy; M.S., MIT. Global environment and business strategy, corporate social responsibility, business ethics, community-based entrepreneurship and innovation.
• Frank Pauzé, Associate Professor of Business and Economics; M.B.A., Boston College. Strategy within the hospitality industry and small businesses within that service sector.
• Bill Prado, Assistant Professor; M.B.A., NYU. International business and finance: asset-based, credit-secured, and sales/export financing.
• Rebecca Purdom, Associate Professor of Environmental Studies, Law and Policy and Director, College Honors Program and Prelaw Advising Program; J.D., Vermont. Paradox of wilderness restoration: public participation and public virtue.

Correspondence and Information

Green Mountain College
Maia Hanron-Sanford, Assistant Director of Admissions
One College Circle
Poultney, Vermont 05764
Telephone: 802-287-8211
Fax: 802-287-8099
Email: hanronsanford@greenmtn.edu