What is a Master's Project?

Master’s projects are interdisciplinary problem-solving experiences conducted by interdisciplinary teams of 4-7 Master’s degree students as the capstone of their academic programs at the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment.

Projects provide students with a team experience that approximate a future work environment while also providing client organizations with solutions to complex environmental issues and useful products. These projects focus the substantial capabilities of our students and faculty on problems faced by real-world clients. Project ideas are developed by faculty, students, or clients.

Master's Project Background Info

What's Expected of Client Organizations?

• Attend (or participate remotely) key planning meetings with the master’s project team or representatives.
• Provide at least one main contact person who can represent the organization.
• Attend the client fair (late January) to talk with students about your idea, attend final project presentation (March or December--International clients are not expected to attend).
• Review draft documents in a timely fashion.
• Help the team with access and/or referrals to important contact people and organizations.
• Help the students in conceptualizing the project and interpreting its findings.
• Desirable: Help with funding connections and with other resources, such as office space, tools, in-kind support, local lodging facilities, etc.

What Client Organizations are Saying about SNRE’s Master’s Projects:

"My colleagues and I were very impressed with the work of the SNRE team. The team went to great lengths to ensure that their product would be useful to us. We are incorporating the products of their work into our own conservation strategies for the Grayling Outwash Plain."

--Douglas Pearsall, The Nature Conservancy in Michigan

"This was an extremely ambitious project. I was very pleased with the students' ability to stay focused. I have a great deal of confidence in the quality of the results.”

--Ellen Brody, NOAA's National Marine Sanctuary Program

"The final product was great and has been widely distributed among wildlife agencies and partner organizations. Many wildlife agency directors expressed personal praise for the final product. The work of the group is already playing an instrumental part in the development of wildlife funding campaigns in several states."

--Dave Chadwick, The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies

Approximate Project Timeline:

October 31, 2008: Deadline to Submit Master's Project Idea for full consideration. Project ideas are posted to the database on a rolling basis and students begin looking at the ideas as early as September so it is advantageous to get your project idea submitted as early as possible.

Project ideas submitted after this date will still be accepted and posted through January 7th but it’s advantageous to submit project ideas by the October 31st date for full consideration by students.

January 2009: Winter term begins & NRE 701 (Master’s Project planning course) begins and students begin to formally review projects, identify their top choices, and project idea list begins to get narrowed.

Late January 2009: Client fair (invited clients meet with students to answer questions about their proposed project and to get student input).

Mid-February 2009: Master’s Project Groups finalized.

Mid-April 2009: Students submit workplans, classes end, students begin work on projects.

Summer 2009: Student teams travel on-site to begin research work.

Fall 2009: Student teams begin analyzing their data and writing up their results.

April 2010: Most student teams finish their project work and present final results at SNRE's Master's Project Symposium.