Why MEDS?
A joint endeavor of the Bren School and the National Center for Ecological Analysis & Synthesis (NCEAS), the MEDS program was crafted by environmental data scientists to be at the forefront of integrating environmental science and data science.
The MEDS program provides superior training for budding environmental professionals. As a student, you will be immersed in a collaborative, open-source, data-driven environment in which students are supported by expert faculty and researchers from the Bren School, NCEAS, and other UCSB departments.
The Bren School Difference
Founded in 1994, the Bren School is distinguished by its mission to develop interdisciplinary solutions to environmental problems, train environmental leaders, and work for a sustainable future. Students receive an immersive education experience with courses taught by leading experts in environmental research, enhanced by unsurpassed career development services, real-world client interactions, and a powerful alumni community network.
World-Class Faculty
The MEDS curriculum is designed to give students comprehensive training from some of the top faculty in the world. Bren faculty are leading experts in their fields across natural sciences, social sciences, and data science, and bring their leading-edge knowledge to their teaching and research. The MEDS courses teach students computational and statistical skills to prepare them for interdisciplinary roles that tackle environmental issues.
Career Development Services
The Bren School's Career Development Team helps students develop lifelong career skills that will help them secure desirable jobs and advance successfully throughout their entire career. Bren has five full-time career team members (with 50+ years of combined experience) specifically dedicated to working with MESM, MEDS, and PhD students. Each member's unique professional background brings advanced expertise to students in the areas of environmental science, human resources, marketing and branding, career advising, innovative job search tactics, salary negotiations, and professional writing. The Career Development Team provides workshops and resources on how to market application documents, network, interview, negotiate, and much more. In addition, BrenConnect (a career development social networking platform) is available to all Bren alumni and current students and gives access to 100+ career resource articles. With over 75% of alumni participation, BrenConnect helps provide current students with internships, jobs, and networking opportunities through the Alumni Finder and Job Posting Boards.
MEDS graduates will have a broad array of career options following completion of their degrees. They will pursue opportunities within businesses, non-profits, government agencies, academic institutions, and other organizations, with job titles such as Data Scientist, Scientific Programmer, Environmental Data Technician, Data Manager, and Senior Data Analyst. Environmental data scientist positions can be found in a variety of organization locations and continues to be a rapidly growing field throughout the U.S. and the world.
Client-Based Capstone Project
One of the highlights of the MEDS program is the Capstone Project. Through the Capstone Project, students gain real-world experience by working together in groups of 3-4 to complete a data-driven project on behalf of a client from government, industry, non-government organizations, or academia. In addition to the rigorous academic training, the professional skills developed from the Capstone Project include learning how to effectively design and manage a data science project and successfully collaborate as a team.
Dual-Campus Benefits
The MEDS program is administered by the Bren School in close partnership with the National Center for Ecological Analysis & Synthesis (NCEAS) in downtown Santa Barbara. The dual-campus nature of the program increases student engagement with environmental data science faculty and research and provides a unique opportunity for students to interact with both the campus and broader local Santa Barbara communities.
NCEAS has a global reputation for ecological and environmental research with special emphasis on training in Team Science, Synthesis Science, and Open Science. Students have the opportunity to engage with resident researchers and scientists along with visiting fellows and working groups throughout the year. On average, NCEAS hosts upwards of 500 working group members annually from around the world representing academia, NGOs, government agencies, and the private sector.
NCEAS is located in the heart of downtown Santa Barbara within walking distance of restaurants, shops, city parks, theaters, and historic cultural sites. Situated just across the street is the famous County Courthouse & Sunken Gardens, a perfect spot for a lunch with classmates. When spending time at NCEAS throughout the school year students will have quick access to social and cultural events taking place around the city.