The Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management admits students for the Fall semester only. Applications for admission to the 2024 Fall semester will be available online at the Graduate Admissions Website . We only accept online applications. Submission of a paper application will be accepted only under extreme circumstances and with prior departmental approval. The application and all supporting materials (including unofficial transcripts*, letters of recommendation, etc), with the exception of TOEFL scores, must be submitted by 8:59 pm Pacific Standard Time on December 4, 2023. Your application will not be reviewed until all materials have been submitted.  (*If selected to join the program, you will need to supply an offiicial transcript). 

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 Application Deadlines and Information

  • Graduate Application: December 4, 2023  8:59pm Pacific Standard Time

 Application for Graduate Admission

The Application and all supporting materials  must be received by December 4, 2023 at 8:59PM PST. Your application will not be reviewed until all materials have been submitted.

Faculty Sponsorship

We require you to list at least one faculty member and suggest that you list no more than four faculty members with whom you would like to serve as your faculty sponsor. List in order of preference and briefly explain your reasons. We highly recommend that you begin conversations with prospective faculty advisors via email although this is not required. See Academic Divisions and Graduate Students to determine which ESPM faculty members are doing research that particularly relates to your own interests and aspirations. Please note that faculty members may not be able to respond before the application deadline; this will not affect your application.  All applications, regardless of whether faculty respond before the application deadline (December 4) will be read and evaluated by our admissions committees.  Note: Your offer of admission will state which faculty members will initially chair your program of graduate study. This will not affect opportunities to work with other faculty as committee members or in coursework. 

Letters of Recommendation

Three letters of recommendation are required. You will be asked to submit the names of your recommenders as part of the on-line application. We strongly recommend that you use UC Berkeley’s on-line letter of recommendation system. When seeking recommendations, please allow sufficient time for the letter to reach us by the December 4th application deadline.​ Please contact the Graduate Student Affairs Officers with any questions or problems.

Prospective students must include a (1) research statement and (2) personal and diversity statement with their application.

A Research Statement

Research statements should discuss goals, research interests, current and prior research/work experience, and how your interests/career goals can be developed with a PhD from ESPM. Statements should be a maximum of two pages. For more information please see https://grad.berkeley.edu/admissions/apply/statement-purpose/. Please note that the Research statement is listed as the Statement of Purpose on the Graduate Admissions online portal.

Personal and Diversity Statement

A personal and diversity statement should discuss personal motivations for pursuing a PhD from ESPM and, importantly, discuss personal and/or leadership experiences advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion. ESPM is committed to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) at all levels. The personal and diversity statements should address personal goals to integrate and further these values and any leadership experiences relevant to DEI. Statements should be a maximum of two pages. For more information please see https://grad.berkeley.edu/admissions/apply/personal-statement/. Please note that the personal and diversity statement is listed as the Personal History Statement on the Graduate Admissions online portal.

TOEFL Information

Please follow guidance on the English Language Proficiency requirements found on the Graduate Division site.

TOEFL Institution Code: 4833
TOEFL Department Code: 40
More information about language proficiency found here. 

GRE

No GREs are evaluated in the application process. 

GPA calculations

Grades help demonstrate academic preparedness. Grades are not the only measurement used to help the department review and make admission decisions. Students need to submit a calculation based on a 4.0 scale. A calculator to assist with this may be found on the UC Berkeley Housing page here.  

Final Decision on Acceptance

Once all application materials are received, the ESPM Admissions Committee will review your application and then make recommendations for acceptance to the Dean of the Graduate Division. The final decision on admission acceptance is made by the Dean of the Graduate Division. We will notify you of your acceptance by late March.

Fees

Please refer to the UC Berkeley Graduate Admissions Page for information on application fees. US citizens, US permanent residents, and AB540 students can apply to waive this application fee if (i) they demonstrate financial need or (ii) they have taken part in specific programs that qualify for a fee waiver. Financial need is determined by either (i) Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) on your Student Aid Report; or (ii) by the Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) on your tax return. For fee waiver eligibility details, please see https://grad.berkeley.edu/admissions/steps-to-apply/requirements/fee-wai....

Graduate Diversity Fair Information Session

Through the generous support of the Graduate Division's Office for Graduate Diversity, ESPM Department will host an information session on Tuesday, October 31, 2023 form 11am-12pm PST. This admission fair event will be conducted on zoom. More information coming; please check for updates at  https://grad.berkeley.edu/graduate-diversity/prospective-grad-students/g...

Helpful information on submitting your application can be found at Graduate Admissions

ESPM Department is committed to Equity + Inclusion.

For more information, please direct your questions to:  espm_gradsupport@berkeley.edu