Interdisciplinary Degree Program
One of Plant & Environmental Sciences graduate programs is also the fastest growing graduate program at NMSU. It is the Water Science & Management (WSM) Graduate Program, which aims to provide graduate education for addressing state, national, and international water issues, and to train the next generation of water professionals needed to meet several water resources challenges including the supply, development, quality, management, and administration of water resources. It is a cross-college, university-wide graduate program, which provides students with the flexibility to design their own graduate experience. Agricultural Consumer and Environmental Science, Arts & Science, and Engineering are some of the Colleges that support the WSM Program, and there are approximately 80 faculty/staff members at NMSU who work on water research.
Career opportunities include jobs with municipalities, industry (e.g., agriculture, mining, and oil/gas), engineering firms, environmental consulting firms, and federal, state, and local governments. A major need exists to train the next generation of water resource researchers, educators, and managers to address these challenges, both inside and outside New Mexico. The entire Southwest U.S. is currently in a long-term drought. Population increases, drought, and potential climate change impacts will all continue to increase our need for additional water and scientists trained in water science and water management.
