The Master of Environmental Studies program (MES) is designed for individuals with a wide variety of backgrounds and levels of experience. Successful students in the program have come from many different undergraduate educational backgrounds such as economics, political science, and English.
Your application to the Master of Environmental Studies program will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
- Undergraduate academic record at an accredited college or university
- Work experience
- Career objectives and reasons for choosing the Master of Environmental Studies program at Penn
- Letters of recommendation
- Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores, if applicable
Master of Environmental Studies application deadlines
You may apply to begin the Master of Environmental Studies degree during the fall or spring terms. Note that Penn LPS does not offer an admission deferral option; please be sure to apply to the term for which you plan to begin your studies.
Your application portfolio, including all transcripts, must be received by the following deadlines:
| Term of Entry | Deadline |
|---|---|
| Fall 2025 |
|
| Spring 2026 |
|
Application materials checklist
Since all required supporting documents are submitted through the online application system, hardcopy material other than official transcripts or letters of recommendation will not be accepted.* Please urge your recommenders to submit their letters through the online system. Please note that all application materials become the property of the University of Pennsylvania and will not be returned. Remember to retain a personal copy of your application.
*Unsolicited material will not be used for review.
Applications must contain all of the following in order to be considered complete:
- Completed online application
- Current resume
- Nonrefundable $75 application fee
- Application essays, listed below
- Unofficial transcripts from each post-secondary school attended uploaded through the online application system
- Two letters of recommendation (details below)
- Score reports for the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) are optional
- TOEFL scores for international students*
- After a complete application is received and reviewed, candidates under serious consideration are invited to interview with a member of the Admissions Committee. Interview invitations are typically sent out within three weeks of the application deadline.
*If applicable. See “Standardized test scores” below.
Master of Environmental Studies application essays
Your application will include essays addressing three topics. Responses may be as long or as short as you feel necessary. (Please compile your responses into a single document, but keep them as separate essays.)
- How did your interest in environmental studies develop?
- Describe in conceptual terms the curriculum you hope to pursue as a Master of Environmental Studies student.
- How do you expect to apply the expertise you would gain in the Master of Environmental Studies program?
Letters of recommendation
Each applicant will submit two letters of recommendation. Letters should come from individuals in a position to evaluate your professional and/or academic work, such as a supervisor or professor, and who know of your desire to enter the Master of Environmental Studies program. Recommendations may be submitted online (preferred) or by mail. For online recommendations, please follow the instructions in the Recommendations section of the online application.
Standardized test scores
GRE
The Graduate Record Exam (GRE) is optional for all students.
TOEFL/IELTS
A strong command of the English language is necessary for successful study at Penn. A TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or IELTS (International English Language Testing System) is required for applicants whose native language is not English.
TOEFL: The minimum TOEFL scores required for admissions consideration are Internet Test (iBT) = 100; with no subscore below 24, and listening/speaking score of 25+; Computer-Based Test (CBT) = 250; Paper-Based Test (PBT) = 600.
To locate a testing site near you or schedule an exam, visit the TOEFL website. Please note the at-home TOEFL is accepted. Official TOEFL scores must be sent electronically from ETS to the University of Pennsylvania’s College of Liberal and Professional Studies (LPS), testing school code: 2986.
IELTS: The minimum score for consideration is a 7.0 composite, with listening and speaking scores of 7.0 or higher.
You may upload an official or unofficial copy of your IELTS test to the standardized test score section of your application or email it to lps-admissions@sas.upenn.edu. To locate a testing site near you or schedule an exam, visit the IELTS website.
This is a strict requirement for the Master of Environmental Studies application process to ensure all students who enter the Master of Environmental Studies Program can be successful in a fast-paced learning environment. In rare occasions, someone might qualify for an exemption, however, the following are not considered sufficient for exemption: working in the US for many years, having a degree from a school where the instruction was in English, and/or working or living in an English-speaking country. Exemption requests will ONLY be considered AFTER your application has been submitted and all other application materials have been received; the exemption review will naturally add additional time to your application review process, which may impede your ability to schedule and submit the required test scores by the application deadline if your exemption request is declined. For those reasons, even if you feel you have mitigating factors that would qualify for exemption, we strongly recommend that you take the TOEFL or IELTS if English is not your native language, as it will strengthen your application and ensure its timely processing and completion. If you have questions about how this requirement impacts you, please email lps-admissions@sas.upenn.edu.
International transcripts from institutions outside the United States
Applicants who have attended a college or university outside the US are required to have a course-by-course credential evaluation (with grade point average and course levels) performed by an outside evaluation service. Credential evaluations will be reviewed by our administrators, and the determination of degree equivalency to US degrees is at the discretion of the College of Liberal and Professional Studies. The following evaluation service is acceptable:
World Education Services Inc. (WES): WES must complete a course-by-course evaluation of all post-secondary credentials. The course-by-course evaluation should include the comparability level of your education and list each of your courses along with the equivalent US marks and credit. Please select the WES basic course-by-course evaluation (with grade point average and course levels) and request that WES send your evaluation to Penn College of Liberal and Professional Studies Admissions. The school can be found by searching the University of Pennsylvania and then selecting College of Liberal and Professional Studies. The evaluation becomes an official academic record and sole property of the University upon its receipt. For additional information about the WES application and their review process, please visit the WES website.
The World Education Service will provide instructions for how to request and submit the required academic documents for review, and the process can take several weeks to complete. We encourage you to begin this process at least eight weeks in advance of the application deadline.
Please note that this service charges a fee for the evaluation.
