The Department of Resource Economics and Policy administers the Master of Science
in Resource Economics and Policy, and participates in the Master of Science
in Resource Utilization and the Master of Science in Ecology and Environmental
Sciences. The M.S. degree in Resource Economics and Policy has concentrations
in Agricultural Production and Marketing, Environmental and Resource Economics,
and Community Economic Development.
The graduate program is designed to provide students with an applied masters
degree focusing on the economic analyses of public policy issues relating to
natural resource use, environmental quality, marketing of natural resource based
products, agricultural production, and economic development of rural communities.
While focusing on the applied aspect of the program, the faculty also works
to insure the program provides the opportunity for students to obtain the necessary
preparation to excel in a Ph.D. program.
All students take a core of graduate courses depending on the concentration
of study chosen; elective courses are chosen in consultation with each student’s
advisory committee. The focus of the core courses is to provide students with
a solid understanding of economics, statistics, and research methods. Elective
courses vary for each student, but it is with these courses that students seeking
a terminal masters degree add breadth to their programs and students choosing
to continue their education can include additional courses to prepare for their
Ph.D. course work. Both the thesis and non-thesis options allow students to
delve into an applied problem within their chosen concentrations. Given the
focus of the Depart-ment’s research program, students generally choose applied
topics that have important public-policy implications.
We believe that the core courses provided in the Department and our close working
relationships with our graduate students on their theses and projects, provide
graduates with the foundation for successful professional careers. Recent graduates
have gone on to attain leadership positions in state government, to become economic
analysts for federal agencies, to work for economic and environmental consulting
firms, or have continued their educations at some of the leading Ph.D. institutions
in the country.
An undergraduate degree in economics or an associated field is desirable, but
is not essential for admission to this program. The Department is much more
concerned with the applicant’s capacity for graduate study and the quality of
previous work. However, there are certain prerequisites that the student is
strongly encouraged to complete before entering the graduate program. These
prerequisites are:
- Intermediate microeconomic theory (equivalent to UM’s ECO 420)
- Statistics (equivalent to UM’s MAT 437 or 438)
- Calculus (equivalent to UM’s MAT 114-115, 122 or 126)
Applicants without these courses may be admitted to the Graduate program with
the requirement that the deficiencies be remedied early in the graduate program.
Other general admission criteria are described in the general section of this
catalog.
The Master of Science in Resource Economics and Policy has thesis and non-thesis
options in three areas of specialization: Resource and Environmental Economics,
Agricultural Production and Marketing, and Community Economic Development.
The core courses for the M.S. degree provide the student with the tools and
problem solving skills applicable to the economic analysis of a wide variety
of public policy issues. Elective courses allow students flexibility in designing
programs to meet their needs.
The non-thesis option of the program is designed for students who wish to obtain
greater breadth in their coursework and job experience through a project rather
than undertake a thesis.
Requirements of the program include a minimum of 30 graduate degree credit
hours. A program of study is developed in consultation with the student’s advisory
committee. The areas of interest, background, and future needs of the student
will be considered in planning the program of study.
The graduate program in Resource Utilization is an interdisciplinary program
to train students in the use, development, and conservation of our natural resources.
The Department of Resource Economics and Policy, the Department of Forest Management,
and the Department of Plant, Soil and Environmental Sciences support the Master
of Science program in Resource Utilization. Requirements of the program include
a minimum of 30 graduate degree credit hours. A minimum of 12 credit hours (exclusive
of thesis credits) of 500 and/or 600 level course work is required. The Resource
utilization Program only offers a thesis option. See entry under ” Resource
Utilization.”
The M.S. program in Ecology and Environmental Sciences is designed for students
who wish to pursue an interdisciplinary program of study for their graduate
programs. Each student chooses a primary and secondary area of study. Students
advised by the faculty members in the Department of Resource Economics and Policy
would choose the Policy Concentration for their primary area of study and would
choose a natural science area as their secondary area of study. Students can
choose courses in their primary and secondary concentrations to form a study
area. For example, recent graduates advised by the Department have focused on
issues such as surface water quality, land use, and marine fisheries management.
The Department, because of the training and skills of the faculty, approach
environmental policy from an economic perspective. In turn, students supported
on a Graduate Assistantship from the Department are required to take a core
of research, economic, and statistics courses, or demonstrate they have this
knowledge from previous course work, in order to actively participate in faculty
research projects.
Each graduate student who pursues one of the graduate programs administered
by the Department must pass a comprehensive examination which consists of a
written examination and an oral examination near the end of the student’s program.
The Department has a number of research and teaching assistantships available
for qualified students on a competitive basis. Efforts are made to match the
student’s interests and background with the needs of the Department. For details
on assistantships and for other information, contact Jonathan Rubin, Graduate
Coordinator, Department of Resource Economics and Policy by phone at (207) 581-1528
or via e-mail at jonathan.rubin@umit.maine.edu.
Further information can be found on the web at www.ume.maine.edu/~rep/rep.htm.
George K. Criner, Ph.D. (Washington State, 1983), Professor and Chair.
Production, marketing, and waste management.
Kathleen P. Bell, Ph.D. (University of Maryland, 1997), Environmental
Economics. Land use spatial analysis.
Kevin J. Boyle, Ph.D. (Wisconsin, 1985), Libra Professor of Environmental
Economics. Resource and environmental economics, nonmarket valuation.
Hsiang-Tai Cheng, Ph.D. (VPI&SU, 1985), Associate Professor. Marketing,
econometrics.
Timothy J. Dalton, Ph.D. (Purdue University, 1996), Assistant Professor.
Production economics and international development.
Todd M. Gabe, Ph.D. (The Ohio State University, 1999), Assistant Professor.
Regional and community economic development.
Alan S. Kezis, Ph.D. (Washington State, 1978), Professor and Associate
Dean. Marketing.
Dierdre M. Mageean, Ph.D. (The Open University, England, 1989), Associate
Professor. Associate Vice President for Research and Dean of the Graduate School.
Research interests: migration; population environment interaction; rural poverty
and rural development; human dimension of global change.
James C. McConnon, Ph.D. (Iowa State, 1989), Community Economic Development
Specialist, UMCE.
Jonathan D. Rubin, Ph.D. (University of California, Davis, 1993), Assistant
Professor, Research Associate, and Interim Director, Margaret Chase Smith Center
for Public Policy. Resource and environmental economics.
Stewart Smith, Ph.D. (Connecticut, 1977), Professor. Sustainable development
and agricultural policy.
Mario F. Teisl, Ph.D. (Maryland, 1997), Associate Professor, Environmental
economics.
Gregory K. White, Ph.D. (Washington State, 1976), Associate Professor.
Resource economics, land use policy.
James A. Wilson, Ph.D. (Wisconsin, 1971), Professor and Associate Director,
School of Marine Sciences. Economics of information and institutions, marine
economics.
Graduate School
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