Interdisciplinary and Connected: The UC Davis EPM Difference

It is officially recruitment season! Last week, the Graduate Program of Environmental Policy and Management welcomed prospective students to campus for a full day event. Each year, this event offers prospective students with a first-hand look about what sets the EPM program apart. 

Highlighting opportunities on campus

Highlighting the many opportunities available on campus, the Open House started with a campus tour. Program staff, Jessica Penrose and Jessica Chalfin, along with first year students Miya Kaiser and Emeline Tu, led prospective students to tour three spots on campus. Starting with the Student Farm, Lead Student Farmer and EPM student Dewansh Mathroo and interns Marcella Hernandez and Thanmayee Kandati took the group on a tour of the Farm and talked about the different work happening. Interning at the Student Farm is an excellent way to learn and practice ecologically, socially and economically sustainable agriculture and food systems. 

After the Student Farm, the group headed to the Barn to the Institute of the Environment. IE Director, Dr. Clare Cannon, gave a brief tour of the Institute’s office space in a remodeled Barn. After the tour, Dr. Cannon spoke with students about how the Institute partners with EPM to offer networking events such as the Environmental Employer Showcase and the Environmental Policy Symposium. These events provide students with key opportunities to build their professional networks and identify potential internship and job opportunities. The Institute of the Environment also partners with EPM to manage the Environmental Justice Apprenticeship program, which provides funding to hire three Graduate Student Researchers to work on environmental justice focused Practicum projects over the summer. Dr. Cannon is a faculty member in the EPM program, and was able to offer some insights on advising and programmatic elements with the prospective students.

Last stop on the tour was the Botanical Conservatory, a beautiful spot on campus where you can see a range of diverse plant species. Students were able to browse on a self-guided tour before heading over to the Coastal and Marine Sciences Institute’s conference room for lunch. 

The tour was an excellent way to highlight EPM's cross campus collaborations and just a few ways that students can get involved at UC Davis.

Raising the bar: why EPM stands out

The afternoon portion of the event focused on a program presentation, followed by an alumni and faculty panel. During the presentation, we highlighted what makes UC Davis EPM special:

• Small cohort sizes of between 30-35 students
• Close proximity to California’s state capitol, Sacramento
• Professional program without the professional fees
• Ability to be matched with a professional mentor
• Interdisciplinary faculty located across 8+ departments on campus
• Flexible coursework; choose from 12 topical specializations
• Professional networking opportunities with hundreds of program partners and alumni
• Close knit community of students, faculty, staff and alumni

You can see more information about degree outlooks here.

Offering alumni and faculty perspective 

Program alumni Paul Ronevich (PhD student in the Graduate Group of Geography at UC Davis), Jess DellaRossa (Science Application Specialist with the USDA Climate Hub), Becky Haworth (Senior Environmental Scientist at CalRecycle), and Sean Treacy (Environmental Planner with SMUD) joined the afternoon panel to share their experiences. A key theme emerged: what you put in is what you get out of grad school, the more engaged you can be the better you will set yourself up for success. Each alumni discussed how the program helped prepare them for the career that they are in today. The alumni panel was followed by a Faculty Panel featuring Dr. Gwen Arnold, Dr. Tyler Scott and Dr. Ryan Meyer. They highlighted the benefits of the program, including the flexible and interdisciplinary coursework and the experiential learning aspects of the program.

This year’s Open House was one for the books! We look forward to working with incoming class of 2028!  

Upcoming admissions deadlines

For admitted students who applied by January 5th, your Statement of Intent to Register should be submitted by April 15, 2026. 

If you're interested in joining the Fall 2026 cohort, our final application deadline is April 15, 2026 at 11:59pm PST.