Dual graduate programs for public health and hydrology?

Graduate School
1

Hi all, I’m in my last year of undergrad and will earn a B.S. in Natural Resource Conservation. I worked on a wilderness trail crew this last summer and really enjoyed it and plan on working for the Forest Service eventually. However, I’ve also always wanted to join the military.

My plan is to work for the Forest Service for 2 years after I graduate and then go to grad school for hydrology and public health and then join the Navy after that. I would work for the Navy for however long I wanted and then go back and work for the Forest Service again as a hydrologist or even the EPA.

There aren’t many environmental jobs in the Navy except for Meteorology/Oceanography and Environmental Health so my first choice would be METOC which I hope a hydrology degree would qualify me for that position. If not, I would have the public health degree and could work in that area. I believe the two degrees really complement each other and I’m interested in both areas. I’ve always had an interest in water and this summer I became first aid/CPR certified and became interested in the aspects of wilderness medicine.

Anybody know of any dual degree programs in public health and hydrology or if this would be possible? Thanks.

2

So, first of all, for the military - you can’t hope. They have very strict requirements for degrees. (For example, I was interested in being a public health officer for the Air Force, but was disheartened to discover that my PhD in public health did not qualify me for the job. I would’ve needed to study epidemiology specifically.) Talk to a recruiter with knowledge of METOC jobs to see whether a degree in hydrology would qualify you for those jobs.

I don’t know of any dual degree programs in public health and hydrology. However, several universities will let you complete two master’s degrees concurrently. That means you still have to complete all the requirements for both degrees - so no shortened time frame - but at least you can do them together. UW-Seattle is one of those, and they have both a great MPH program and an MS in hyrdology and hydrodynamics.

https://grad.uw.edu/for-faculty-and-staff/creatingmodifying-programs/graduate-study-in-more-than-one-field/

The University of Arizona also does not have a formal dual-degree, but they do have an MS in hydrology and an MPH:

https://catalog.arizona.edu/policy/graduate-dual-concurrent-and-joint-degrees

I’d look at schools that had both programs and see if you can complete them concurrently.