Sample Master's Thesis Topics
Recent Master's Thesis topics include the following:
Air Quality
- Projections of NOx and PM Emissions in the United States Construction Sector under EPA Off-road Diesel Regulations
- Destined for Delay: EPA's Questionable Proposal for Regulating Mercury Emissions from Power Plants
- The Effect of Retail Market Restructuring on CO2 Emmision Intensity
- The Role of Emissions Trading in reducing SO2 emissions in China
- The Implementation of Hybrid Buses into Chicago's Public Transit System: Implications for Air Quality & Public Health
Aquatic Ecosystems
- Estimating the Non-Use Benefits of Establishing Marine Reserves in the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary
- Assessing Community Support for Marine Reserves in The Biminis, Bahamas
- Evaluation of Habitat Restoration on the Bronx River
- Genetic Interaction Between Farmed and Wild Atlantic Salmon (Salmo Salar) on Dennys River, Maine: An Impact Assessment
- A New Global Governance Regime for the Protection of Marine Biodiversity in the High Seas
- A Policy Analysis of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the Caribbean
Clean Energy
- Process Evaluation of the Governor’s Energy Smart Community Challenge Program
- Energy Efficiency Theory Meets the Real World: A Case Study
- Waste to Energy: Opportunities for Clean Energy in Brazil
- Impacts of Windmill Visibility on Property Values in Madison County, New York
- An Assessment of Community Responses to Wind Energy Development Proposals
- Our Energy Future: Renewable Energy Technologies for the Reuse of the Columbia Boxboard Mill: A Financial and Technical Viability Analysis
- New York State's Bright Energy Future? Advances and Barriers to Widespread Commercial Photovoltaic Projects
- The Viability of Waste Vegetable Oil- Delivered Biodiesel as an Alternative Fuel
- Understanding the Effectiveness of the Renewable Energy Act of China
- Attributes of Success: An Analysis of State Photovoltaic Buy-Down Programs for the Residential Sector
- The Influence of Interests in the Policy Process Leading to the Renewable Fuels Standard: A Case Study of Corn Ethanol
- Examining the Role of Municipal Utilities in the Realization of Local Wind Energy Projects
- Policy Options to Stimulate New Capacity in Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) in the United States
- Emerging Job Markets: A Comparative Analysis of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Programs
- Can Utility-Owned Photovoltaic Installations Replace Diesel Generators In Nairobi?
Climate Change: Adaptation and Mitigation
- Managing Climate Change Adaptation in Nepal: An Institutional Analysis
- Towards a Reduced Carbon Footprint in Russia: the Role of Energy Policy and the Kyoto Protocol.
- Climate Change Mitigation at the Local Level: A Study of the Effectiveness of Public- Private Partnerships
- Mainstreaming Gender into Climate Change Adaptation
- Greenhouse Gas Emissions Accounting: What’s Wrong with It and What to Do about It
- Forest Carbon Offset Policy: Native Forests or Plantations
- Interspecific Variation in the Movement of North American Bird Populations in Response to Climate Change: Assessment of Underlying Factor
- An Analysis of How REDD Can Address the Causes of Deforestation in Burma
Economic Growth and Sustainable Development
- Does Water Scarcity Pose A Threat to Economic Growth? An Empirical Analysis
- Garden in the Sky: Therapeutic and Environmental Value of Green Roofs
- Brownfields Redevelopment on Mine Scarred Lands: Proposals for SuccessfulCommunity Redevelopment From Visioning to Landscape Design
- Constructed Wetlands as a Wastewater Treatment Solution: Feasibility in the Central Valleys of Oaxaca, Mexico
- Improving Storm Water Recharge in Lahore City, Pakistan
- How Impervious Surfaces Effect a Rural Town: A Case Study of Newtown, Connecticut
Ecotourism and Wildlife Management
- Assessing Environmental Impacts of Tourism and Trade-Related Services Liberalism: The Case of Beach Cleanliness in Brazil
- Potential Impact on Tourism of Wolf Reintroduction in the Adirondacks
- Economic Viability of a Trail System in Costa Rica
- An Evaluation Of The Potential For Sunday Hunting Repeals To Generate Increased Funding For State Wildlife Management Agencies
Education and Science Research
- A New Approach to Environmental Research at the National Science Foundation
- Barriers to Place-based Environmental Education
- Reading and Analyzing Environmental Literature in a Secondary Classroom: Implications for Environmental Policy
- Producers and Users of Environmental Science: New York’s Environmental Monitoring, Evaluation, and Protection Program as a Model Boundary Organization
Environmental Justice and Public Health
- Environmental Justice Assessment: The Case of Ferry Point Park, New York
- Why the Lack of Racial/ Ethnic Representationin the U.S. Conservation- Biology Profession
- Prioritizing Sites for Integrated Pest Management in New York State Public Schools
- Contentious Citizens: Analyses of Citizens Movements Against Nuclear Power Plant Siting in Japan
- How poverty affects sanitation behavior in rural Banglades
- Towards Environmental Justice: An Analysis of the Brownfields Remediation Act
Food and Agricultural Policy
- The Assessment of Integrated Pest Management in Orange and Ulster Counties New York
- Impact of HIV-AIDS on Food and Farming in Malawi
- Barriers to Marketing for Small-Scale Livestock Producers: The Case of Slaughter Facilities
- The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture: Taking Stock and Moving forward
- Thought for Food: Can Potato Late Blight be Controlled Without Harming Public Health?
- Lead Contamination in Urban Agriculture and Policy Implications in Buea, Cameroon
- Moving Millennials: Engaging Youth with Food and Agriculture Policy
- An Assessment of the Value of Multifunctional Agriculture in Vermont
- Agricultural Best Management Practices and Co-Benefit Opportunities in the Central Valleys of Oaxaca, Mexico
- Overcoming Endemic Hunger: The International Food Aid Regime Response
Greening Business
- Corporate Social Responsibility: Finding Common Ground
- The Driving Forces Behind the Use of Compact Fluorescent Lamps In Five Hotel Chains
- Barriers to Adoption of Energy-Efficiency Measures Among Small Businesses in New York’s Main Street Areas
- Corporate Purchasing as a Driver for Environmental Change: Challenges and Recommendations
- Barriers to Mitigating Hospital Waste
- Home Runs and Global Hectares: Assesing Major League Baseball's Enviornmental Impact Using Ecological Footprint Analysis
- Greening Hotels: Examining Benefits, Barriers, and Solutions
International Concerns
- Sharing the Wealth: Public Revenue Management in Peru and the Camisea Natural Gas Project
- The Energy Community in Eastern Europe: Overcoming Barriers to Implementation
- Influence of the Opium Ban on Transboundary Illegal Logging on the Forrest of Northern Shan State of Myanmar: A Case of Phartan Village
- The Role of Enviornmental Security in the Frozen Conflict Areas of the South Caucasus
Land Preservation
- Making Choices: Strategy and Site Selection by Land Trusts
- Policies and Practices of Land Trusts in the Hudson River Valley
- Appraising Conservation Easement Donations: The Need for More Uniform Standards and Greater Oversight
- Losing Our Ground: Farmland Preservation in New Jersey
- An Examination of the Conservation Easement Stewardship Policies of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and How They Relate to National Trends
- Strategies for Enhancing the Protection of Maryland’s Farmland
Land Use, Zoning and Smart Growth
- Projecting Fiscal Impacts of Proposed Land Use Regulations: Methodology and Critical Analysis
- Do Zoning Codes Implement Goals of Comprehensive Town Plans? Preserving Rural Character in Red Hook
- "Smart Growth" Policies at the State Level: Designing a Tool to Measure Progress
- Re-Zoning West of Walkill, New Paltz: A Conservation Oriented Build-Out and Fiscal Impact Analysis
- Purchase of Development Rights: Is the Tool Right for the Job?
- A Build-out Analysis of the Town of Clermont
- Mapping Culturally and Environmentally Sensitive Sites in Clermont, New York for Comprehensive Town Planning
- Growth Control Regulation Externalities: A Measure of Spatial Spillovers
- The Role of Community Boards in Conserving Biodiversity through Land Use Decisions in New York City
- The Implications of New York City’s Decreasing Manufacturing Space
Natural Resource Conservation and Manangement
- Exploring Educational Approaches to Advancing Landscape Scale Conservation
- Plant Conservation in the United States: Long-Term Strategies for Policy Makers and the Non-Governmental Community
- Visual Preferences and Perceptions of Timber Harvesting Among Pre-Professionals
- Preventing Invasive Species Through A Clean List Approach: Political, Scientific and Economic Considerations
- Social, Psychological, and Demographic Influences on Phragmites australis Management
- The Europeanization of Bulgaria’s Biodiversity Policy: Effective Means for Domestic Change?
- Valuing Select Nonmarketed Forest Products in the Western Balkans: A Meta-Analysis Approach
- The Collaborative Shift: An Evaluative Study of El Salvador’s Current Biodiversity Conservation Paradigm
- Qinghai Tibet Plateau Grassland Restoration Policies and Their Impacts on Local Ecology
Pollution Prevention and Regulatory Review
- Natural Gas Extraction from the Marcellus Formation in Pennsylvania: Environmental Impacts and Possible Policy Responses for State Parks
- The Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania: A Technical, Environmental, and Regulatory Examination
- A Critical Analysis of Colorado’s Environmental Covenant Law
Waste Reducation
- Kenaf: An Alternative Crop to Clean Up the Mess
- An Evaluation of Maryland’s Voluntary Cleanup Program (VCP)
- Computer E-waste in India: A Blueprint for Change
- Food-and-Yard Wastes: Challenges and Opportunities in Reducing the Waste Stream
- Household food waste: environmental options from collection to disposal
- The Viability of Ethanol Production from Urban Waste Biomass for New York State: A Social Cost Analysis
Water Policy
- Offset Projects: Success and Suitability in Addressing Water Quality Impairment
- Wetland Indicators & Assessment Approaches: Making Progress Towards Clean Water Act Compliance
- Gender Mainstreaming, the Integration of Women in Decision-making: The Case of Water Management in Samari, Ghana
- Contingent Valutation of Improved Water Services in Oaxaca, Mexico
- Applying a Watershed Approach to Restore and Protect Wetlands in Orange County, New York
- Where's the Water? Perspectives on Water Conservation in Upland Villiages in the Oaxaca, Mexico
- The Value of Drinking Water in Oaxaca City: An Averting Behaviors Approach
- Aligning Water Quality Needs With a Quantity Policy Framework: An Analysis of Namibia and South Africa
- Saratoga Springs' Drinking Water Supply: Water Quality, Watershed, and Cost-Based Policy Solutions for the Supplemental Water Source Debate
- Watershed Partnership Initiatives and Stakeholder Engagement in the Lower Hudson River Watershed
- The Politics of Water Reform in Oaxaca, Mexico
