Foundational Knowledge for MEM Students
(May 12, 2021)

Dear Incoming YSE MEM Students,

Congratulations once again on your acceptance to the Yale School of the Environment! On behalf of the entire YSE community, our Academic Affairs team would like to welcome you and say how much we are all looking forward to getting to know you in the months ahead.

We are writing today to share information about the Foundational Knowledge (formerly Basic Knowledge) MEM degree requirement as well as to announce the opening of the waiver exam process.

As you know from your research during the admissions process, all MEM students are expected to be conversant in four Foundational Knowledge areas in order to excel in the MEM program as well as in one's career in environmental management. These areas are:

• Physical Science
• Social Science
• Ecology
• Microeconomics

Each Fall semester, four thoughtfully designed courses – specifically tailored for incoming MEM students – are offered for students to learn, refresh, and deepen their understanding in each of these knowledge areas. In the process, students lay a strong foundation to engage with the rigorous MEM curriculum and approach complex problems through an interdisciplinary lens. Students can fulfill the Foundational Knowledge degree requirement by completing these courses.

For incoming students with significant academic or professional experience in any of the four areas, successfully passing a waiver exam is another way to satisfy this degree requirement. Starting today, the first waiver exams for each subject area are now open. It is not required that you take any exams, but if wish, you are allowed two attempts for each subject area. 

Clicking on this link will bring you to the YSE Foundational Knowledge Waiver Exam homepage. It is hosted through Canvas, which is the primary learning management platform used for all YSE courses. The left navigation bar of the Canvas site includes not only the four separate waiver exams but also an exam preparation page and a required page on academic integrity. 

The schedule for the waiver exams is as follows:
 

	Exams Open	Exams Close	Grades Available*
First Attempt	Wednesday, May 12	Friday, June 11	Monday, June 21
Second Attempt	Tuesday, June 22	Sunday, July 25	Friday, August 6

*On June 21 and August 6, grades will become available to check your passing status. If you do not pass your first attempt on an exam and would like a second attempt, instructions will be provided to access a second similar but different waiver exam. Students who miss the first attempt window will only be able to take the second exam in the second attempt window.

Students who do not take or pass a waiver exam for a subject area will be auto-enrolled by the YSE Registrar to complete the required Foundational Knowledge course(s). The Registrar will complete this before Fall course registration begins on Monday, August 9. More information about the courses can be found by clicking on the following links:

• Ecological Foundations for Environmental Managers (ENV 511)
• Microeconomic Foundations for Environmental Managers (ENV 512)
• Physical Science Foundations for Environmental Managers (ENV 521)
• Social Science Foundations for Environmental Managers (ENV 522)

All the best with the exams, and as always, please contact Academic Affairs with any questions! academicaffairs.yse@yale.edu

Sincerely,
The YSE Academic Affairs Team

• Julie Zimmerman, Senior Associate Dean of Academic Affairs
• Sara Smiley Smith, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs
• Matthias Schildwachter, Associate Director of Academic Affairs
• Jenn Lawlor, Online Education Program Administrator
• Rosanne Stoddard, Registrar

P.S. While applying to YSE, you may have seen information about Foundational Knowledge waivers also being provided by a transcript review process. After a careful evaluation this year by the YSE faculty and Academic Affairs team, it was concluded that the transcript review process was inadequate for assessing incoming student knowledge and it was removed as a waiver option. Prior coursework in each subject area is still one of the best ways to prepare for the waiver exams so rest assured that the completion of any relevant coursework was not for naught. Recommended preparation courses can be found on the YSE Foundational Knowledge page, in addition to the resources listed in the “Preparing for Exams” section of the Canvas page.