The midcareer M.E.M. or M.F. degree program is intended to permit practicing environmental and forest managers to build on their work experience in order to learn additional skills that will enable them to pursue their career goals more effectively. To this end, those admitted into the program must have at least seven years of directly relevant professional experience in the environmental or forestry field that is sufficient to provide a corpus of experiential learning equivalent to one year of academic study at the School. So that the admissions committee may fairly judge each applicant's work record in light of this requirement, it is incumbent on the applicant to explain how it has been satisfied by career work experience. Relevant work experience is not the sole criterion for admission into this degree program; the breadth of prior academic training is also considered, and those applicants who are better prepared are more likely to succeed in this competitive admission process.

The midcareer degree program is not an option for persons seeking to make an abrupt change in the direction of their careers. Nor is it suitable for those who have acquired seven or more years of work experience that is tangentially related to environmental or forest management. Normally, voluntary services will not be considered equivalent to career experience needed for acceptance into this degree program.

The one-year midcareer Master of Environmental Management and Master of Forestry degree programs have less structured curricula than the two-year programs. Attendance at the Training Modules is expected, and the successful completion of 24 credits of course work and independent study is required. One year in residence is normally expected, as is initial enrollment at the start of the fall term.