Published on August 28, 2025 by Gunnar Sadowey  
Jed Sisco
Jed Sisco

For Jed Sisco, a native of Morrow, Ohio, choosing Samford University’s Master of Science in Environmental Health, Policy and Management (MSEM) program was an unexpected but timely decision.

A two-time SoCon champion pole vaulter for the Samford track and field team, Sisco began his undergraduate career in 2020 as a “COVID freshman,” navigating classes that were half online and half in-person. He majored in marine science and imagined returning to school for a master’s degree after a few years of work. But when student-athletes were granted an extra year of eligibility because of the pandemic, his plans shifted.

“Wanting to use all my eligibility, I decided to talk with Dr. Anthony Overton, who was my undergrad adviser,” Sisco said. “He suggested I enroll in the MSEM program instead of turning my biology minor into a double major. The online format, combined with how versatile the degree is for my career goals, made it the right choice.”

That decision allowed Sisco to extend his academic and athletic career while gaining valuable skills for the future. One project that stands out is his work with Overton on a creel survey, research that involves surveying fishermen in different bodies of water and mapping their responses using a Geographic Information System (GIS) story map.

“This research encompasses many of the things I’ve enjoyed most throughout my college education including GIS, marine life and fishing, which is one of my hobbies,” he said. “It also creates a simple and effective database to track environmental changes and concerns.”

Looking ahead, Sisco hopes the MSEM will lead to opportunities in environmental data management and environmental welfare. His advice to students considering the program is to keep an open mind.

Sisco is grateful for how the MSEM program has expanded both his academic experience and his professional vision.

“Many in the STEM world have a very direct path they’ve imagined for themselves, like I had,” he said. “But taking this course has opened my eyes to other areas of science I never even considered as an undergrad.”

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Located in the Homewood suburb of Birmingham, Alabama, Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks with the second highest score in the nation for its 98% Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.