Program Overview

Introduction to the Masters of the Environment Graduate Program

The Masters of the Environment Graduate Program prepares students for a wide range of professional careers in conservation, consulting, energy, natural resources, planning, policy, sustainability, and more. Students take courses that equip them to address real-world environmental challenges and to understand how various community partners can be engaged effectively in the decision-making process. Through the Capstone Project, students also gain a year of professional experience with an external organization while in the program.

Program Details

The Masters of the Environment graduate program is a 48-credit-hour program that usually takes students 21 months to complete. MENV is a professional master's degree meaning students work in a cohort-based model under a Specialization Lead.

• Students take one core course, four specialization courses, and 24 credit-hours worth of electives (18 credit-hours in MENV and 6 credit-hours either within MENV or other campus departments) and work on a 12-month Capstone Project to earn their degree.
• The MENV core curriculum provides students with a foundational understanding of the dominant structures, processes, and dynamics within and between environmental, social, institutional, and economic systems.

Core Curriculum

The MENV core curriculum provides students with a foundational understanding of the dominant structures, processes, and dynamics within and between environmental, social, institutional, and economic systems. Through our comprehensive Scientific Basis of Environmental Change course, MENV students are exposed to a variety of perspectives and approaches to environmental problem solving and gain a unique applied knowledge necessary to be effective agents of change across public, private, and non-profit sectors.

Specialization Areas

• Environmental & Natural Resources Policy
• Renewable & Sustainable Energy
• Sustainability in the Outdoor Industry
• Sustainable Food Systems
• Urban Resilience & Sustainability

Electives

The MENV program requires its students to take a series of elective courses. MENV students must take 12 credit-hours in MENV and the remaining 6 credit-hours in either MENV or other departments across campus.

Capstone Projects

The centerpiece of the MENV program is the Capstone Project. This nine-month project is completed in partnership with a sponsoring organization from the public, private, or non-profit sector. MENV students will work in small teams to provide innovative solutions and products to Capstone organizations. In the process, students gain real-world, hands-on, relevant professional experience aligned with the client organization’s needs. Students also acquire valuable skills and contacts through the networks that they develop.

Workshops and Global Immersion

• MENV offers a series of workshops, seminars, and field trips to students throughout the year at no additional cost.
• MENV offers several opportunities for students to study abroad, including courses in France, Denmark, and Brazil.

MENV/MBA Dual Degree

MENV and the Leeds School have launched the MENV/MBA dual degree.

Pathways

• Corporate Sustainability Pathway: supports students in guiding them towards obtaining the skills, tools, and knowledge they need to enter into a specific industry career.
• Other pathways include Law, Policy, and Planning Pathway, and Stakeholder Engagement & Facilitation Pathway.