Curriculum
The Master of Science degree in Environmental Policy and Sustainability Management is awarded for successful completion of 42 credits. The curriculum offers a sound foundation in the public policy and management disciplines with concentrations in these
two areas. Students can further deepen their skills in specific subject areas. All students take a culminating capstone seminar in which they develop a research- or practice-based project with the potential for real-world application. The program
emphasizes interdisciplinary and critical approaches to environmental and sustainability studies.
Current Courses Fulfilling Requirements
Making a Difference Requirement
Choose from courses on justice and innovation in relation to environmental and sustainability practices across sectors. Sample courses that satisfy this requirement:
- Environmental Justice: Race, Class, and the Environment
- The Future Will Be Cooperative: Coops, Community Land Trusts, and the Commons
- Indigenous Ecologies
- Gendered Ecologies
Finance Requirement
Choose from courses on financial systems that underlie the pathways and practices of sustainability. Sample courses that satisfy this requirement:
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Elements of Finance
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Capital Markets and Investing for Impact
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Financial Management in Nonprofit Organizations
Strategic Change Requirement
Choose from courses on methods, tools, and techniques with which to manage change. Sample courses that satisfy this requirement:
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Strategies for Urban Sustainability
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Organizational Assessment and Diagnosis
- Re-imagining Social Movements
- Urban Resilience
Environmental Policy Requirement
Choose from courses examining environmental infrastructure policy. Sample courses that satisfy this requirement:
- Global Environmental Politics and Policy
- Renewable Energy Systems
*These are sample courses. Please consult your advisor about other courses that will fulfill these requirements.
Collaborative Capstone Projects & Applied Experiential Learning
Environmental Policy and Sustainability Management students often conduct their capstone research projects in close collaboration with organizations working in the field. Our students have partnered with civil society, social movement, governmental, intergovernmental, non-governmental, private, and nonprofit organizations. These include the ETC Group, Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN) International, Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, Transnational Institute, Heinrich Böll Foundation, New Jersey Environmental Justice Alliance, NYC Department of Environmental Protection, Urban Indigenous Collective, Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA), Climate Museum, El Puente Environmental Justice, NYC Mayor’s Office of Sustainability, NYC Department of Environmental Protection, NYC 2030, Green Feen, and others.
Graduate Minors
You can also use your elective courses toward completing one of the university’s graduate minors, which provide a structured, accessible way to complement your primary course of study with with
fresh ways of thinking. Your graduate minor is officially recorded on your transcript.
STEM Eligibility for International Applicants
This program is STEM designated. After graduating, eligible F-1 students in this program can apply for an additional 24 months of Optional Practical Training
at the end of their Post-Completion OPT.