Environmental Policy and Planning

How do we shift our energy mix from fossil fuels to renewable sources? How much protection should we provide to public lands, rare species and valuable natural areas? How do we ensure the safety of food and water supplies? Answers to questions like these can change the course of our future. In the Environmental Policy and Planning specialization at the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS), you will acquire the tools, analytic frameworks and scientific knowledge to promote environmental stewardship and advance sustainable societies.

This specialization builds professional skills in designing and implementing policies and plans that solve environmental problems and facilitate social change. Translate your skills, experience and background into a meaningful career through a well-rounded qualitative and quantitative curriculum in a learning environment responsible for launching some of today’s most effective environmental leaders. 

WHY ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND PLANNING?

• Join a community of scholars whose depth and breadth in social science is unparalleled in any comparable program.
• Develop expertise in natural sciences and deep knowledge of specific environmental problems.  
• Take advantage of opportunities to enhance your professional marketability, like dual-degree and certificate programs.
• Apply what you learn in the classroom to fix real-world problems by completing a capstone experience (master's project or master's thesis).
• Join the world’s largest and strongest community of alumni practitioners in environmental policy and planning.

CURRICULUM

Working with an adviser, you will tailor your Environmental Policy and Planning degree coursework to your specific career goals. A typical curriculum includes classes in politics, law, policy analysis and planning. You will also learn negotiation and dispute resolution, and develop expertise in issues of your choice, such as water, climate change and energy, public lands, biodiversity and ecosystem management, environmental justice, and sustainable land use.

The Environmental Policy and Planning curriculum provides a solid foundation for dual-degree programs in public policy, urban planning, law or business.