About the Program

Today's environmental problems require the skills and insights of many people, including scientists, engineers, regulators, policy analysts, lay citizens, industry, and environmental groups. The Michigan Technological University Master's of Science in Environmental Policy Graduate Program gives students skills in policy analysis, collaboration with a wide variety of groups, and in understanding socioeconomic-environmental systems. Graduates of this interdisciplinary program are now environmental policy specialists within corporations, government agencies, consulting firms, and private non-governmental organizations.  Others have gone on to PhD and law degree programs at top universities around the United States.

The Environmental Policy program at Michigan Tech offers an innovative approach to environmental management through the collaboration of ecology, engineering, economics and other social sciences, and forest resources faculty. It is distinctive in its training in citizen participation and its interdisciplinary emphasis.

The Environmental Policy program is housed in the Department of Social Sciences. Departmental faculty teach most core courses, including environmental policy and politics,  environmental policy analysis, environmental decision-making, and global environmental systems.

Our program is small and focused.  Our size permits us to be flexible and to work intensively with each of our graduate students.  Our students have done theses and projects on a wide variety of innovative, environmental sustainability projects.  They have studied issues ranging from ISO 14000 to the European Union's precautionary principle to obstacles to renewable energy production.  We are able to fund most of our graduate students with assistantships that pay a living wage stipend, tuition, and most fees.

The Environmental Policy Program also draws on faculty in other academic units at our university.

These affiliated faculty provide expertise in such areas as forestry, wildlife biology, environmental economics, and water resource management.

Genevieve Borg in front of her office during her            Susan Balint and Senator Deborah Stabenow

summer 2008 Washington DC Environmental             meeting during Susan's summer 2008 internship

Protection Agency internship.                                            in the Washington DC USDA Forest Service Policy

                                                                                                Analysis Office.

    Stacey in the Yaqui Valley of Northern Mexico

doing thesis fieldwork on water and pesticide risks.

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