The executive master’s programs welcome applications from mid-career professionals with at least 10 years of environmental leadership or adjacent experience.
The executive master’s programs enable students to deepen their expertise in environmental management or forestry and become part of an international network of environmental thought leaders and innovators. The programs are small and cohort-based to foster strong peer networks, maximize engagement with faculty, and create meaningful connections across campus. They provide a transformational educational experience in a condensed timeline, allowing professionals to earn their degree without a prolonged career break.
In every region of the world, Yale School of the Environment (YSE) alumni are working to conserve and protect our planet: re-envisioning supply chains to turn local wood waste into viable resources that help regenerate urban economies; creating a new model for global coral reef restoration; overseeing the restoration of more than 450,000 hectares of degraded forests in Ghana; and leading the implementation of decarbonization projects, climate change risk assessment, and biodiversity conservation in Chile.
Meeting today’s most significant global challenges — climate change, biodiversity loss, creating more sustainable cities — requires vision and leadership at every level. Mid-career professionals with a reservoir of knowledge and experience are well-positioned to lead the way in developing and scaling solutions to these urgent environmental, economic, and societal challenges. YSE’s executive degree programs can help students deepen and expand their expertise — increasing their ability to affect change.
YSE’s 10-month residential executive master’s degree programs give mid-career professionals with an established track record of leadership in environmental management (EMEM), forestry (EMF), or a directly adjacent field, the opportunity to deepen their expertise, enhance their leadership capabilities, and build their global networks in this rigorous and immersive educational experience tailored for each student’s professional journey.
These executive programs:
At YSE, education and training extend well beyond the classroom. Participate in our unique summer orientation program, MODs; travel widely for field research and internships; attend global conferences and climate talks such as the U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP 26).
Working closely with some of the top experts in their fields is one of the advantages of a YSE graduate degree. Our faculty are committed to mentoring the next generation of environmental leaders to tackle the world’s most urgent problems.
Most coursework should be selected from YSE classes. However, students in the EMEM or EMF programs can enroll in a maximum of 6 total credits from classes outside of YSE during their program without special permission from the Office of Academic Affairs.
Pari Kasotia ’22 MEM was in the middle of her career when she decided to apply to YSE.
“I’ve spent the majority of my professional life working on clean energy policy in public and nonprofit spaces, but I wanted to get exposure to the private financing side of climate change discourse. When I saw that Just Climate was one of the fellowship hosts, I was excited by their mission and decided to apply. They’re one of the first investment businesses dedicated to climate-led investing, meaning they identify and invest in high-impact solutions for climate change mitigation.”
Daniel Piotto ’06 MF, ’11 PhD was well into his career when a meeting with YSE Professors Mark Ashton and Florencia Montagnini inspired him to apply to the one-year Master of Forestry program.
Six years and two YSE degrees later, Piotto went on to join faculty of the then-new Federal University of Southern Bahia, where he has led numerous studies on forest restoration and plantation forests in the region.
“My experience at YSE was my formation into who I am as a scientist and a professor,” said Piotto, who still retains his YSE ties, hosting students in Bahia and teaching courses for the ELTI certificate program.
After a decade as director of operations for Ghana’s Forestry Commission, overseeing the country’s commercial forest plantation development and land restoration, Hugh Brown ’10 MF was named chief executive of the Ghana Forestry Commission in 2025.
The Commission has begun the restoration of more than 450,000 hectares of degraded forests and planted millions of new trees under Brown's leadership — part of a major reforestation initiative by the Ghanaian government to contribute to global climate action.
The EMEM and EMF programs require 30 total credits for completion. The curriculum of the EMEM and EMF programs are structured similarly — students should identify their primary area of interest or the system they wish to study when deciding whether to apply to the EMEM or EMF program. EMF applicants should have either 10 years of relevant experience in forestry, or an allied natural resource field, or a bachelor's degree in forestry and 10 years of experience broadly related to environmental management and policy.
Students begin their program in August with an intensive course on environmental problem solving and leadership, Leading through Complexity: Tools for Environmental Problem Solving (1 credit) that will set the stage for an applied practicum capstone course that spans both semesters, Designing and Driving Environmental Solutions. In addition, students will complete a minimum of 24 carefully selected elective credits designed to deepen their environmental leadership skills and content knowledge in their chosen area. During the capstone course, students will design and complete their capstone project, which is an opportunity to apply the new knowledge they have gained at YSE and grow professional networks while diving deeply into an environmental challenge. This project, which is proposed during the application process, will help students generate new insights for improving environmental management and forestry, and will ensure students have the tools necessary upon graduation to develop and scale innovative solutions for local to global challenges.
Courses intended to fulfill the elective requirements should be carefully selected across all courses at YSE, and executive students are encouraged to closely align with one or more MEM specializations to allow them to deepen their expertise in a particular area. Up to six credits of coursework can be taken from courses at other graduate and professional schools at Yale without special permission — students are encouraged to tap into the vast opportunities at Yale during their year in the program. Faculty advisors play a key role in the EMEM and EMF programs — since students in these programs are only at YSE for one academic year, they will work closely with their advisor to select courses that meet their unique professional needs. Note: Applicants should connect with potential advisors before applying to the program. When applying, applicants will be asked to submit the names of three faculty members with whom they are interested in working. Advisors will be selected from the submitted list upon admission to the program.
Upon completion the Executive Master’s Degree Programs at the Yale School of the Environment, students can expect that they will have gained advanced knowledge tailored to their professional needs and interests, enhanced their leadership capabilities, thereby increasing their ability to lead and influence in their respective fields, and expanded their professional network. Graduates of the executive master’s programs at YSE join an influential community of nearly 6,000 YSE alumni making groundbreaking contributions to global sustainability efforts in every corner of the planet. Embark on your journey of environmental leadership and innovation — apply to the Yale School of the Environment’s Executive Master’s programs today and become a catalyst for global change.
Introduce yourself to the YSE master’s admissions team.
YSE's Learning Communities were created to offer robust interdisciplinary experiences and networks. Students may engage with as many learning communities as they choose, regardless of their degree program or specialization.
