1. Academic Programs
  2. Master’s Programs
  3. Master of Environmental Management — MEM
  4. MEM Specializations
  5. Environmental Policy Analysis Specialization

Environmental Policy Analysis Specialization

For students who seek to understand and employ analytical frameworks that apply to a broad range of environmental issue areas and are critical for strategic environmental policy within organizations that develop, analyze, practice and evaluate environmental and natural resource management.

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    Students specializing in Environmental Policy Analysis frequently seek employment in a range of organizations spanning all areas of environmental management, including government agencies, international development institutions, non-governmental organizations, corporations, and consulting firms.

    Note that a capstone course used to fulfill the MEM capstone requirement cannot also be used toward fulfilling an MEM Specialization requirement; a capstone course taken once cannot be used to fulfill multiple requirements. Learn more about YSE capstone courses by visiting the MEM Capstone page.

    Program Courses

    Core

    Two courses required.

    Course 1

    Required for all Environmental Policy Analysis students.
    Course Fall 2023 Spring 2024 Fall 2024 Spring 2025
    ENV 834
    Environmental Economics and Policy         		  Kotchen
    M,W 9:00-10:20    		   Kotchen

    Course 2

    Choose one of these two courses.
    Course Fall 2023 Spring 2024 Fall 2024 Spring 2025
    ENV 821
    Environmental Policymaking: From Local to Global         		Sanford
    M,W 2:30-3:50    		   Sanford  
    ENV 824
    Environmental Law and Policy         		  Klee
    M,W 1:00-2:20    		   Klee

    Elective

    Students must take at least one course from each of the following two bins

    Economic and Quantitative Methods for Policy Analysis

    Course Fall 2023 Spring 2024 Fall 2024 Spring 2025
    ENV 617
    Real World Environmental Data Science         		  Grewal
    M 2:30-5:20    		   Grewal
    ENV 641
    Market-Based Mechanisms for Water Management         		Kruse
    Th 1:00-3:50    		   Kruse
    Tentative    		  
    ENV 728
    Introduction to Statistics and Data Analysis in the Environmental Sciences         		Reuning-Scherer
    Tu,Th 2:30-3:50    		   Reuning-Scherer
    Tentative    		  
    ENV 730
    Environmental Data Science in R: Understanding Methane Dynamics         		  Malone
    Tu 2:30-5:20    		   Malone
    ENV 753
    Regression Modeling of Ecological and Environmental Data         		Gregoire
    M,W 10:30-11:50    		   Gregoire  
    ENV 758
    Multivariate Data Analysis in the Environmental Sciences         		  Reuning-Scherer
    Tu,Th 1:00-2:15    		   Reuning-Scherer
    ENV 795
    Nature as Capital: Merging Ecological and Economic Models         		          Tentative
    ENV 800
    Energy Economics and Policy Analysis         		  Faculty
    M,W 10:30-11:50    		   Faculty
    ECON 132a
    Econometrics and Data Analysis II    		        
    ECON 136b
    Econometrics    		        
    ECON 545a
    Microeconomics    		        
    ECON 558a
    Statistics and Econometrics    		        

    Environmental and Natural Resource Law and Governance

    Course Fall 2023 Spring 2024 Fall 2024 Spring 2025
    ENV 568
    Overshoot: The Environmental and Policy Implications of Exceeding 1.5°C (Fall -1 August 30-October 11)         		Smith
    W 4:00-6:50    		          
    ENV 624
    The Science, Policy, and Management of GHG Removal Strategies         		Saiers
    W 9:00-11:50    		   Saiers  
    ENV 761
    Negotiating International Agreements: The Case of Climate Change         		Biniaz
    M 1:30-3:20    		   Biniaz
    Tentative    		  
    ENV 816
    Electric Utilities: an Industry in Transition         		Rhodes
    W 1:00-3:50    		          
    ENV 820
    Land Use Law and Environmental Planning         		  Shansky
    M,W 4:00-5:20    		   Tentative
    ENV 823
    Energy Law and Policy (Follows Law School Calendar)         		Elliott
    Tu 2:10-4:00    		   Elliott
    Tentative    		  
    ENV 840
    Climate Change Policy and Perspectives         		Klee
    M,W 1:00-2:20    		   Klee  
    ENV 860
    Developing Environmental Policies and Winning Campaigns         		Alt
    M 1:00-3:50    		   Faculty
    Tentative    		  

    Additional Electives

    Two courses.

    Environmental Policy Analysis students should also develop expertise in some specific environmental or natural resource problem or issue (e.g., renewable energy, water resources, environmental health, forest management, biological diversity, climate change, conservation, etc.). Students are encouraged to look at other specializations to develop this two-course sequence (e.g., Energy and the Environment, Ecosystem Conservation and Management, Water Resource Management, and others). The core requirements of other specializations are a natural fit here. Students may also develop the sequence based on their own interests, but should make the case that the two courses are consistent with developing an area of topical concentration. The two-course sequence must be approved by the specialization coordinator prior to the student’s last semester.
    LC Policy Illustration

    Learning Community

    There is a corresponding “Learning Community” for each specialization, where anyone interested in the topic can find related news, spotlights, colleagues, and events.

     

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    Faculty Coordinator

    Until January 2024

     

    Beginning in January 2024