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Environmental Policy Studies (EPS)
Letter from the Director
The Environmental Policy Studies Concentration (EPS) at SIPA offers a unique opportunity for dedicated students to develop practical policy and management skills that are needed to meet the increasing challenges threatening our natural environment today. Because the environment is intimately connected to society's productivity and sustainability, our ability to properly protect and manage our natural assets requires well-trained leaders who are able to serve the public. Environmental leaders need a solid background in earth sciences, politics, management, economics and policy analysis. Therefore the Environmental Policy Studies program incorporates this interdisciplinary approach to the study of environmental issues so that program graduates are well-equipped to become environmental leaders and policy-makers.
Because environmental problems are playing an increasingly important role in policy debates at the local, national and international levels, EPS graduates are faced with a variety of career options. As an EPS graduate there are opportunities to work as an environmental professional in government, nonprofits and in the private sector. Local governments and private industry are devoting increased resources to environmental management. Development pressures and increased regulation of toxic materials require additional analysis and planning. Globalization and the pace of international commerce stimulate additional consideration of environmental impacts across international borders. All of these trends lead to analytic work for environmental professionals.
The Environmental Policy Studies Core Curriculum prepares students to become active leaders equipped for the challenges they will face in the working world. All EPS students take Environmental Science for Decision Makers and participate in the Environmental Policy Studies Workshop. Students also select one environmental policy course and one environmental economics course. In addition, EPS students select at least two courses from the program's vast array of electives, allowing students to focus on the particular areas of environmental policy that are most relevant to them. The MIA and MPA core curricula enable students to develop analytic skills in quantitative analysis, management and/or finance. When added to the concentration's curriculum in environmental policy studies, the combination can be particularly powerful.
Students are encouraged to take advantage of the environmental course offerings, not only at SIPA, but in the numerous environmental and earth science programs at Columbia University. In fact, there are 22 environmental studies programs at Columbia that range from environmental engineering to environmental health to sustainable development to environmental policy. A wealth of elective courses can be found throughout the university- in public health, planning, law, environmental science, ecology and engineering.
Columbia University is home to the Earth Institute, one of the world's leading research centers for integrated earth and environmental sciences, directed by Jeffery Sachs. The Earth Institute is comprised of numerous academic and research centers, including the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, the Goddard Institute for Space Studies, the Center on Globalization and Sustainable Development, the Center for Environmental Research and Conservation, among many others. SIPA is home to the Center for Energy and Marine Transportation Policy and the new Ph.D. in Sustainable Development. The diversity of these centers and programs provides ample opportunities for students in the Environmental Policy Studies Concentration to learn and gain from cutting-edge research and training.
The Earth Institute's Office of Educational Programs works to enhance environmental education for Columbia students by arranging and hosting a variety of events for environmental science students, such as career fairs and co-curricular activities. In addition, this office administers an internship program for Earth Institute projects and places 20 students each year in intern positions throughout the Earth Institute. These events and programs provide for an innovative collaboration between the Earth Institute and SIPA that unite policy and science.
Because current international and public affairs place an increasingly significant emphasis on environmental and sustainable development, the EPS Concentration values experimental learning and practical, real world applications. The EPS concentration is a small but growing program, comprised of dynamic students and faculty, and a growing alumni network of environmental policy professionals. This robust community, along with the integrity of our curriculum provides students with a thorough understanding of the complex environmental challenges that they will face upon graduation.
As Director, I invite prospective students to come in and visit with the program's current students and the faculty, to learn more about the opportunities that we offer through the Environmental Policy Studies Concentration. We look forward to working with you and hope that you will benefit from these exciting resources.
Sincerely,
Steve Cohen
Director
Environmental Policy Studies Concentration
1408 IAB
420 West 18th Street
New York NY 10027
sc32@columbia.edu