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Curriculum
Overview | MA Degree | MPhil Degree | PhD Degree
Requirements for the MA Degree
(Completed before the beginning of the third year)
1. Completion of all required courses in the first two years as follows:
i. Sustainable Development
These courses are designed and taught specifically for the PhD students in Sustainable Development, although they may be open to students from other programs.
- Human Ecology U9240
- Politics of Sustainable Development U9250
- Environmental and Resource Economics U9245
- Environmental Science for Sustainable Development U6240
- Macroeconomic Policy
ii. Core Economics Courses
All core economics courses are taught in the Economics Department and are drawn from the Economics PhD syllabus. More information about these courses can be found from the Economics department Web site.
- Microeconomic Analysis I and II (G611 - G612)
- Introduction to Econometrics I and II (G6411 - G6412)
- A third course in Quantitative Analysis is also required.
iii. Natural Sciences
Students must also take 3 natural science electives drawn from the following departments:
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology (E3B)
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (DEES)
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences (EHS) at the Mailman School of Public Health
- Department of Earth and Environmental Engineering (DEEE) at the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS)
For details of natural science electives previously taken by students in the program please see here.
2. Completion of the MA Thesis
The master’s thesis should be completed by May 1, in the fourth semester and should address a problem in sustainable development using data and methodologies from the four natural science courses completed in the first two years of the program. The thesis consists of an article (around 30 pages long), which would be publishable in an appropriately refereed academic journal reflecting the disciplinary orientation of the project. For titles of MA thesis projects previously completed by students in the program please see here. Students should submit the Masters paper to their research advisor(s) with a copy to the DGS. The advisor later meets with the student and submits a pass/fail grade to the Assistant DGS for processing.