With a concentration in Sustainability and Sustainable Development, you'll be prepared to help organizations and people strike a balance between meeting immediate needs and ensuring a secure, livable future. Your study will combine environmental, economic, social, and political elements.
By completing this concentration, you will be well prepared to work in a variety of settings, including governments and government agencies, private businesses, nonprofit entities, and other special-interest organizations that seek to sustain and improve current and future conditions for life on earth.
19
SUSTAINABILITY AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT MPA students (Fall 2018)
1:3
Faculty: student ratio
86%
All O’Neill MPA placement rate
You'll begin by mastering the fundamentals reflected in the MPA program's core competencies. These five courses (15 credit hours) will give you well-developed analytical skills and a broad understanding of policy issues and government processes. In addition to these highly transferable core skills, the Sustainability and Sustainable Development concentration includes two required courses which provide the fundamental theories and tools of sustainable development.
The following is an example of courses. Please work with your advisor as you make your schedule.
The remainder of the coursework comes in a wide range of elective courses. These will allow you to tailor your Sustainability and Sustainable Development program to your own specific interests. Working with an advisor, you will select two courses from one of these three areas: Development, Policy and Entrepreneurship. Natural environment, or Environmental Protection.
Development, Policy, and EntrepreneurshipThen you’ll select two courses from the following area:
Analytical ToolsCombining your Sustainability and Sustainable Development concentration with another MPA concentration—such as Economic Development, Policy Analysis, or Public Financial Management—may offer you unique advantages in pursuing a particular career. As they help you design your program, our faculty will work to accommodate your specialized professional interests.
Our MPA offers far more than traditional lectures and lessons. You'll also get the benefit of experiential learning—typically through an approved internship. What's more, your concentration's course work will culminate in a project-oriented course—a capstone—that lets you apply the knowledge you gained throughout the program.
Current and past placements and internships:
You can join the O’Neill Environmental Management & Sustainable Development Association, one of many professional student organizations that offer networking and current information on events in the industry.
“The courses and faculty at SPEA have provided me with the appropriate analytical and policy-focused skills to succeed in life and become a future leader in my field.”
“SPEA gave me a toolbox of skills in environmental sciences and policy analysis. I utilize this combination of skills to communicate with varied audiences, including our constituents, policy makers, and consulting scientists.”
“Careers in sustainability are multidisciplinary and require a broad base of knowledge and the ability to manage diverse stakeholders and communicate effectively. SPEA provided the academic experience I needed to make an impact in my field.”
