MPA Energy and Climate Policy

Economics and policy for a brighter tomorrow

O’Neill’s Energy and Climate Policy MPA concentration will put you in a position to help meet critical energy and climate challenges. Core courses in energy economics and policy, and in energy systems, will support advanced courses in energy policy, climate policy, energy law, human behavior and energy consumption and broader courses in environmental policy and sustainable development. You’ll also choose related science courses such as renewable energy, air pollution, and climate change and its impacts. These will allow you to craft science-based laws and policies that respond to the realities of today’s energy landscape.

Your Energy and Climate Policy training will prepare you to develop sound energy analyses and policies for agencies, think tanks, nonprofits and industry. You will be prepared to participate in problem-solving at national and international levels, or in the fast-growing and often innovative environment of state and municipal organizations.

How to apply

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Hannah Hunt, MPA

Senior Analyst, American Wind Energy Associations, Washington, D.C.

“This concentration inspired me to pursue renewable energy as a profession. The faculty is incredibly knowledgeable and focused on preparing their students for a career in the energy sector.”

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Derek Wietelman, MPA’18

Research Assistant, Resources for the Future, Washington, D.C.

“Gain close connections with professors in the program to aide your job search. They are very willing to provide job references for their student workers and are very connected to what is happening in the job field.”

As an MPA student studying Energy and Climate Policy, you'll begin by mastering 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 energy concentration includes two required courses. The remainder of your course work comes in four elective courses—two chosen from each of the two topic areas.

  • Energy Analysis and Markets (E 574)
  • Energy Economics and Policy (R 674)

The required energy economics course provides a global and regional understanding of energy markets and the skills necessary to perform policy analysis of energy issues. The technical courses in the concentration will enable you to collaborate with engineering specialists on projects related to energy production, management, conservation, and research and development. 

  • Fundamentals of Air Pollution (E 515)
  • Vector-based Geographic Information Systems (E 518)
  • Environmental Chemistry (E 536)
  • Application of Geographic Information Systems (E 529)
  • Natural Gas: Technical and Policy Challenges (E 503)
  • Physical Climatology (GEOG-G 532)
  • Climate Change (GEOG-G 576)
  • Principles of Petroleum Geology (GEOL-G 571)
  • Organic Geochemistry (GEOL-G 587)

  • Human Behavior and Energy Consumption (E 501)
  • Public Natural Resources Law (R 533)
  • International Environmental Policy (E 535)
  • Energy Policy: A Nation-State Perspective (E 590/V 550)
  • Benefit-Cost Analysis(P 541)
  • Climate Law and Policy (LAW-L 660/V 550)
  • Sustainable Development (S 596)
  • Environmental Economics and Policy (R 625)
  • Natural Resource Management and Policy (R 643)
  • Environmental Law (R 645)
  • Energy Law and Policy (LAW-L 644/V 550)

The above are examples of course options. For a complete listing, see the official Indiana University Graduate Bulletin. You’ll work to select courses in consultation with your faculty advisor. After consulting with a faculty advisor, you also may enroll in elective courses offered by other IU departments, including geography and law.