The MS in sustainability is offered for students who have completed a bachelor's degree. The program prepares students to address some of the most pressing concerns of the 21st century. Students learn how different disciplines view and approach the challenges of sustainability in theory, research and practice. They develop the academic and technical skills as well as the ethical insights that will help them understand, research and provide solutions to complex sustainability challenges at the local, regional, national and global levels. Although the graduate-degree programs emphasize the integration of a broad range of expertise in student training, the MS program is best suited to students inclined toward natural sciences, economics, engineering, or related fields and interested in a career in research or academia. Students can also apply to participate in the Master's International Peace Corps Program, which works in conjunction with this program. All sustainability graduate students will possess: an understanding of the need for an interdisciplinary approach to solving sustainability challenges the ability to communicate their work to professionals in other disciplines, policymakers and the general public the breadth of vision to recognize the interconnectedness of social, economic and environmental systems the critical thinking skills to approach sustainability challenges from a systems perspective the skills needed to work effectively in interdisciplinary teams the technical skills to formulate and solve problems at the appropriate scale In addition to the common learning outcomes, students will be able to: apply appropriate metrics and indicators to evaluate the sustainability of technology, the built environment and their environmental regulations and policy lead others in applying these concepts and methods to the development of sustainable strategies for water, land, air and urban management at the local and global level research particular problems in the sustainability of the economic and natural environment understand the concepts and methods of environmental economics, ecology, environmental biology, hydrology, environmental chemistry, engineering, earth systems management and other disciplines relevant to the sustainable use of environmental resources

career in research or academia