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Graduate Programs
U-M’s 19 schools and colleges and $1 billion research program provide the foundation for interdisciplinary study of the complex area of sustainability. The university offers a wide range of related masters and doctoral programs, dual-degree opportunities, and more—with superb research facilities for graduate students. Examples include the Engineering Sustainable Systems dual-degree program in Engineering and Environmental Science, as well as the School of Public Health's new Certificate in Risk Science and Human Health. Click on the links below for information about graduate-level opportunities in some of the country’s strongest academic programs.
Engineering
Chemical Engineering. Finding long-term solutions to the problems caused by increased energy use.
Concentrations in Environmental Sustainability. Combines rigorous disciplinary study and knowledge of environmental regulations.
Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Science. Climate change, space weather, and a system view of Earth and space.
Energy Systems Engineering. Engineers with knowledge in both energy technologies and energy systems are critically needed to develop, implement, and run the infrastructures of the future while realizing significant reductions in carbon emissions by reconsidering both stationary and mobile power sources. This is a 30-credit master's degree program.
Engineering Sustainable Systems. This 54 credit-hour dual degree program provides an MSE in Engineering (Mechanical, Civil and Environmental, or Chemical) and an MS from the School of Natural Resources and Environment. Specializations include Sustainable Energy Systems, Sustainable Design and Manufacturing, and Sustainable Water Systems.
Environmental and Water Resources Engineering. The multidisciplinary integration of concepts such as chemistry, pollution microbiology, resource development, and more.
Erb Institute
Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise. This graduate-level masters program focuses on Global Sustainable Enterprise, which involves a challenging blend of coursework, projects and research related to business, the environment and sustainability. Students enrolled in the three-year program earn two degrees: a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Stephen M. Ross School of Business (Ross), and a Master of Science (MS) from the School of Natural Resources & Environment (SNRE).
Graham Environmental Sustainability Institute
Graham Doctoral Fellowship Program. Each year since 2006, the Graham Institute has selected six doctoral students into this "Community of Scholars," with each Ph.D. student receiving $25,000 per year for two years to support their research related to sustainability. The Graham Institute is now administering the new Dow Sustainability Fellows Program on behalf of the university.
Law School
Environmental Law. Builds on dual degree opportunities with the School of Natural Resources and Environment, Ford School of Public Policy, the Ross School of Business, and the School of Public Health.
Law Dual Degrees and Interdisciplinary Opportunities. Enables law students to pursue dual degrees with many schools and colleges.
Literature, Science, and the Arts
Biosphere Atmosphere Research and Training. A multidisciplinary program in climate change, atmospheric composition and rising CO2 levels.
Chemistry. Research themes in sustainable chemistry, bioorganic, bioinorganic, bioanalytic, energy science, and more.
Geological Sciences. Research themes in environmental geochemistry, geohydrology, oceanography, climate change, and more.
Public Health
Certificate in Risk Science & Human Health. Equips students with a basic understanding of how to begin addressing increasingly complex human health risks in a rapidly changing technological, social, economic, and political landscape.
Environmental Health Sciences. The impact of environmental conditions on human health.
Environmental Quality and Health. The basic driving forces behind environmental health problems and human activities that impact the environment.
Hazardous Substances Academic Training. Competency in dealing with hazardous substances in the environment and the workplace.
Occupational & Environmental Epidemiology. The effects of environmental and occupational exposures on human health.
Risk Science. Natural science-based skills for modeling risk and risk decision making.
School of Public Health. A list of degrees, many in areas related to sustainability.
Public Policy
Natural Resources and Environment and Public Policy. Analytical skills, scientific foundation, and socio-behavioral understanding for policy work.
School of Natural Resources and Environment
Aquatic Sciences: Research and Management. Basic and applied sciences relevant to the world’s water crisis and the management of aquatic ecosystems.
Behavior, Education and Communication. How individuals and organizations think, their motivation and communication.
Conservation Biology. Resource conservation and ecosystem management, species extinction, and biodiversity loss.
Environmental Informatics: GIS and Modeling. Computational and analytical techniques, including GIS. The science and societal issues behind problems.
Environmental Justice. The processes through which inequalities arise from social, political, and environmental actions and policies.
Environmental Policy and Planning. Effective policies and plans that consider underlying human and institutional behaviors.
Landscape Architecture. Design excellence and scientific sophistication in the ecological design of landscapes – from residential to regional watersheds.
Sustainable Systems. Systems thinking and systems dynamics modeling applied to global environmental and social change.
Terrestrial Ecosystems. Applied plant ecology, ecosystem ecology, spatial analysis, and management of forest and agro-forestry systems.