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VIEW
COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
Curriculum
Students enrolled in the Environmental
MPA Program are awarded a Master of Public Administration degree
from Columbia University’s world-renowned School of International
and Public Affairs after a single year of intensive study.
The curriculum, outlined below, provides
a management and policy analytic core and a natural and social science
earth systems concentration. Students complete a total of 54 points
over three semesters.
The intensive
course of study begins in early June with an orientation program.
The summer term begins immediately afterward, followed by the autumn
and spring terms.
The summer
term features the fundamental science of earth systems and conservation
biology, as well as an introduction to environmental policy and
management issues.
In the autumn
and spring, students delve deeper into the formulation and management
of public policy. The physical and social sciences are linked throughout
the program so that students gain an integrated understanding of
earth systems.
* Recommended but not required
Program
Schedule
Classes are offered five days a week and are augmented by informal
group work in all core courses. The program begins in late May/
early June and ends the following year in mid-May. Please see the
schedule for exact dates. There is at least a weeklong break between
the summer and autumn semesters and a longer break between the
autumn and spring semesters. There is also a weeklong spring break
in March. Click
here to see Columbia University's full academic
calendar.
Schedule
for the 2008-2009 Academic Year
Summer Term:
May 27-August 15, 2008
Fall Term:
September 2-December 19, 2008 (end of final examinations)
Spring Term:
January 20-May 15, 2009 (end of final examinations)
Spring Break:
March 16-March 20, 2009
Commencement Day:
May 20, 2009
Schedule for the 2007-2008 Academic
Year
Summer Term:
May 29-August 17, 2007
Fall Term:
September 4-December 21, 2007 (end of
final examinations)
Spring Term:
January 22-May 16, 2008 (end of
final examinations)
Spring Break:
March 17-March 21, 2008
Commencement Day:
May 21, 2008
The Core Curriculum
The classes that comprise the core curriculum prepare students to
analyze and understand the formulation and management of public
policy. Students learn about organizational analysis, budgeting,
financial analysis and reporting, probability theory, applied regression
analysis, and applied microeconomics. Throughout, the program emphasizes
a hands-on approach so that students may acquire the analytic, communication,
and work skills required to be problem-solving earth systems professionals.
These skills include memo writing, presentations, team management,
and financial analysis.
The core also includes Workshops in
Applied Earth Systems Policy Analysis and Management,
which challenge students to apply their theoretical knowledge and
functional skills to address real-world environmental policy and
management issues. This unique aspect of the program helps the participants
synthesize what they are learning and gives them valuable experience
as they prepare for careers in public policy.
VIEW
COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
The Environmental Science and
Earth Systems Concentration
In the Environmental Science and Earth Systems concentration, students
learn the fundamental science of earth systems and conservation
biology, including their human dimensions. Moreover, they examine
how science is used, not used, or misused in the human management
of ecosystems. The lessons from the research conducted at Columbia
and regional case studies provide the subject matter that students
use to explore how people can better approach environmental problems.
Students with an undergraduate background in natural and physical
sciences come to better understand the social implications and consequences
of environmental science research, while students with an undergraduate
background in the social sciences and humanities develop a better
understanding of the processes involved in collecting and analyzing
natural science data.
Classes in the concentration focus on developing a multifaceted
understanding of the human role in environmental change.
Students, therefore, learn how to distinguish human-induced change
of the environment from natural variability, as well as how to evaluate
efforts to manage human effects on the biosphere.
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