Study the environment in your backyard
Lindi von Mutius and Dimitri Los listen to discussion in ENVR E-110 Ocean Environments.
One of the most attractive features of the Certificate in Environmental Management Program, the precursor to the new master's, is that students can complete the requirements entirely online. Because many of the courses for the certificate also count toward the Master of Liberal Arts in Environmental Management, it's possible to meet most of these requirements via distance education as well. In fact, a student enrolled in the graduate program might only have to be on campus for the proseminar, the required course ENVR E-120 Environmental Ethics and Land Management (not available online), and the thesis-advising sessions for the final master's project.
The option to take most of the coursework via distance education has proven invaluable not only to students far from Cambridge but also to locals who have family responsibilities or jobs requiring frequent travel. In this way, the program is accessible to a much larger audience--locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally.
This is a benefit to the program as well as to the participants because, as George Buckley, research advisor, says, "students contribute weekly feedback and produce course papers about unique habitats and exotic environmental issues." A case in point is the work of a student in Puerto Rico whose project on water quality management provided the class with a fresh perspective on the issue.
The faculty consists primarily of Harvard affiliates who bring a broad set of scholarly skills and experiences to their teaching. The large enrollments and high course evaluations attest to the student recognition of the exceptional quality of instruction in the program.
Master's candidates can concentrate their studies in two tracks of environmental management: sustainability or ecology management. As more campus and online courses are added, the program will continue its vigorous growth. This is particularly appealing to the program's director, John D. Spengler, Akira Yamaguchi Professor of Environmental Health and Human Habitation at the Harvard School of Public Health. "I believe the ALM in Environmental Management will invigorate the careers of professionals dedicated to improving our only environment as well as attract newcomers to the field."
Watch a video of an information session online.