Programs
Environmental Policy and Natural Resource Management
(15 credit hours) The Environmental Policy and Natural Resources Management concentration draws on economics, statistics, and other quantitative fields to help students develop analytical skills to interpret and use data for the formation and evaluation of policy for environmental protection and natural resources management. The concentration draws on the study of law, politics, public policy, and management to build an understanding of the institutions through which society manages the formation and implementation of its policies. Students acquire a set of skills and insights that they will use in careers in government and consulting, in the regulatory and government relations offices of corporations, and in the advocacy and analysis operations of not-for-profit organizations. Students can focus their studies on either domestic or international environmental and natural resource issues. Students may not use MPA core courses to fulfill concentration requirements.
Environmental Law and Economics (6 credit hours)The following courses are required:
| SPEA-R 625 | Environmental Economics and Policy | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-R 645 | Environmental Law | (3 cr.) |
Group I - Environmental Policy Courses (3 credit hours)
In consultation with a concentration advisor, choose one of the following courses:
| SPEA-R 521 | Domestic Environmental Policy | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-R 535 | International Environmental Policy | (3 cr.) |
Group II - Analysis and Skills Courses (3 credit hours)
In consultation with a concentration advisor, choose one from the following list of courses:
| SPEA-E 518 | Vector-Based Geographic Information Systems | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-E 529 | Application of Geographic Information Systems | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-E 560 | Environmental Risk Analysis | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-I 515 | Data Science for Public and Environmental Affairs | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-M 547 | Negotiation and Dispute Resolution for Public Affairs | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-P 507 | Data Analysis and Modeling for Public Affairs | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-P 541 | Benefit Cost Analysis | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-P 562 | Public Program Evaluation | (3 cr.) |
Group III - Context Courses (3 credit hours)
In consultation with a concentration advisor, choose one from the following list of courses:
| SPEA-E 543 | Environmental Management (cannot count as context course for MPA-MSES dual degree) | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-R 517 | Environmental Justice | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-R 532 | Water Policy and Economics | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-R 564 | Environmental and Natural Resource Policy Implementation | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-R 590 | Energy Policy from a Nation-State Perspective | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-R 626 | Energy Policy Seminar | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-R 643 | Natural Resources Management and Policy | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-R 674 | Energy Economics and Policy | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-S 596 | Sustainable Development | (3 cr.) |
Note: MPA students with a concentration in Environmental Policy and Natural Resource Management who want to take SPEA-E 543 must take both V535 and E543. Students can count E543 as a concentration elective.