Environmental Policy MSEP
Major: Environmental Policy
Degree Awarded: Master of Science in Environmental Policy (MSEP)
Calendar Type: Quarter
Minimum Required Credits: 45.0
Co-op Option: None
Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code: 44.0599
Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code: 19-1031
About the Program
The Master of Science in Environmental Policy (MSEP) spans the disciplines of law, political science, economics, engineering, business, public health, and others. Students in this program take core courses in Public Policy, Environmental Policy, and Economics and tracked courses in Environmental Science or Environmental and Occupational Health. With their electives, students can conduct real-world research writing through a case study thesis, complete a graduate minor tailored to their interests, or complete their degree with research experience. MS in Environmental Policy candidates receive personalized advising, which helps students find the classes and opportunities that will best serve their professional goals.
In addition to the core courses, the program has a focus on case study research as a unifying element of the curriculum. Students are required to choose a specific case study topic that they will work on typically for three terms during the program. By the end of the program, students will have produced a polished, in-depth analysis of a specific case that they can use to demonstrate expertise in a given policy area.
Additional Information
For more information about this program, visit the MS in Environmental Policy page.
Admission Requirements
Applications are accepted year-round and applicants can expect a decision within one month. Entering students may begin study fall, winter, or spring quarter. Full-time students can complete the program in two years. Part-time students can complete the degree at their own pace.
Additional Information
For more information on how to apply, visit Drexel's Admissions page for Environmental Policy.
Degree Requirements
Students take 27.0 credits of core classes made up of four Public Policy courses, three Environmental Core courses, and two Economics Core courses. They also take either an Environmental Science, Occupational Health, or Environmental Engineering Track (two 3.0 credit classes). Students may use the remaining 12.0 credits to complete approved electives or research experience. Students wishing to delve deeper into a subject can choose to complete a 9.0 credit case study as part of their 45.0 required credits which they should begin in the first or second quarter.
Program Requirements
| Public Policy Core Courses * | 12.0 | |
| Theory and Practice of Policy Analysis | ||
| Methods of Policy Analysis | ||
| Institutional Dynamics of the Policy Process | ||
| Nonprofit Organizations | ||
| Environmental Core Courses | 9.0 | |
| Environmental Law | ||
| Environmental Policy | ||
| Biostatistics | ||
| Environmental Science or Environmental and Occupational Health Track | 6.0 | |
| Environmental Science Track- 2 of the following courses: | ||
| Chemistry of the Environment | ||
| Conservation Biology | ||
| Biodiversity | ||
| Environmental and Occupational Health Track- EOH 510 and one of the following 600-level EOH courses: | ||
| Principles and Practice of Environmental and Occupational Health | ||
| Evidence Evaluation for Identification of Environmental Hazards | ||
| Environmental and Occupational Toxicology | ||
| Environmental and Occupational Health Policy | ||
| Quantitative Risk Analysis for Environmental Health | ||
| Economics Core | 6.0 | |
| Managerial Economics | ||
| Public Finance and Cost Benefit Analysis | ||
| Research Experience and/or Approved Courses in Environmental Policy | ||
| Approved Electives: The remaining 12.0 credits may be any graduate ENVP or PLCY courses, including the 9.0 credit Case Study Sequence (optional). In some cases, course substitutions may be made with courses from other departments. Elective courses taken outside the department must receive prior departmental approval in order to be counted toward the degree. | 12.0 | |
| Total Credits | 45.0 | |
- *
Within the first quarter of study, a student must meet with an assigned advisor and work out a plan of study.
Sample Plan of Study
| First Year | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
| ENVP 572 | 3.0 | ECON 601 | 3.0 | ECON 616 | 3.0 | VACATION | |
| PLCY 504 | 3.0 | PLCY 507 | 3.0 | ENVS 506 | 3.0 | ||
| Track elective | 3.0 | Approved elective | 3.0 | PLCY 503 | 3.0 | ||
| 9 | 9 | 9 | 0 | ||||
| Second Year | |||||||
| Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | ||||
| ENVP 522 | 3.0 | Approved electives | 9.0 | ||||
| PLCY 506 | 3.0 | ||||||
| Track elective | 3.0 | ||||||
| 9 | 9 | ||||||
| Total Credits 45 | |||||||
Program Level Outcomes
- Analyze the sources of environmental controversy with respect to the competing interests and values involved; explain controversial issues from multiple, competing points of view
- Identify and understand the laws, policies, and regulatory approaches applicable to a given environmental issue
- Explain fundamental scientific and social scientific ideas underlying environmental problems and their proposed solutions, as well as the uncertainties, limitations, and values inherent in those ideas
- Anticipate the social justice implications of environmental interventions and propose strategies for making outcomes more equitable
- Synthesize and present available information relevant to an environmental issue in a comprehensible and comprehensive form, such that a non-expert could quickly grasp the nuances of the issue
- Work effectively in multidisciplinary, cross-sector teams to envision policy approaches to addressing environmental problems as they exist in the real world