The Bard Center for Environmental Policy was created in 1999 to promote education, research, and public service on critical issues pertaining to the natural and built environments. At the heart of the Center's activities, the Master's degree program combines an intensive academic curriculum with practical training to prepare students for environmental careers in non-profit organizations, government, and the private sector. The Center's premise is that to be effective in addressing environmental problems and pursuing sustainable patterns of natural resource use, stakeholders must be able to understand one another's perspectives and values.
The Graduate Program offers a unique modular organization that integrates the science, law, economics, politics, and ethics that influence environmental policy making. A full-time, semester-long internship provides valuable career experience, which together with close faculty mentoring, facilitates entry into the job market. Graduates of the program are ready to bring this knowledge, underpinned by a sense of social responsibility and commitment, to their future work at the local, regional, national and international level.
Applicants accepted into the program have several options:
- Master of Science in Environmental Policy
- M.S. and M.A. in Teaching
- M.S. and M.A. in Landscape Design and Garden History
- M.S. and J.D. with Pace Law School
- Master's International Program with Peace Corps
- A professional certificate
- Nondegree study
The first academic year begins with two weeks of "Walk in their Shoes" Workshops and continues with four blocks of courses (Scientific Foundations of Environmental Policy, Economic Foundations and Applications, Political and Legal Foundations, and Tools for Analysis: GIS and Research Methods) taken by all students. The courses concurrently address the same environmental theme in each module, with 10 modules running consecutively throughout the two semesters
- General Concepts
- Air and Atmosphere
- Water and Fisheries
- Land, Forests and Soil
- Biological Diversity
- Agriculture and Rural / Urban Interface
- Energy and Transportation
- Urban Ecology
- Industrial Ecology
- Risks to Human Health, Emergencies and Disasters
In the second year, students concentrate on their particular areas of interest through an internship and a Master's Project. The last semester of the program comprises seminars on the Master's Project (the final requirement for graduation), Leadership Training and Financial Management, and Communication Strategies.
Graduates are prepared for a wide variety of professional careers-as policy analysts, project managers, and environmental specialists for government, research committees, public interest groups, conservation councils, law firms, industry, media, and green marketing. Others may accept positions as program officers in foundations and corporate philanthropy; environmental educators or researchers in schools, libraries, museums, and law firms; public advocates; or consultants.
A sampling of organizations where our graduates have accepted internships and employment:
Advanced Center of Tourism and Hospitality Research, Brazil
American Museum of Natural History - Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, New York
City of Austin Water Resources Department, Texas
Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies
Conservation Law Foundation
Earth Pledge, New York
EcoExpo, California and China
Economic Development Office, City Hall, City of Kingston, NY
Environ International Corp, California
Fiorello LaGuardia Foundation, New York City
Green Order, Inc., New York City
Green Seal, Washington D.C.
Hudson River Foundation, New York City
Malawi Sustainable Agriculture Project, Africa
Maryland Center for Agro-Ecology
Missouri Botanical Garden Ecology Center
National Council for Science and the Environment, Washington D.C.
National Wildlife Federation
Natural Resources Defense Council
Newark Academy Sustainability Coordinator, New Jersey
New York City Department of Environmental Protection
New York City Parks Natural Resources Group
New York State Department of Health, Center for Environmental Health
New York State Energy Research and Development Authority
Ohio Environmental Protection Agency
Pace Energy Project, New York
Proyecto Campanario, Costa Rica
Rockefeller and Company, New York City
Scenic Hudson, Inc., Poughkeepsie, NY
Town Planning Department, New Paltz, NY
United Nations Dept. Economic and Social Affairs
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region II
Winnakee Land Trust, New York
Winrock International, Washington D.C.
Deadline for 2005 applications is February 1, 2005. Applications received after this deadline will be considered if space is available in the class.
For more information including: degrees available, starting dates, financial aid, and career services:
Inquire Now by submitting the short form below.
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