Sustainability & Environmental Management

Program Directors

  • John D. Spengler, PhD
    Director; Akira Yamaguchi Professor of Environmental Health and Human Habitation, Harvard School of Public Health
  • George D. Buckley, MS
    Assistant Director

Information Session

Mark your calendars. Attend the next info session on December 10, 5:30–7:30 pm

More Information

Student Profile

  • Total students: 250 degree candidates
  • Age range: 23–71 (average: 37)
  • Full-time students: 97 percent part time (1 or 2 courses per term), 3 percent full time
  • Degree completion: 4 years average (5-year required deadline)
  • Retention: 86 percent
  • Global impact: students representing 28 US states and 14 countries
  • Sampling of occupations: architect, contractor, consultant, educator, engineer, researcher

Overview

The Graduate Program in Sustainability and Environmental Management is designed to educate future leaders on the 2 core environmental issues facing the global community: ecological management and sustainability.

Gain the skills to make a difference

Ecological management deals with stewardship of the natural and built environment. Your studies might focus on wetland protection, air and water pollution, or global climate change.

Sustainability means meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Sustainable initiatives include green construction and waste and energy management.

See the degree requirements or find out the admission criteria.

Take online and on-campus courses

Although the degree cannot be earned entirely online, there are a range of online and on-campus courses.

Consider your career possibilities

Our alumni have pursued careers in a variety of environmental arenas. The following are just a few examples.

Learn from a faculty of experts

Below are a few of our expert faculty members; see the environmental studies courses for more.

Earn a Harvard degree

The degree is the Master of Liberal Arts in Extension Studies with a concentration in sustainability and environmental management.

The diploma, in Latin, reads:

Universitas Harvardiana (Harvard University)
Magistri in Artibus Liberalibus Studiorum Prolatorum (Master of Liberal Arts in Extension Studies)

On your résumé, the degree may be listed Master of Liberal Arts, Sustainability and Environmental Management, Harvard University Extension School.

The Harvard Extension advantage

Being a student in a Harvard Extension School program has its perks. In addition to privileges afforded you by a Harvard student ID card, you have access to academic workshops, career counseling, early registration, and more. See Candidate Perks.