The Graduate Certificate in Environmental Studies offered by the High Meadows Environmental Institute provides graduate students with an opportunity to complement their disciplinary studies with coordinated interdisciplinary training in the broad field of environmental studies. Requirements for the certificate include formal course work, as well as research focused on an environmental topic.

Students wishing to pursue a graduate certificate in environmental studies are encouraged to consult with the program director to discuss their interests. Because courses must be taken in multiple disciplines, planning individual programs should take place as early as possible.

Upon completion of the requirements, the program director awards a letter of certification in Environmental Studies.

It should be noted that HMEI does not offer graduate degrees. For this reason, students must first gain formal admission to a degree-granting program or department.

 

Certificate Requirements

Courses

Individual programs of study that lead to the Certificate in Environmental Studies should be determined in consultation with the student’s home department adviser(s) and the Director of the Graduate Program in Environmental Studies. The final program must be approved by the Program Director.

Each certificate student must complete four courses related to the environment. Those four courses must be from at least three of the four divisions of the University (the four divisions are defined as: Humanities, Social Sciences (including policy), Natural Sciences, and Engineering).

Specific course selection should be discussed with the HMEI Director of Graduate Studies. Example courses from across the four divisions of the university include the following:

  • AOS 578 / GEO 578: Chemical Oceanography
  • AOS 572: Atmospheric and Oceanic Wave Dynamics
  • AOS 573: Physical Oceanography
  • AOS 578 / GEO 578: Chemical Oceanography
  • ARC 514: The Environmental Engineering of Buildings
  • ARC 519: Climate Change, Adaptation and Urban Design
  • ARC 527 / ENV 527 : Provisioning: Food, Architecture and Urbanization in the Global 20th Century
  • CEE 516: Coastal Flood Hazards and Mitigation
  • CEE 571 / ENV 571 : Environmental Chemistry
  • CEE 586 / ENV 586: Physical Hydrology
  • CEE 587 / ENV 587: Ecohydrology
  • CEE 598 / ENV 598: Special Topics in Sustainable, Resilient Cities and Infrastructure Systems
  • CEE 599A / ENV 599A: Special Topics in Environmental Engineering and Water Resources: Understanding hydrology and environmental engineering through teaching
  • CHM 544 / ENV 544: Metals in Biology: From Stardust to DNA
  • EEB 528: Topics in Conservation (Half-term): Sustainable Development
  • ENG 574: Global Perspectives on Environmental Justice through Literature and Film
  • ENG 575: Conflict Shorelines II: Conflict, Settlement, & Environmental Violence
  • ENV 596: Topics in Environmental Studies : Climate Science and Digital Culture: An Environmental Media Practicum
  • GEO 561 / ENV 561: Earth’s Atmosphere
  • GER 530 / COM 532 / ENV 530: Topics in Aesthetics and Poetics: Aesthetics & Ecology
  • GSS 504 / ENG 507 Race, Gender and the Anthropocene
  • HIS 507: Environmental History
  • MSE 512: Transformations in Materials: Theory and Simulation
  • POL 562: Theorizing Climate Change (Half-Term)
  • POL 586 / ENV 566 Climate Change and Conflict
  • SOC 581: Urban Sociology: Changing Cities in the Global Age (Half-Term)
  • SPI 581C: Topics in Economics – Energy Economics
  • SPI 586D: Global Environmental Governance
  • SPI 594S: Climate Change: Science and Policy

A more complete list of acceptable courses is maintained by the Program Director and the Program Administrator. Interested students should consult with the Program Director to discuss course selection and individual programs.

 

Additional Requirement(s)

Students enrolled in the Environmental Studies Certificate Program are expected to participate in a graduate colloquium focused on issues related to the environment.

 

Dissertation and FPO

Each student must complete independent research related to an environmental issue. This work most typically is incorporated as part of the student’s dissertation, although a stand-alone report or paper is also acceptable.