Columbia University’s Earth Institute and the School of International and Public Affairs are proud to announce the launch of the Environmental Policy and Sustainability Management Concentration, a third Concentration for the Executive Masters of Public Administration (EMPA) program. This Concentration emphasizes integrated thinking and learning so that graduates will see beyond linear and fragmented approaches to coping with issues of environmental sustainability. Since environmental sustainability has become the core of government and business concerns, the goal of this Concentration is to cultivate and train professionals that can manage earth systems in ways that will ensure the long-term viability of life on our planet.
“While full time students at the School of International and Public Affairs have been able to focus their studies in environmental policy and sustainability management since 1987, students in the Executive MPA program have not been provided with this opportunity,” says Concentration Director Steve Cohen. Beginning in the fall of 2012, SIPA in partnership with the Earth Institute will provide Executive MPAs with a new choice of Concentration: An Executive MPA in Environmental Policy and Sustainability Management.
Students in the Environmental Policy and Sustainability Management Concentration will be required to take core courses in in Sustainability Management, Quantitative Techniques for Policymaking and Administration I & II, Microeconomics and Policy Analysis I & II, Financial Management in Government, the Portfolio Presentation Workshop. In addition to the aforementioned core Executive MPA courses, students in the Environmental Policy and Sustainability Management Concentration will have the opportunity to take courses in Sustainability Economics; Environmental Politics, Policy, and Management; Financing the Green Economy, Green Accounting; The Science of Environmental Sustainability; Sustainable Cities and Built Environments; and Sustainability Metrics and Analytics. Students are also required to take an elective environment or energy course.
The process of creating this exciting new concentration was led by Steve Cohen, the Executive Director of Columbia University’s Earth Institute and a Professor in the Practice of Public Affairs at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, and William Eimicke, the Executive Director of the Picker Center of Executive Education and a Professor of Professional Practice in International and Public Affairs. Both have designed education programs in the past for the university and were integral in designing this new concentration.
The Executive Masters in Public Administration program was launched in 1999 by Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and is designed for experienced professionals who want to earn a master’s degree in two to three years while continuing to work full time. The rigorous nature of the EMPA program applies a hands-on approach to solving policy and management problems through a core curriculum and concentration electives. Core courses such as Public Management, Quantitative Analysis, Microeconomics and Policy Analysis, Financial Management, Accounting, and the Portfolio Presentation Workshop provide the essential tools of management and policy analysis and are required for students in all three concentrations. The elective courses depend upon which concentration you choose out of the three.
The Environmental Policy and Sustainability Management Concentration joins the program’s two existing concentrations in Advanced Management and Finance (AMF) and International Economic Policy and Management (IEPM). The AMF Concentration focuses closely on the governmental, political, and economic framework of public policy and management innovation. Similarly, the IEPM Concentration develops students’ proficiency in international economic policy and governance issues as well as management techniques for international policymaking.
The deadline by which to apply for fall 2012 admission is July 1. Admission decisions are made on a rolling basis, and applicants are encouraged to submit their applications as early as possible. Decisions will be communicated by early August.
For more information about the new Environmental Policy and Sustainability Management Concentration, please contact Alyssa Dubov, Program Coordinator. For general inquiries about the Executive MPA program, please visit the website or contact Bismark Diaz, Program Assistant.
