Bard 3 + 2 Program

Bard College undergraduates may proceed directly from three years of undergraduate study at Bard to one of the two-year master’s degree programs outlined below. Interested Bard students should apply in their junior year. Completion of Bard distribution requirements, successful moderation into a program of study, and approval from their undergraduate advisor is required to qualify. Interested students should inquire as soon as possible to ensure they meet all requirements.

Accepted students spend two years at Bard completing the master’s degree. The master’s thesis serves as the student’s senior project with an undergraduate advisor serving as the second reader. Graduates of the program receive a B.A. and an M.S. from Bard in five years.

The Bard Center for Environmental Policy invites highly qualified sophomores from institutions across the nation to apply for admission to the 3+2 Program. Students spend their junior year at Bard taking interdisciplinary master’s coursework from one of the degree programs outlined below. Students then return to their home institution, and complete their B.A. or B.S. degree. In the fifth year, students embark on the extended professional internship and return in the spring to finish their masters at Bard. Applicants must consult with their home institution to determine transfer credits for Bard graduate classes, both for counting towards graduation and towards a major or minor.

M.S. in Environmental Policy (EP)
First-year courses link natural ecosystems and their functioning to the impact of socioeconomic activities, and to the political, institutional, and legislative processes that address environmental problems. Emphasizing analytical frameworks and basic principles through examples and case studies, the courses follow a modular structure, allowing for in-depth interdisciplinary study on nine major themes: Air and Atmosphere; Water and Fisheries; Land, Forests, and Soil; Biological Diversity; Energy; Agriculture; Urban Systems; Industrial Ecology; and Risk, Toxicology, and Human Health.

M.S. in Climate Science and Policy (CSP)
First-year courses focus on the interplay between climate science and solutions. The program trains future policy leaders to guide critical greenhouse gas mitigation and adaptation efforts, working in business, government, and in NGOs. Students develop specific expertise in the development and deployment to scale of clean-energy technologies, and in the interaction of ecosystems, agriculture, and climate. Joint class sessions, field trips, guest lectures, and conferences expose students to the critical issues and practices of climate-change science and current policy issues. Policy experts and natural and social scientists have designed the curriculum for students to gain the sophisticated graduate level training in policy solutions demanded by employers today.

Education, Leadership, Change

After completing the first-year coursework, students embark on an extended professional internship in the United States or abroad. The internship provides hands-on experience working with professionals in the field and facilitates entry into the job market. Internship arrangements with public, private, and nonprofit institutions offer a wide range of choices, providing real benefits to the student and the collaborating organization.

After the internship, students return for a final semester at Bard taking courses in leadership and communications, and completing the master’s thesis. In this way, students develop broad knowledge of environmental policy; a suite of analytical, communication, and problem solving skills; professional experience in their chosen field; and finally, they become experts on topics that they have selected. 

Flexible Research Project

The master’s thesis is the student’s chance to specialize and to create an original body of work, often linked to some aspect of the internship, with practical applications to environmental policy. Bard CEP theses reflect the multifaceted nature of environmental issues while integrating aspects of the natural and social sciences, and humanities in the policy-making process. The student is expected to pursue a topic intensively, drawing on and integrating knowledge from course work and internship, and demonstrate skill in developing and conveying recommended policies and action on a particular issue or problem.

Learning from the Best Faculty

The Bard CEP faculty consists of a distinguished core of full-time and affiliated members who are eminent experts and researchers in diverse fields relating to environmental and climate policy and current practices. The high ratio of faculty to students allows for close rapport and individualized guidance.

Join an Exceptional Student Cohort

Our students come from a variety of academic disciplines, and they bring to Bard a passion about their future role as environmental leaders. Although each class is diverse in both background and interests, all students share a common purpose—to understand the complexity of environmental problems, and work towards finding viable and sustainable solutions to tomorrow's environmental challenges.