Climate Degree
Students from CEP Class of 2012
The master of science in climate science and policy focuses on providing the trained workforce critical for businesses, non-profits, and governments to confront the increasing challenges posed by climate change.
The international community has set a consensus goal of holding global warming to the low end of 2 degrees C above 1990 levels. Meeting this target will require dramatic transformations of energy, forest, agricultural, transportation and urban systems, transformations of unprecedented scale and speed. These initiatives will require a large workforce with comprehensive training in both climate science and policy. Yet, relative to this need, the number of students with an interest in climate solutions who are also receiving rigorous, in-depth graduate level education in climate science is very small.
The climate science and policy master's program focuses on climate science, and the interactions between climate change, ecosystems, and agriculture. This focus addresses the critical need for policymakers in the areas of offset markets, biofuels, ecosystem services, forest and soil carbon sequestration, agricultural and livestock life-cycle emissions, ecosystem and agricultural adaptation, disease prevention, and farm management.
Bard College has developed a collaborative partnership with the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies. The Cary Institute is one of the world’s premier research institutions focused on applying ecosystem analysis to policy challenges. Cary’s scientists, combined with the strengths of the faculty at Bard, provide students in our degree program with access to world-class scientific research opportunities, classroom education, and field experiences related to agricultural and ecosystem impacts of climate change. At the same time, building off our existing policy expertise, and on our signature close collaboration between natural and social scientists in curriculum design, students also gain the sophisticated graduate level training in policy solutions demanded by employers.
The climate science and policy master's program focuses on climate science, and the interactions between climate change, ecosystems, and agriculture. This focus addresses the critical need for policymakers in the areas of offset markets, biofuels, ecosystem services, forest and soil carbon sequestration, agricultural and livestock life-cycle emissions, ecosystem and agricultural adaptation, disease prevention, and farm management.
Bard College has developed a collaborative partnership with the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies. The Cary Institute is one of the world’s premier research institutions focused on applying ecosystem analysis to policy challenges. Cary’s scientists, combined with the strengths of the faculty at Bard, provide students in our degree program with access to world-class scientific research opportunities, classroom education, and field experiences related to agricultural and ecosystem impacts of climate change. At the same time, building off our existing policy expertise, and on our signature close collaboration between natural and social scientists in curriculum design, students also gain the sophisticated graduate level training in policy solutions demanded by employers.
Download: Climate Brochure (PDF)
Courses
First Semester
| Climate Science |
| Natural Resource Economics |
| Science of Climate, Agriculture and Ecosystems |
| Statistics and Econometrics |
Second Semester
| Climate Law and Policy |
| Environmental Economics |
| Science of Solutions |
| Geographic Information Systems |
Third Semester
| Internship (4 months) |
| Master's Thesis Proposal |
Forth Semester
| Master's Thesis Seminar |
| Capstone Seminar |
| Communications Seminar |
| Geographic Information Systems |
Climate Science and Policy Advisory Board
David Archer, Professor of Geophysical Sciences, University of Chicago
Jay Bell, Professor and Associate Dean, College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, University of Minnesota
Dallas Burtraw, Senior Research Fellow, Resources for the Future
David Blockstein, Senior Scientist, National Council for Science and the Environment
Mark Cane, Professor of Earth and Climate Sciences, Columbia University
Laurie Drinkwater, Associate Professor, Department of Horticulture, Cornell University
William Easterling, Dean, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences and Professor of Geography and Earth System Science, Pennsylvania State University
Andrew Friedland, Professor and Chair of Environmental Studies, Dartmouth College
Elyssa Hammond, Vice President for Sustainability, Clif Bar Corporation
Josh Henretig, Senior Sustainability Manager, Microsoft Corporation
Todd Royer, Professor of Public & Environmental Affairs, University of Indiana
Auden Schendler, Executive Director of Sustainability, Aspen Ski Company
Eleanor Sterling, Director, Center for Conservation and Biodiversity, American Museum of Natural History
Mark Watson, Program Manager of Environmental Research, NYSERDA
Jay Bell, Professor and Associate Dean, College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, University of Minnesota
Dallas Burtraw, Senior Research Fellow, Resources for the Future
David Blockstein, Senior Scientist, National Council for Science and the Environment
Mark Cane, Professor of Earth and Climate Sciences, Columbia University
Laurie Drinkwater, Associate Professor, Department of Horticulture, Cornell University
William Easterling, Dean, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences and Professor of Geography and Earth System Science, Pennsylvania State University
Andrew Friedland, Professor and Chair of Environmental Studies, Dartmouth College
Elyssa Hammond, Vice President for Sustainability, Clif Bar Corporation
Josh Henretig, Senior Sustainability Manager, Microsoft Corporation
Todd Royer, Professor of Public & Environmental Affairs, University of Indiana
Auden Schendler, Executive Director of Sustainability, Aspen Ski Company
Eleanor Sterling, Director, Center for Conservation and Biodiversity, American Museum of Natural History
Mark Watson, Program Manager of Environmental Research, NYSERDA
