Energy & Environmental Analysis

Master of Arts in Energy & Environmental Analysis

The Center for Energy & Environmental Studies sponsors an MA degree in Energy & Environmental Analysis. Students and their advisors in the center work together in planning an individualized program of study. The program provides a professional training degree for the student with an undergraduate degree in the natural sciences, the social sciences, the humanities, or engineering. The degree requirements include a core curriculum, a sequence of concentration courses, and an interdisciplinary breadth requirement.

Course Requirements

At least 10 courses (40 degree credits) must be taken, including (1) at least four courses in core requirements; (2) four elective courses in a concentration area; and (3) two courses to fulfill the interdisciplinary breadth requirement.

Core Requirements

Four courses as follows:

Quantitative Methods A course in quantitative analysis is required. The specific selected course, with the approval of an advisor, depends on the background of the student. Recommended courses include CAS GE 505, CAS GE 516, CAS GE 550, GRS GE 712, CAS MA 684.

Physical or Ecological Environmental Principles The required course is CAS GE 510. Students with extensive backgrounds in physical environmental principles may select a more specialized course in biology, engineering, geography, or geology.

Energy, Society, and the Environment The required course is CAS GE 519.

Environmental Policy Analysis The recommended courses include GRS GE 625, GRS GE 660.

Concentration Courses

A concentration area and four courses making up the concentration are chosen with the consent of an adviser. One of these courses can be an environmental internship in an appropriate public, private, or nonprofit organization. Students who choose the internship option are required to complete an oral or written summary of their work experience. The registration for the internship is GRS GE 902. Concentration topics and associated courses ordinarily are selected from the following list. This list is not meant to be an exhaustive list of the concentrations in energy and environmental studies available at Boston University, but is provided to assist in the planning of the student’s program. Course descriptions and prerequisites may be found under appropriate departmental listings.

Interdisciplinary Breadth Requirement

The purpose of the breadth requirement is to expose students to the broad, interwoven nature of the environmental field. The breadth requirement consists of two courses, one from each of the following groups. Note: Any of these classes taken to fulfill a required core class cannot fulfill this breadth requirement.

Theory and Concepts

GRS ES 623 Marine Biogeochemistry
GRS BI 648 Biodiversity and Conservation Biology
CAS GE 594 Global Environmental Negotiation and Policy
CAS ES 511 Groundwater Hydrogeology
CAS GE 503 Micrometerology: Energy and Mass Transfer at the Earth’s Surface
CAS GE 529 Modeling and Monitoring Terrestrial Ecosystems Processes
LAW 844 Environmental Law

Modeling and Analysis

CAS GE 550 Modeling Social and Environmental Systems
CAS ES 577 Groundwater Modeling
CAS GE 502 Remote Sensing of the Environment
CAS GE 505 Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
CAS GE 517 Models for Hydrologic Analysis
GRS GE 712 Regional Energy Modeling

For further details on the MA program write to Christian Cole, ccole@bu.edu, Graduate Program Coordinator for the Center for Energy & Environmental Studies (CEES), and see the Graduate Student Bulletin.