• Note: For certain locations, program enrollment is onsite with online instruction.

  • This program is offered online.

  • Master of Science in Environmental Policy

    Sustainability impacts all industries and acquiring advanced green-related knowledge and skills could make you an asset to employers in a variety of fields.* The Master of Science in Environmental Policy’s curriculum focuses on the legal, social, business, economic, and political aspects of the “green” industry that could prepare you to take on today’s most complex environmental challenges.

    Learn from professors with expertise in the environmental and sustainability fields and explore environmental issues from a variety of angles through live seminars, engaging one-on-one feedback, and discussion boards.

    If you already have bachelor's degree from a regionally or nationally accredited college and want to earn an advanced degree to further your career, Kaplan University's online Master of Science in Environment Policy could help you pursue your goal.

    Master of Science in Environmental Policy Program Highlights

    Our web-based interdisciplinary curriculum blends legal studies, social science, public policy, and business content—all with a strong focus on policy and law. Courses are taught by experienced industry professionals and are accessible virtually anywhere you have access to the Internet. This program is designed to teach you:

    • Global Environmentalism: Assess the impact of environmentalism on society
    • Environmental Management and Sustainability: Develop and evaluate global and local environmental strategies and policies
    • Environmental Policy and Law: Evaluate the direct and indirect costs of environmental regulation, problems, corrective actions, and cost of nonaction
    • Environmental Leadership and Global Citizenship: Develop management strategies that incorporate environmental compliance standards and achieve organizational missions with consideration of global citizenship and social responsibility
    • Environmental Interconnectedness: Analyze complex and multidimensional environmental changes to propose solutions 

    Green Skills Could Lead to Greener Career Paths

    The environmental field is growing fast—and with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act dedicating $80 billion to clean energy investments, this growth is expected to continue.†  

    The emerging green economy has simultaneously created a cluster of new occupations, while changing the requirements of existing positions.‡ Whether you have years of experience in sustainability or are seeking a new career in the green industry, the Master of Science in Environmental Policy program offers the in-demand knowledge and skills to enhance a variety of professional and academic backgrounds.

    Prepare to pursue a mid- or upper-level position in environmental, government, or independent organizations with positions such as: environmental efficiency specialist, sustainable purchasing manager, environmental specialist, and renewable energy grant writer.

    You may also build a solid foundation to pursue more advanced academic degrees.§ 

  • Kaplan University offers multiple start dates, giving you greater flexibility with your education, life, and work schedules.

    Jul 31

    Online Start Date
    Jul 31, 2013

    Oct 16

    Online Start Date
    Oct 16, 2013

    View the Academic Calendar

  • Curriculum: Applied Research Track

    Core

    EM 500: ENVIRONMENTAL FOUNDATIONS AND PRINCIPLES (5 Credits)

    This course will explore the history of environmentalism and the issues, ethics, and economics surrounding the foundation of current environmental policy and management. Students will assess how environmental and resource issues have influenced economic development and societal growth, and the interdisciplinary connectedness of science, policy, and advocacy in environmental decision making and management. Both local and global ecosystems will be addressed.

    Total Core Credits: 40
    Total Program Credits: 55

    EM 520: ENVIRONMENTAL LAW AND POLICY (5 Credits)

    This course examines United States environmental law and policy and its development, implementation, and enforcement. The perspective and impact of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches will be explored as well as their impact on environmental law and policy. Students will discuss the purpose, context, and implications of the most important laws, regulations, and court cases including the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Clean Air Act (CAA), Clean Water Act (CWA), Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). The course will examine important constitutional principles in substantive and procedural law as well as significant environmental laws and approaches.

    Prerequisites Required: EM 500

    Total Core Credits: 40
    Total Program Credits: 55

    EM 530: ENVIRONMENTAL RISK ASSESSMENT II (5 Credits)

    This course explores the basic concepts of risk assessment, processes, and procedural methods to evaluate and critique scientific information. Students will explore the growing importance of the analysis of risk in regulatory decision making. Students learn how to balance the costs and benefits of risk reduction and how to account for the uncertainties in risk estimates. Additionally, students are introduced to terminology and concepts necessary in risk communication.

    Prerequisites Required: EM 500

    Total Core Credits: 40
    Total Program Credits: 55

    EM 650: ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ANALYSIS (5 Credits)

    This course focuses on the analysis of environmental policy and approaches to problem solving. Students will study different types of criteria that stakeholders utilize in the policy development process, performance measurements, and assessment of environmental policy and program evaluation.

    Prerequisites Required: EM 500 and EM 520

    Total Core Credits: 40
    Total Program Credits: 55

    LS 504: APPLIED RESEARCH IN LEGAL STUDIES (5 Credits)

    In the first of two courses in applied research in legal studies, students will be introduced to applied research within the profession, which encourages adoption of the role of a reflective practitioner who seeks to simultaneously understand and change the professional setting. Students will examine the history of applied research and the intersection of applied research and experimental research. This study allows participants to develop an understanding of the processes and how they can impact their own professional setting.

    Prerequisites Required: Third to last term

    Total Core Credits: 40
    Total Program Credits: 55

    LS 526: ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL WRITING FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS (5 Credits)

    Writing effectively and accurately is a necessary skill in the academic and professional worlds. Academic and Professional Writing for Graduate Students is designed to prepare students for the demands of academic and professional writing in their coursework, professional career, and for their final capstone/research paper. Students will learn to communicate complex and difficult material clearly to a wide variety of expert and nonexpert readers, and write for the kinds of audiences that they will encounter as professionals and who rely on the words on the page to make meaning. This course will introduce students to the basic elements of academic and professional writing at the holistic and sentence level. Students will gain an understanding of audience and purpose, as well as the graduate research, writing, and formatting process. Emphasis is placed on citing and quoting primary materials, organization strategies, and grammar, editing, and usage so that students hone and fine-tune their writing skills.

    Total Core Credits: 40
    Total Program Credits: 55

    PP 510: LEADERSHIP IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR (5 Credits)

    Students will study leadership within the public sector and the application of ethical and leadership principles to decision making, actions, and interactions within public administration. Topics covered may include: organizational behavior, interest-based negotiation, leading networks, mediation, and leadership style.

    Prerequisites Required: PP 500 or enrollment in the Master of Science in Homeland Security and Emergency Management, Master of Science in Environmental Policy, or Master of Science in Fire and Emergency Services program

    Total Core Credits: 40
    Total Program Credits: 55

    EM 698: APPLIED RESEARCH (5 Credits)

    Students experience the art and science of applied research while they develop the tools of reflective inquiry and collaborative practice. Students will engage in analysis of current issues and challenges to explore and practice applied research methods as a logical extension of professional practice. Integral to this process is the examination of both informal and systematic ways to ask and answer questions. Students will design a research plan for their own applied research project. 

    Prerequisites Required: LS 504 

    Total Core Credits: 40
    Total Program Credits: 55

    Electives

    SC 540: BIOLOGY OF POLLUTION (5 Credits)

    Biology of Pollution will assess the interactions between environmental pollutants and the biotic systems they affect. Specific situations where pollutants have affected various biota, such as plants, birds, and mammals, will be analyzed and strategies will be formulated on how to approach these situations. The effects of pollution on both aquatic and terrestrial populations, communities, and ecosystems will be assessed.  

    SC 550 : CONSERVATION OF NATURAL RESOURCES (5 Credits)

    This course will examine concepts of natural resources and conservation, and explore how economics, ethics, and ecology can be applied to natural resource management, both in the United States and globally. Students are challenged to apply concepts learned to address the managing of natural resources in a number of regional and global contexts. Management issues relating to freshwater, agriculture, energy, wildlife, ecosystems, and ocean resources will be examined. Throughout this course, emphasis is placed on developing viable solutions to our current natural resource challenges.  

    HM 500: CRISIS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT FUNDAMENTALS (5 Credits)

    This course will introduce students to the concepts, issues, and problems of crisis and emergency management. Topics explored include: organizing and logistics for response, managing the response organization, managing in a high-stress environment, crisis decision making, crisis communications, liability issues, and resource assessment and allocation. This course will cover the methodology and rationale behind the unified response to a terrorist, weapons of mass destruction (WMD), or disaster incidents, and students will examine these methodologies from the perspective of crisis management and consequence management.

    Prerequisites Required: CJ 500

    SC 570 : ECOLOGICAL INTERACTIONS (5 Credits)

    This course will provide students with an overview of ecology and a focus on the dynamics of ecological interactions. Concepts will begin with the idea of an ecological niche and branch out to the fundamentals of mutualism, commensalism, competition, and predation. Emphasis will be placed on concept application through the incorporation of scientific literature. As students become familiar with the literature, they will learn to evaluate assigned readings for validity in the scientific forum and synthesize class concepts. Learning to evaluate and critique current literature is essential for graduate students in all fields. 

    SC 560 : ENERGY AND OUR GLOBAL CLIMATE (5 Credits)

    Energy and Our Global Climate will provide students with a working knowledge of existing carbon-based energy sources and more sustainable alternative energies. The intimate relationship between energy use and climate change will be examined in depth. Environmental impacts will be discussed and options to mitigate said impacts will be developed. 

    EM 620: ENVIRONMENTAL PROJECT MANAGEMENT (5 Credits)

    This course examines the key elements of environmental project management. Emphasis is placed on project management organization, planning, and communication strategies and critical factors such as the uncertainty of project scope and the evolving environmental regulatory environment. Students will learn to develop environmental project plans, establish project organization, define management functions, estimate costs, and determine project effectiveness. Emphasis is placed on the integrated nature of environmental project management.

    Prerequisites Required: EM 500; EM 530 highly recommended

    SC 525 : ENVIRONMENTAL RISK ASSESSMENT I (5 Credits)

    This course is technically oriented to examine the components of human health and ecological risk assessments. Students learn how to complete each step including risk assessment, risk management, and risk communication through the analysis of case studies. Students will also gain knowledge of relating risk assessment methodologies, procedures, and results to environmental policies. By the end of this course students will be able to complete a risk assessment, recognize risk management options, and identify political factors that can influence their selection. 

    PP 640: POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC FORCES (5 Credits)

    Students will explore the interaction of political and economic forces that impact public administrators in governmental and nonprofit sectors. The course will cover fundamental concepts such as marginal analysis, optimization and suboptimization, and ceteris paribus reasoning. Students will use economic reasoning to better explain this interaction between political entities and economic forces including governments' behavioral effects on markets, the role of competition in the provision of public goods, resource allocation, and market failure and government failure.

    Prerequisites Required:

    PP 510

    PP 630: PUBLIC AND PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS (5 Credits)

    This course examines the relationship of business and government agencies in producing public services. Students will analyze policies and imple­mentation in partnership and privatization models including outsourcing, contracting, and competition. The use of voluntary organizations will also be explored.

    Prerequisites Required: PP 510

    EM 610: SUSTAINABILITY-POLICY AND PRACTICE (5 Credits)

    This course examines the philosophical and practical principles of green and sustainable design through the exploration of environmental issues, sustainable methods, public policy, and decision making. Students will explore the strategic change in industry behavior away from the old emphasis on legal compliance to adopting an explicit goal of promoting sustainability. Sustainability principles, policies, and programs that encourage and guide current initiatives are analyzed. Students will reflect on the interconnectedness of social, ecological, governmental, economic, and ethical constructs associated with sustainability.

    Prerequisites Required: EM 500

    Total Electives Credits: 5
    Total Program Credits: 55

    Core

    EM 500: ENVIRONMENTAL FOUNDATIONS AND PRINCIPLES (5 Credits)

    This course will explore the history of environmentalism and the issues, ethics, and economics surrounding the foundation of current environmental policy and management. Students will assess how environmental and resource issues have influenced economic development and societal growth, and the interdisciplinary connectedness of science, policy, and advocacy in environmental decision making and management. Both local and global ecosystems will be addressed.

    Total Core Credits: 35
    Total Program Credits: 55

    EM 520: ENVIRONMENTAL LAW AND POLICY (5 Credits)

    This course examines United States environmental law and policy and its development, implementation, and enforcement. The perspective and impact of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches will be explored as well as their impact on environmental law and policy. Students will discuss the purpose, context, and implications of the most important laws, regulations, and court cases including the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Clean Air Act (CAA), Clean Water Act (CWA), Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). The course will examine important constitutional principles in substantive and procedural law as well as significant environmental laws and approaches.

    Prerequisites Required: EM 500

    Total Core Credits: 35
    Total Program Credits: 55

    EM 530: ENVIRONMENTAL RISK ASSESSMENT II (5 Credits)

    This course explores the basic concepts of risk assessment, processes, and procedural methods to evaluate and critique scientific information. Students will explore the growing importance of the analysis of risk in regulatory decision making. Students learn how to balance the costs and benefits of risk reduction and how to account for the uncertainties in risk estimates. Additionally, students are introduced to terminology and concepts necessary in risk communication.

    Prerequisites Required: EM 500

    Total Core Credits: 35
    Total Program Credits: 55

    EM 650: ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ANALYSIS (5 Credits)

    This course focuses on the analysis of environmental policy and approaches to problem solving. Students will study different types of criteria that stakeholders utilize in the policy development process, performance measurements, and assessment of environmental policy and program evaluation.

    Prerequisites Required: EM 500 and EM 520

    Total Core Credits: 35
    Total Program Credits: 55

    LS 526: ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL WRITING FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS (5 Credits)

    Writing effectively and accurately is a necessary skill in the academic and professional worlds. Academic and Professional Writing for Graduate Students is designed to prepare students for the demands of academic and professional writing in their coursework, professional career, and for their final capstone/research paper. Students will learn to communicate complex and difficult material clearly to a wide variety of expert and nonexpert readers, and write for the kinds of audiences that they will encounter as professionals and who rely on the words on the page to make meaning. This course will introduce students to the basic elements of academic and professional writing at the holistic and sentence level. Students will gain an understanding of audience and purpose, as well as the graduate research, writing, and formatting process. Emphasis is placed on citing and quoting primary materials, organization strategies, and grammar, editing, and usage so that students hone and fine-tune their writing skills.

    Total Core Credits: 35
    Total Program Credits: 55

    PP 510: LEADERSHIP IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR (5 Credits)

    Students will study leadership within the public sector and the application of ethical and leadership principles to decision making, actions, and interactions within public administration. Topics covered may include: organizational behavior, interest-based negotiation, leading networks, mediation, and leadership style.

    Prerequisites Required: PP 500 or enrollment in the Master of Science in Homeland Security and Emergency Management, Master of Science in Environmental Policy, or Master of Science in Fire and Emergency Services program

    Total Core Credits: 35
    Total Program Credits: 55

    EM 602: COMPREHENSIVE EXAM CAPSTONE (5 Credits)

     As a final step in the Master of Science in Environmental Policy, students may choose the nonthesis option and successfully complete a comprehensive exam. This comprehensive exam incorporates the program outcomes of the program. This exam is designed to carefully assess a student’s overall learning in the program. Successful completion of the exam allows both student and faculty to measure and acknowledge a successful learning experience for the student.

    Prerequisites Required: Last Term

    Total Core Credits: 35
    Total Program Credits: 55

    Electives

    SC 540: BIOLOGY OF POLLUTION (5 Credits)

    Biology of Pollution will assess the interactions between environmental pollutants and the biotic systems they affect. Specific situations where pollutants have affected various biota, such as plants, birds, and mammals, will be analyzed and strategies will be formulated on how to approach these situations. The effects of pollution on both aquatic and terrestrial populations, communities, and ecosystems will be assessed.  

    SC 550 : CONSERVATION OF NATURAL RESOURCES (5 Credits)

    This course will examine concepts of natural resources and conservation, and explore how economics, ethics, and ecology can be applied to natural resource management, both in the United States and globally. Students are challenged to apply concepts learned to address the managing of natural resources in a number of regional and global contexts. Management issues relating to freshwater, agriculture, energy, wildlife, ecosystems, and ocean resources will be examined. Throughout this course, emphasis is placed on developing viable solutions to our current natural resource challenges.  

    HM 500: CRISIS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT FUNDAMENTALS (5 Credits)

    This course will introduce students to the concepts, issues, and problems of crisis and emergency management. Topics explored include: organizing and logistics for response, managing the response organization, managing in a high-stress environment, crisis decision making, crisis communications, liability issues, and resource assessment and allocation. This course will cover the methodology and rationale behind the unified response to a terrorist, weapons of mass destruction (WMD), or disaster incidents, and students will examine these methodologies from the perspective of crisis management and consequence management.

    Prerequisites Required: CJ 500

    SC 570 : ECOLOGICAL INTERACTIONS (5 Credits)

    This course will provide students with an overview of ecology and a focus on the dynamics of ecological interactions. Concepts will begin with the idea of an ecological niche and branch out to the fundamentals of mutualism, commensalism, competition, and predation. Emphasis will be placed on concept application through the incorporation of scientific literature. As students become familiar with the literature, they will learn to evaluate assigned readings for validity in the scientific forum and synthesize class concepts. Learning to evaluate and critique current literature is essential for graduate students in all fields. 

    SC 560 : ENERGY AND OUR GLOBAL CLIMATE (5 Credits)

    Energy and Our Global Climate will provide students with a working knowledge of existing carbon-based energy sources and more sustainable alternative energies. The intimate relationship between energy use and climate change will be examined in depth. Environmental impacts will be discussed and options to mitigate said impacts will be developed. 

    EM 620: ENVIRONMENTAL PROJECT MANAGEMENT (5 Credits)

    This course examines the key elements of environmental project management. Emphasis is placed on project management organization, planning, and communication strategies and critical factors such as the uncertainty of project scope and the evolving environmental regulatory environment. Students will learn to develop environmental project plans, establish project organization, define management functions, estimate costs, and determine project effectiveness. Emphasis is placed on the integrated nature of environmental project management.

    Prerequisites Required: EM 500; EM 530 highly recommended

    SC 525 : ENVIRONMENTAL RISK ASSESSMENT I (5 Credits)

    This course is technically oriented to examine the components of human health and ecological risk assessments. Students learn how to complete each step including risk assessment, risk management, and risk communication through the analysis of case studies. Students will also gain knowledge of relating risk assessment methodologies, procedures, and results to environmental policies. By the end of this course students will be able to complete a risk assessment, recognize risk management options, and identify political factors that can influence their selection. 

    PP 640: POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC FORCES (5 Credits)

    Students will explore the interaction of political and economic forces that impact public administrators in governmental and nonprofit sectors. The course will cover fundamental concepts such as marginal analysis, optimization and suboptimization, and ceteris paribus reasoning. Students will use economic reasoning to better explain this interaction between political entities and economic forces including governments' behavioral effects on markets, the role of competition in the provision of public goods, resource allocation, and market failure and government failure.

    Prerequisites Required:

    PP 510

    PP 630: PUBLIC AND PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS (5 Credits)

    This course examines the relationship of business and government agencies in producing public services. Students will analyze policies and imple­mentation in partnership and privatization models including outsourcing, contracting, and competition. The use of voluntary organizations will also be explored.

    Prerequisites Required: PP 510

    EM 610: SUSTAINABILITY-POLICY AND PRACTICE (5 Credits)

    This course examines the philosophical and practical principles of green and sustainable design through the exploration of environmental issues, sustainable methods, public policy, and decision making. Students will explore the strategic change in industry behavior away from the old emphasis on legal compliance to adopting an explicit goal of promoting sustainability. Sustainability principles, policies, and programs that encourage and guide current initiatives are analyzed. Students will reflect on the interconnectedness of social, ecological, governmental, economic, and ethical constructs associated with sustainability.

    Prerequisites Required: EM 500

    Total Electives Credits: 5
    Total Program Credits: 55

    Tuition & Fees: Applied Research Track

    The 25% tuition reduction applies only to international students living outside of the United States. This discount does not apply to military students. Please check with your advisor to see if you are eligible. 

    The 25% tuition reduction applies only to international students living outside of the United States. This discount does not apply to military students. Please check with your advisor to see if you are eligible. 

    Applied Research Track Online &
    Learning Center     		Campus
    Cost Per Credit
    Number of Credits / Terms  
    Total Tuition Cost

    Tuition and Fees

    Some programs have additional associated fees that are not included in the price of tuition. Click here or check with an Admissions Advisor for more information. 

    Learn More about Kaplan University Tuition and Fees  

    Notice to Learning Center Students

    Kaplan University Learning Center students will only complete a portion of this program on site. You will need to complete at least 50% of the program requirements online, or through transfer credit awarded via prior learning assessment. If you have any questions about these requirements, please speak with an admissions advisor.

    Scholarships and Grants

    Learn more about grants and Kaplan University Scholarships and that may help reduce the cost of your education.

    Kaplan University tuition reductions (including active-duty, spouse, and veterans military tuition rates; scholarships; grants; vouchers; and alumni and alliance reductions) cannot be combined. 

    Tuition Rates for Military Students and Spouses

    Kaplan University has significantly reduced many of our tuition rates and fees for active-duty servicemembers, their spouses, and veterans. Click here for more information.
     

  • * Kaplan University cannot guarantee employment or career advancement.

    † Source: O*Net OnLine, The Green Economy, on the Internet at http://www.onetcenter.org/green.html?p=2. 

    ‡ Source: The White House, Issues: Energy and Environment, on the Internet at www.whitehouse.gov/issues/energy-and-environment.

    § While many of Kaplan University's degree programs are designed to prepare graduates to pursue continued bachelor-, graduate- or doctorate-level education, the University cannot guarantee that students will be granted admission to any programs. 

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