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Graduate

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Eli Jacobson stands in a watery marsh holding equipment
Eli Jacobson '19G completed a NSF REU-QUEST Fellowship while at Lehigh

Master's Degree in Environmental Policy

The Masters of Arts in Environmental Policy (EP) embraces a vision of high-quality graduate education to support the professional and personal ambitions of our students. The EP program provides an opportunity for students to study the theoretical roots that structure policy and how to design and evaluate policy processes and outcomes. Some critical features of the program include:

  • Intensive study of policy design and analysis.
  • A flexible program that offers academic concentrations and graduate certificates in Environmental Policy and Planning, Sustainable Development, Environmental Justice and Environmental Health.
  • Multiple tracks through the program for either thesis or coursework only options. Some program options can be completed in 12 months.
  • Student internships are required for the non-thesis tracks. These professional experiences better prepare our graduates for careers in the discipline.
  • Financial aid (tuition and stipend) is available through the program’s Teaching Assistant position, Research Assistantships, Community Fellowships and Dean’s Select Scholarships. We also provide generous financial support for student research and professional travel.
  • The deadline for on-line application with financial aid consideration is December 1st (for the spring semester) and March 1st (for the fall semester).

Lehigh provides students with state-of-the-art facilities and experiences while maintaining a program size that allow close collaboration between faculty and students. The university is located an hour north of Philadelphia and 90 minutes west of New York City, giving students a reasonable cost of living with easy access to the amenities of a larger urban area.

Requirements

The Environmental Policy graduate program is structured to give students significant flexibility in their coursework, the opportunity to receive additional certification in four subject areas, and the ability to complement classroom learning with more in-depth research (by completing a thesis) or practical experience (through on- and off-campus internships).

To earn an MA in Environmental Policy, students must complete 30 credit hours (or 10 courses).  Everyone must take the program’s three (3) core courses and do either a master’s thesis or a semester-long internship.  (Students can also choose to combine the EP program with a Community Fellowship.  Those who do would count their fellowship toward this internship requirement.)

View Specific Requirements on the Course Catalog

Environmental Policy Graduate Certificates

Environmental Policy at Lehigh offers four graduate certificates in addition to the master’s degree:

  • Environmental Health: focuses on the ways both the built and natural environments affect individuals’ physical and mental health and well-being. 
  • Environmental Justice: grapples with how individuals of different classes and races access environmental amenities, environmental threats, and opportunity-rich environments in drastically different ways. 
  • Environmental Policy and Planning: is an intensive study of policy design and analysis and has been a centerpiece of the EP program since its inception. Students study the policies intended to protect environmental resources and ecological systems, as well as those designed to best integrate our cities and nature, and to provide residents with both a good quality of life and access to opportunity.

To receive a graduate certificate, students must complete one required policy course and three approved 400-level electives on the topic of their choice.  More details on the requirements and courses associated with each certificate are available here.

These graduate certificates are also available to Lehigh University graduate outside of the Environmental Policy program and non-degree students.

Information for Non-degree Students

Students interested in pursuing an EP graduate certificate but a full Master’s degree may apply for non-degree status by completing an abbreviated application form online.

Those applying to be non-degree graduate students must have a bachelor’s degree from an approved institution with an overall grade point average of at least 3.0. (Applicants with undergraduate GPAs below 3.0 may be admitted with the approval of the program.) Applicants may be currently enrolled in a graduate program elsewhere or may have already completed a degree at another university.

Information for Interested Undergraduates Currently Enrolled at Lehigh University

Any Lehigh University undergraduates with a 3.0 cumulative grade point average and in their junior or senior year may take any 400-level course for which they are qualified and have completed any pre-requirements. The Bachelor's to Master's Accelerated (4+1) Program is a great way for eligible Lehigh students to seamlessly transition into a Master’s in Environmental Policy. This 4+1 option allows students to enroll in graduate (400) level courses as juniors or seniors. 

Click here to learn more about the 4+1 Environmental Policy Program

Environmental Policy Information Session