Become a leader in addressing the world’s toughest sustainability challenges, including climate change, ocean health, and environmental justice.
Our Master of Arts in Environmental Policy and Management prepares you for a rewarding career building climate-resilient, sustainable, and equitable societies. You will gain professional experience from your first day of class through real-world projects with organizations like NOAA. Many of our students are employed before they graduate as a result of our hands-on approach to career development and experiential learning. This is a STEM-designated, four-semester degree.
| Start Term | Credits | Duration | In-Person |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall or spring | 60 | 4 semesters | Monterey, California |
The International Environmental Policy Program is unique because we’re really creating the cutting edge agenda setters for policy in the world on really a range of sustainability initiatives across all seven continents, and pushing the envelope of really implementing the innovative solutions that are gonna solve the world’s pressing environmental problems.
Our student Anumung Dravon, and her project in Ecuador, which Sam is involved, that place, right where you guys have this project, is the most biologically rich place on the planet.
The reason that I chose IEP MBA is because I have three different skills and experiences that I wanted to mesh into one, and MIIS offered this really unique combination that I couldn’t find anywhere else.
MIIS prepares students for success by basically telling them that they have to write their own career path. And so we are educating people to really get into very niche fields that it’s hard to think of what degree you would get to get that job, and so it’s a very exciting path there in terms of networking, and conferences, and research, and fine tuning to end up at these really unique job opportunities that our students get pretty much without fail.
I’ve had this passion for ocean conservation since I was nine years old, but I didn’t know how to actually harness that into a career, and MIIS has taught me exactly how to do that.
One of the things that stood out to me at the institute, is the structure of the curriculum, which allows me to return to Haiti last summer, and conducted research on best agricultural practices by assessing their impact on deforestation, migration, and poverty. And also with the help of the Institute, I was able to share the finding of my research with policy makers from Haiti at a conference in Harvard, last November.
We take learning beyond the walls of a classroom by being very clear right away that the classroom experience is really only about a third of what we consider the full graduate experience. The other third being participation in all kinds of clubs, associations, conferences, extracurricular activities, and a third on the job training. Any major environmental organization, even some smaller ones that operate and moderate, we have a relationship with and routinely have students working with.
Through MIIS, I was able to get an internship last summer with a MIIS Alum, and through that connection, I met my current boss, which is my dream job, and I will continue to work there once I graduate. And that opportunity would not have been presented to me unless I were at MIIS, and had developed the skills that I have now.
I learned a lot of skill in biodiversity protection, and research design, and design analysis, which I’m using right now in my internship at the Santa Lucia Conservancy. I think my experience with the Santa Lucia Conservancy will give me the knowledge that I need to save the biodiversity in Haiti.
If you have a spark, something that drives you every single day, this is the place that can give you the skill set to create that change that inspires you.
If you’re the type of person who really wants to think of the affirmative and create the solutions for the future, this is the right program for you.
Your dedicated advisor from the Center for Advising and Career Services will guide you through skills development, interview preparation, networking, career exploration, and professional opportunities aligned with your experience, interests, and goals.
We have 80+ employers of our recent interns and the Institute has partnerships with UNICEF and the GAO for unique opportunities.
Our graduates find meaningful careers in government, business, and NGOs, including organizations like Oceana, Conservation International, and Microsoft. Many roles in the sustainability industry require a master’s degree and with a Middlebury Institute master’s, you will be in demand.
One Year After Graduation
Our interdisciplinary curriculum is a mix of core and specialization courses that will prepare you to be a solutions-oriented climate and sustainability leader. Build your expertise in:
See the curriculum for more details.
Expand your career opportunities with an optional management specialization:
In your final semester, your studies will culminate in a full-time, semester-long practicum working in the field with an organization. This builds on the other real-world experiences you will have throughout your program. On-the-job supervisors and faculty mentors will work closely with you to make the practicum a bridge to full-time employment. Learn more about your practicum.
While other graduate schools rely on teaching assistants, you will have direct access to our faculty. They’re active, engaged policy professionals who combine academic expertise with years of professional experience in water conservation, food systems, ocean ecosystem management, sustainable development, responsible mining, sustainability investing, “blue” economic development, and more. Our faculty are committed to your success, becoming your mentors and colleagues, and you will work closely with them on real-world consulting projects and research. Meet our faculty.
Jason Scorse, Director of the Center for the Blue Economy, teaches courses in environmental and natural resource economics, ocean and coastal economics, and behavioral economics. He has consulted for major environmental organizations including the Sierra Club, The Nature Conservancy, Earth Justice, and Oceana
Meet Jason Scorse
Jeff Langholz is passionate about sustainability of the world’s natural resources. His teaching and research draw from extensive professional experience with the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and consultancies across North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.
Meet Jeff Langholz
Lyuba Zarsky’s passion is promoting justice and sustainability in business and the economy. She co-founded and co-directed an NGO “think and do tank” on global security and sustainability and served on the Trade and Environment Policy Advisory Committee of the Office of the US Trade Representative.
Meet Lyuba Zarsky
Fernando DePaolis teaches Data Analysis, Development Economics, and other advanced quantitative policy analysis courses. He develops research and teaches courses on the problems and solutions at the interface between large bodies of water (oceans and lakes) and urban agglomerations.
Our flexible curriculum means you can customize your degree:
Check out the program details for your options.
The Middlebury Institute’s Center for the Blue Economy (CBE) is a research and academic center. CBE develops innovative ways to address critical ocean and coastal resource management issues, especially coastal climate adaptation and “blue” economic development. As an Environmental Policy and Management student, you’ll be eligible for a fully funded CBE summer fellowship with top marine organizations, as well as a research assistant position where you can work on cutting-edge research during your studies.
Become a leader in addressing the world’s toughest sustainability challenges, including climate change, ocean health, and environmental justice.
The Sustainability Speaker Series brings creative, pragmatic, and practice-based environmental professionals to campus. Lectures are free and open to the public. The series features some of today’s most influential leaders across a wide variety of fields. See upcoming speakers.
More than 95 percent of students who request scholarship consideration receive institutional support. You may receive merit, need-based, partner, and external scholarships and financial aid, which are available to both U.S. and international students.
Your personal enrollment advisor can help you think through financing this important investment in your career development.
We take a holistic approach when considering your application, looking at your academic background, international exposure, professional experience, and career goals. We welcome applicants with or without work experience, and our program has numerous opportunities for you to gain professional experience before you graduate. This approach aligns with the Institute’s core values of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
We do not require GRE or GMAT scores for our master’s programs but competitive scores may strengthen your application and positively influence scholarship decisions.
| by Nadia Pshonyak
Join us in celebrating the professional and research accomplishments of Middlebury Institute students documented in our 2023-2024 annual Experiential Learning Impact Report.
| by Jason Scorse
Tackling climate change right now is less about science and technology, and more about people, politics and behavior change, environmental policy Professor Jason Scorse told Foreign Affairs in a recent Q&A.
| by Nadia Pshonyak
This summer, a cohort of thirteen students from a variety of backgrounds completed their practicums while finishing out their degrees at the Institute.
Our graduates find careers designing and implementing sustainable solutions in fields as wide-ranging as conservation, sustainability management, ocean and coastal resource management, and climate policy.
How will you change the world?
Get InfoWhat makes us different?
Visit CampusNext Application Deadline: November 1
Apply Now
