University of Massachusetts Amherst
AC-4: Graduate Program

The Sustainability Science program prepares students professionally for a broad range of sustainability-focused careers in industry, government, or the non-profit sector. Students will graduate with: (1) a systems-based foundation for analyzing current environmental challenges; (2) pragmatic training and field experiences; (3) critical thinking and communications skills; and (4) knowledge and understanding of the interrelated scientific, social, economic and political underpinnings of environmental problems, solutions, and practices. - See more at: http://eco.umass.edu/degree-programs/sustainability-science-masters/#sthash.uInGORqa.dpuf

The Graduate Program in Environmental Conservation intends to play a significant role in this transformation.

Recognizing the growing complexity of environmental conservation, the Program has evolved into a broad, multi-faceted degree program, with diverse opportunities for emphasizing 1) wildlife, fish and conservation biology, 2) forest resources and arboriculture, 3) water, wetlands and watersheds, 4) human dimensions and environmental policy, or 5) building systems, with options for a thesis (research) or professional (non-thesis) degree in any of these areas of concentration. To support these degree programs, there are currently more than 50 courses offered within the Program taught by ECo faculty.

The geography program has special strengths in Climatology & Paleoclimatology, Natural Hazards and Disasters, Geomorphology, Land and Water Management, Economic Geography, Urban Geography, Development and Conservation, Environmental Perception, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Earth System Modeling, and Remote Sensing. Specific problems in these areas may be explored in the regional contexts of North America, Europe, New England, Latin America, China, Southeast Asia, and the Arctic

Architecture, http://www.umass.edu/architecture/content/master-architecture
Civil & Environmental Engineering, http://cee.umass.edu/graduate-program-areas
Design in Historic Preservation, http://www.umass.edu/architecture/content/master-science-design-historic-preservation
Environmental Health Sciences, http://www.umass.edu/sphhs/environmental-health-sciences
Geosciences, http://www.geo.umass.edu/programs/graduate/geology
Landscape Architecture, http://www.umass.edu/larp/academics/graduate-degrees/landscape-architecture-mla
Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, http://mie.umass.edu/mie-graduate-programs (focus on wind energy)
Plant Biology, http://www.bio.umass.edu/plantbio/
Public Policy & Administration, http://www.masspolicy.org/academics/master-public-policy-and-administration
Regional Planning, http://www.umass.edu/larp/academics/graduate-degrees/regional-planning-mrp
Resource Economics, http://www.umass.edu/resec/graduate/index.shtml

The LEED Professional Credentials indicate professional excellence and a strong depth of knowledge as well as practical understanding of the LEED Rating Systems and how they apply to the high-performance design and construction of the built environment. We prepare students for the LEED Green Associate exams by teaching the disciplinary knowledge and understanding of complex building and environmental systems, and with a graduate level course that introduces core concepts of the USGBC LEED Rating Systems and assists students with study and preparation for the LEED Green Associate exam.

The Graduate Certificate/Concentration in Wind Power Engineering is the first ever wind energy certificate/concentration program in the U.S. This 15 credit program offers a unique opportunity for students or professionals to obtain in-depth knowledge of all aspects of wind energy including engineering topics (aerodynamics, structures and loads, design, electrical issues, support structures, wind and wave external conditions) as well as critical non-engineering issues (economics, permitting, standards, environmental impacts, policy). Students also have the flexibility to specialize in certain aspects of wind energy that are of particular interest. This program is ideally suited for: undergraduate engineers interested in graduate-level studies in wind energy industry, professionals in other industries interested in transitioning into the wind energy industry, and current industry practitioners interested in additional education and credentials.

The University of Massachusetts Amherst was the recipient of a $3.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) program to establish an interdisciplinary graduate program in Offshore Wind Energy. The new graduate program trains doctoral students in the technology, environmental implications, and social/economic/regulatory challenges of offshore wind farms. The multidisciplinary program will feature more than 20 faculty members from nine UMass Amherst departments in the College of Engineering, College of Natural Sciences, School of Management, and College of Social and Behavioral Science.

The overarching goal of this IGERT is to educate a new generation of researchers able to integrate engineering, environmental science, and social science to better position the U.S. in global competitiveness in wind energy. Specifically the overall program goals are to:

Encourage and motivate students, particularly those from underrepresented groups, to pursue research careers in renewable energy.
Create an environment in which students and faculty engage in transformative interdisciplinary research.
Provide students with a curriculum that achieves both deep knowledge in their chosen field and inter-disciplinary knowledge across fields related to wind energy including exposure to state-of- the-art topics through an innovative real-time case study (on a proposed wind installation in Hull, MA), international exchanges, and training in participatory communication.
Provide students with skills and strategies for professional success including mentoring and activities centered on career guidance and ethics.