University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
AC-4: Graduate Program

Meeting society’s grand challenges—infrastructure for future cities, climate change, sustainable energy transitions, governance of emerging and/or disruptive technologies, water and food security—requires innovative leadership and collaboration among academia, communities, government, businesses, and nonprofit organizations, anchored upon interdisciplinary and systems thinking rooted in real-world projects. The STEP area focuses on public issues arising at the intersection of science, technology, environment, and society that shape human well-being, environmental sustainability, and social justice in a complex and diverse world. The STEP area supports research and outreach through the Center for Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy, and graduate education programs through the MS–STEP, the STEP Graduate Minor, and the PhD in Public Affairs.

The Conservation Sciences Graduate Program at the University of Minnesota provides world-class graduate training and research opportunities. We prepare leaders to develop effective solutions to conservation and management challenges through understanding coupled biological and human systems. Our students will gain foundational knowledge in conservation biology; specifically (1) organismal and population biology, (2) ecosystem and landscape ecology, (3) participatory decision-making, policy, and other social processes, (4) ecosystem services, and (5) analysis and interpretation of complex data.

The Master of Development Practice (MDP) program prepares young professionals for careers in sustainable development—globally, locally, and in the complex realities in between. A strategic blend of training in theory and practice equips MDP graduates with knowledge, skills, and competencies essential to appropriate and effective engagement with the broad coalitions addressing society’s complex sustainable development challenges. Poverty and inequalities, social and environmental justice, and the causes and effects of a rapidly changing climate are a few of the thematic areas toward which our alumni gravitate. The interdisciplinary MDP degree features training across the University, with courses in public policy, public health, education, and the natural and social sciences. This distributed approach fosters the integration of knowledge that is necessary for addressing the grand and systemic challenges confronting society and the development professions. Our MDP experience centers on engagement.

http://environment.umn.edu/leadership/susted/degree-programs/graduate/

The minor is administered by the Interdisciplinary Center for the Study of Global Change (ICGC) and is open to University graduate students interested in a structured program of study in an interdisciplinary and globally oriented field. By focusing on the social basis of change in the global south, the minor program engages a wide range of academic disciplines, including the social sciences, humanities, and biological sciences. Among the broad themes addressed in minor program seminars: social and environmental change; human rights and human security; development; international peace and conflict; and arts and humanities perspectives on global social justice. The minor program focuses on three areas: (1)The relationships between large-scale processes of political, economic, and social change, and the particular conditions of lived experience in the global south; (2)Specifically interdisciplinary perspectives (encompassing the social sciences, the biological sciences, and the humanities) on this general thematic concern; and (3) Preparation of master’s and doctoral students to conduct interdisciplinary and international research.

The minor in sustainable agriculture systems offers master's (MA and MS) and doctoral students an interdisciplinary curriculum that considers the biological, sociological, and economic aspects of agriculture. The minor emphasizes a holistic perspective to designing farming and food systems and solving problems in agriculture. The importance of yield and profitability are balanced by considerations of the environment and the health and social well-being of producers, consumers, and communities. A unique component of the minor is an on-site internship with growers, grassroots organizations, or public agencies working in sustainable agriculture. The minor complements major programs in ecology, conservation biology, forestry, sociology, geography, political science, and public affairs, as well as majors in the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences.

The environmental health minor is designed for students who wish to understand how our physical and social environment affects public health. Students will learn about exposure to physical and social stressors, such as chemicals, infectious agents, stress, and violence; how stressors affect health; and how decisions are made to protect health.

http://environment.umn.edu/leadership/susted/degree-programs/graduate/