University of Pittsburgh
AC-4: Graduate Program

The M.S. Degree in Sustainable Engineering (MS SE) is housed within the Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation (MCSI), with the degree granted from the Swanson School of Engineering. The 30-credit degree was designed to integrate with current M.S. programs in engineering, providing students with the opportunity to complete two M.S. degree programs with a limited time increase.

Program Objectives:
+ Provide advanced education to graduate students to identify and solve sustainability issues using systems approaches in the context of the triple bottom line of environmental, societal, and economic problems.
+ Create a rigorous program with breadth and depth to propel graduate students to foster sustainable technologies, science, and practices in the U.S. and abroad.
+ Create regional and nationally scalable sustainability solutions through service learning projects with a cohort of students.
+ Provide students with experiences that enable them to communicate sustainability issues and solutions to multiple audiences.

Pitt’s Graduate School of Public & International Affairs offers an “Energy and Environment” focus to either its Masters' of International Development or Public Administration. This focus allows students to explore the economics, politics, and policies of pressing environmental and energy issues. GSPIA Energy & Environment students lead the charge for sustainable energy and learn about balancing affordable energy with environmental stewardship at an epicenter of one of the biggest energy revolutions of the 21st century. GSPIA students study the economics of the global energy industry, environmental sustainability, and regulatory policy in one of the world’s best living laboratories. Areas of focus include:
• Impact evaluation of energy and environmental policies
• Global energy markets and policies
• Natural resources governance and management
• Shale gas and fracking
• Food sources and sustainability

Graduate study in Pitt's Department of Geology and Environmental Science provides students with a strong foundation in various aspects of the geosciences while considering human-environmental interactions. Students can pursue research in a wide variety of areas, including:
• Tectonic, Volcanic, and Surface Processes
• Planetary Science and Astrobiology
• Paleoclimate and Environmental Change
• Environmental Geochemistry and Biogeochemistry
• Energy Geosciences
• Hydrologic Processes

+ International Development and/or Public Administration - Urban Affairs https://www.gspia.pitt.edu/academics/majors/urban-affairs-and-planning

+ Public Health
https://publichealth.pitt.edu/masters

The Micro-Credential in Sustainable Business guides students on how companies manage their social (people), environmental (planet), and financial (profits) risks, obligations, and opportunities to positively impact both stakeholders and financial well-being. Those who have previously completed a Bachelor’s degree as well as current Pitt graduate students are eligible to apply. Upon successful completion of a micro-credential, students receive a certificate and recognition of their achievement noted on their University of Pittsburgh transcript. Micro-credentials offer immediate value to current employers and demonstrate mastery of in-demand business skills to potential future employers.

Curriculum:

Required Courses (4.5 credits total):

BSEO 2578 Sustainable Business Strategy
BSP 2328 The Business of Humanity – Strategic Management
Elective Course Options (must choose 4.5 credits from the below list, or alternate coursework, including from other Pitt schools, with faculty program director approval):

BENV 2115 Market Manipulations
BSEO 2012 Social Entrepreneurship
BSEO 2033 Managing the Natural Environment
BSEO 2509 Business and Politics

Global health refers to health issues that transcend national boundaries. The field faces unprecedented challenges brought on by issues such as shifting immigration patterns, climate change, conflict, and global commerce. The Certificate in Global Health prepares students for occupations in public health, health care, and affiliated fields that increasingly demand interdisciplinary and international thinking skills and competence in responding to challenges brought on by this dynamic global environment.

Graduate students from the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences and Pitt’s professional schools can tailor a unique plan of interdisciplinary study through Global Studies Center’s graduate certificate, drawn from more than 200 courses across 5 global concentrations. Students gain a solid understanding of the academic debates over globalization and their policy implications in both the global and local contexts. Students also achieve foreign language proficiency in one of 35 languages offered at Pitt.

The graduate certificate requires 18 credits of interdisciplinary course work, integrating relevant courses from their major as well as courses outside of the student’s discipline. A graduate student earning a certificate must take at least 6 credits over and above the total credits required for their degree.

Students must select one of the five global studies concentrations:

Ecology and Sustainability
Politics and Economy
Cultural Dynamics
Peace, Conflict and Security
Health and Well-Being

Global Studies - Cultural Dynamics
Global Studies - Peace, Conflict and Security
Global Studies - Health and Well-Being
Global Studies - Ecology and Sustainability
Global Studies - Politics and Economy
https://www.ucis.pitt.edu/global/graduate-programs

Launched in early 2024 = Circular Economy Graduate Certificate (Interdisciplinary), https://www.sustainabilityinstitute.pitt.edu/education/circular-economy-certificate