Master of Arts in Global Environmental Policy

Knowledge and action for a just and sustainable world

Rising seas. Carbon-intensive economies and climate migrants. Environmental racism. Water grabs and soil erosion. Species extinction and global toxification. The Global Environmental Politics MA program provides perspectives and skills for a career that engages some of the most important and complex issues of our time. We believe that a healthy environment is required for human flourishing and that the work of environmental protection requires knowledgeable, committed, and strategic agents of change. Global environmental challenges are urgent and interconnected. We prepare our students with a flexible and rigorous curriculum that couples breadth with the ability to dive deeply into self-designed concentrations. Our goal is to empower our students to translate their passions for justice, ecological well-being, and humane governance into a lifetime of meaningful work. If this sounds like you, apply to join our community of scholars and graduate students in Washington, DC, the home of powerful leverage points for environmental and social change.

Faculty

GEP faculty have a wide array of research interests and routinely contribute to scholarly and policy debates through essays in popular media, academic articles, and full-length books. They are regularly invited to speak and present their work at regional, national, and international conferences. In total, nearly 20 core, adjunct, and associate faculty make the program one of the strongest of its kind anywhere in the world.

Faculty devote full attention to master's students in the program; doors are always open, and professors often find ways to involve students in their work. Small class sizes mean students develop relationships with their professors that lead to mentorship, friendship, and academic collaboration.

Prime Location

GEP offers a master’s degree at a top-10 international affairs school located at the heart of environmental politics and policy. Washington, DC, offers more opportunities for meaningful internships in the field than any other city in the world. Capitol Hill is a magnet for organizations interested in making and changing environmental policy.

American University leverages the power and purpose of scholarship, learning, and community to impact our changing world. From sustainability to social justice to the sciences, AU’s faculty, students, staff, and alumni are changemakers.

Founded in 1893, American University is a distinguished, private institution located in the nation's capital of Washington, DC. With a competitively strong interdisciplinary focus, policy-driven academic programs, and impactful student activists and alumni, AU offers more than 135 master's degree programs, from seven schools.

A university small enough to allow you to feel seen and large enough to attract historical figures to campus to engage our community on important issues. American University is known for preparing generations of scholars who go on to become national and international public leaders and change agents throughout our global community.

Mission

To advance knowledge, foster intellectual curiosity, build community and empower lives of purpose, service, and leadership.

Vision

American University is a leading student-centered research university where passionate learners, bold leaders, engaged scholars, innovators, and active citizens unleash the power of collaborative discovery. We partner with key organizations in Washington, DC, region, and around the globe to better the human condition, learn from a vast array of experiences and internships, create meaningful change, and address society’s current and emerging challenges.