International Master of Environmental Policy

New economic opportunities in emerging economies and around the globe have brought complex environmental challenges—from increased air and water pollution to food security to energy and climate change. The Sanford School, in collaboration with the Nicholas School of the Environment, offers an international Master of Environmental Policy (iMEP) program at Duke Kunshan University. This program prepares its graduates to meet these pressing challenges through effective policy solutions drawn from an array of disciplines.

The four-semester, 16-course International Master's in Environmental Policy (iMEP) at Duke Kunshan University is designed to meet the growing global need for leaders who are versed in both Chinese and international environmental issues and policies.

The program is the first in the world to draw together the important core requirements in environmental management and public policy. These include economics, political science, sociology, history, law, statistics and environmental science. It is based in China. Many iMEP students spend a semester at Duke University's Durham, North Carolina, campus and take classes at the Nicholas School of the Environment and the Sanford School of Public Policy.

Duke University is ranked #3 in the world for environmental management and policy by US News and World Report.

In keeping with our namesake’s legacy, the Sanford School of Public Policy has outrageous ambitions.

We aspire to be a great school of public policy for the 21st Century and to be recognized as a leader in our field.

The Duke Sanford School of Public Policy’s mission is to improve lives by researching the most pressing public policy issues and preparing students for lives of leadership, civic engagement and public service.

In 2019, faculty and staff of the Sanford School met to discuss the shared values that define our community. These values (in alphabetical order) guide the Sanford School every day.

COLLABORATION

The Sanford School produces exemplary research that brings multiple disciplinary perspectives to bear on significant issues facing our local community, our nation, and the world. Our work is held to the highest standards of academic rigor and can be a model for policy-relevant, inter disciplinary research that has a real and positive impact on the world.

EXCELLENCE

Our distinguished faculty includes 5 members of National Academies, 19 who hold distinguished chairs, and accomplished professionals such as former senior civilian attorney for the U.S. Army Tom Taylor and former Facebook executive Matt Perault.

Our teaching is of the highest caliber. We equip future and current policy leaders with the skills, knowledge and experiences that empower and inspire them to make a positive difference in the world.

INCLUSION & DIVERSITY

We have a vibrant and diverse community of scholars, teachers, administrators and students. We draw strength from a variety of disciplines, perspectives and personal backgrounds. We pride ourselves on the richness of our community. We recognize that to produce research that matters and to empower and inspire future leaders, we must embrace diversity. Indeed, it is the source of our strength. Learn more about our diversity & inclusion committee.

INTEGRITY & HONESTY

Dikgang Moseneke, Musical Group

Special Guests

Throughout the year, students have the opportunity to meet with campus visitors who have a wide variety of life experiences. During the 2019-2020 school year, the Hon. Dikgang Moseneke, who rose from a human rights leader during apartheid to Deputy Chief Justice of South Africa, spent time on campus as a Rubenstein Fellow. Moseneke is the eighth expert to join Duke's Rubenstein Fellows Academy, and the first international fellow.

Our goal is to always conduct ourselves in a moral, fair and decent manner. Whether we are supervising research or joining in a classroom conversation, we believe who we are, and how we act, matters. We hold ourselves up to the very highest ideals. We strive to be truthful – to ourselves, and others, even when it’s difficult. We aim to be honorable, and trustworthy.

RESPECT

When visitors enter the Sanford building, they often see small groups of students and faculty deep in conversation. It’s this kind of respect, for each other as people and as scholars, that matters to us. We respect ourselves and others. We value each member of our community, and care about their feelings and wellbeing. We accept each other wholly.

SERVICE

We strive to make a difference. Students and faculty conduct research and volunteer in our community. One professor is now serving as our mayor! We are deeply engaged with state, national and international communities, too, including public policy makers in governments, international organizations, nonprofits, media organizations and the private sector. We want our engagement to be a two-way street, both an avenue for projecting our research into policy and practice and a way for policy makers and practitioners to inform our teaching and research.