12 Best Environmental Science Master of Arts (MA) Degree Programs in United States of America (USA) for 2024

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.

Analyze environmental and spatial interrelationships. Develop proficiency within the broad scope of environmental policy, planning, and management, or within the geographic realm of spatial analysis.

The Master of Arts in Environmental Resource Policy (MA-ENRP) at the Trachtenberg School offers a multidisciplinary approach to environmental and sustainability studies. This STEM program prepares students to enter environmental policy careers in government, nonprofit organizations, the private sector and environmental advocacy groups.

The NYU Steinhardt Food Studies MA will provide you with an advanced education in the cultural, historical, and sociological aspects of food.

The MA program in Climate and Society uses an interdisciplinary approach to train professionals and academics to understand and cope with the impacts of climate variability and climate change on society and the environment. The twelve-month program emphasizes the problems of developing societies.

The mission of the Social Innovation and Sustainability Leadership Program is to: Together, Create Well-Being for All. The program takes a hands-on, applied approach through the creation and implementation of social innovation projects as a central part of each Social Innovation & Sustainability Leadership course. Students will identify a social innovation project that is professionally meaningful and meets the needs of the community or organization. The project can last one or more terms depending on your interest, the needs of the organization or community, and the scope of the project.

This 36-credit program prepares students interested in animal behavior and conservation (ABC) to develop and enhance their research skills and create an understanding of the behavior of animals as well as acquire credentials for employment in fields related to ABC. This free-standing master of arts program replaces the previous concentration in ABC within the Psychology MA program with no changes in requirements.

Prepare for a Career in Enterprise or Investigative Storytelling, Grounded in Environmental Sciences. Point Park University will offer a 36-credit Master of Arts in Environmental Journalism starting in Fall 2020.

Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center of Goshen College offers an 11-month graduate studies program that culminates in a master’s degree in environmental education. This graduate program is designed for college graduates who will work as environmental educators in diverse settings such as nature centers, outdoor education programs, nonprofit camps, parks and recreation programs, public and private schools, and independent environmental organizations.

Passionate about environmental policy but not sure that you want to be a lawyer? Earn your Master of Arts in Environmental Law (MENV) in as little as one year from the Loyola University New Orleans College of Law. This 30-credit program will prepare you for rewarding roles in environmental sustainability, compliance, and natural resource management. Ideal for recent graduates and working professionals, our dedicated faculty and staff will help you personalize your plan of study according to your career aspirations. Graduates can apply their knowledge across many industries, including business, politics, construction, etc.

More than ever before, research critical to humanity’s survival is taking place in the Arctic and sub-Arctic. In recent years, as climate change has threatened the global environment, the world’s eyes have turned to the Arctic, where the pace of warming is more than double that elsewhere in the world. Similarly, threats from environmental pollution are also magnified in the Arctic. Residents of the circumpolar north don’t have to imagine how climate change and environmental pollution might affect them in a decade or two. Communities are already experiencing the devastating effects of coastal erosion, sea ice melt, crumbling infrastructure resulting from melting permafrost, and the most destructive wildfires on record, while toxins accumulate within their traditional foods. This fully online program provides students the opportunity to study these and many other compelling issues in the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions. By connecting with supportive faculty experts in history, political science, Alaska Native studies, anthropology, English, and geography, you will develop knowledge of the circumpolar region and become an expert in your chosen field of concentration, while sharpening your analytical, critical thinking, and writing skills.

The Master of Arts degree (MA.Soc.Sc) is designed to equip students with ecological knowledge, psychological capacities, and communication skills necessary to effect change in human narratives and their resulting practices toward each other and the planet.