Environmental Economics (MS)

Program Educational Goals:

The objective of the degree is to train policy analysts with a practical orientation and an ability to provided economic-based information that is rigorous and useful in the environmental policy-making process. This requires:

• A foundation in microeconomic theory and econometrics
• An understanding of public policy, the policy process, and policy analysis
• An understanding of the environment issues in the context of policy analysis 
• Ability to structure problems, understand context and explore alternative solutions
• Professional oral and written communication skills
• Critical thinking skills
• Organizational skills - developing working plans, group management, and task management

These learning objectives are manifest in the requirements for the MS. They are measured directly in the courses through assignments and oral presentations, project reports and final examinations. Success in the capstone course is measured by the external sponsor, selected core SMSP faculty, and students in written evaluations. Since the capstone course is a real-world policy experience, this assessment is critical. Each year the relevant policy faculty meet at the end of the spring semester to evaluate what worked and what did not in the capstone experience and to prepare next year’s capstone. Through that learning process, the capstone experience is continually updated and improved to meet the goals of the degree. We also plan to communicate with other programs using the capstone approach to learn from them.