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Sustainability

Panel discussion at Climate Action Forum 2016 with Governor O'Malley

Our approach to sustainability integrates evidence, policy and practice to drive innovative solutions, and links sustainability, economic opportunity and human well-being at all levels of governance.

We seek to make a contribution today, and develop future leaders, to address many of the major challenges of our time, including energy, climate change, resilience and sustainable development. We emphasize the linkages between well-informed policy analysis and strategic development and the effective deployment of policy ideas, leveraging the practical experience of our community gained through working in diverse government contexts, from international to national to state, local and regional.

Opportunities to engage in Sustainability at the School are broad, diverse and growing. Our educational degree programs, and opportunities to go beyond the classroom, comprise:

All of these programs provide opportunities to learn from, and work with, faculty with diverse and significant real-world policy experiences. Our Center for Global Sustainability integrates our intellectual and educational community, and has quickly established itself as a globally recognized leader in understanding how to organize and support global ambition, based in analysis and collaborative action across stakeholders, to address challenges of energy, climate, resilience and sustainable finance. 

Our overall approach at the School of Public Policy, integrates knowledge with implementation and practice. Our students are well prepared to join exciting organizations on projects that are making a difference, from state and local government, to federal government and NGOs, to international organizations.

  • The Brookings Institution
  • Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
  • The World Bank
  • The World Resources Institute
  • Center for American Progress
  • Conservation International
  • U.S. Department of Energy
  • U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric
  • Administration
  • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
  • City of Alexandria, Commonwealth of Virginia
  • Maryland Department of Natural Resources
  • Baltimore Tree Trust

We employ a number of graduate assistants, research assistants, interns, and more to advance our projects, research, and impact. These positions are essential to our mission and the work that we do. We believe in the knowledge and spirit of our students. The passion and commitment from previous students has made a significant impact—from co-authoring major reports to planning and executing multi-day global summits. You too can make your mark. Get more information at go.umd.edu/joinCGS. We are actively recruiting both Masters and Ph.D. students and encourage interested students to contact the admissions office at go.umd.edu/adm.

Our faculty teach a wide variety of courses from the undergraduate, masters’ and PhD levels.

  • Sustainability
  • Intersections of Technology & Policy: Modernizing the
  • Energy System
  • Sustainable Development, Environmental Policy and
  • Human Rights (in Peru)
  • Energy Economics
  • Disease, Disasters, and Development
  • Environment and Development
  • Environmental Ethics
  • Global Environmental Problems
  • Public Policy and the Environment
  • Energy Policy
  • Influence of Science on Policy, and of Policy on Science
  • Social-Ecological Systems, Environmental Policy, &
  • Sustainable Development (in Indonesia)
  • Human Health & Environmental Policy

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Faculty

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