The Climate, Energy, and Environmental Sustainability Master’s Program is focused on developing the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to lead efforts that foster an enduring and sustainable future for our planet.
Engineers and scientists play a vital role in addressing and solving the environmental challenges we face on a global scale in a world impacted by a changing climate. It will take leaders with advanced, comprehensive knowledge in engineering, science, and technology to create the necessary changes to achieve sustainability objectives and energy needs while mitigating the impact of the climate and adapting to its impacts. While climate change presents a key existential threat of our time, the application of environmental sustainability and energy tools and conceptual frameworks can significantly reduce associated negative repercussions. Sustainability involves balancing the needs of both human and natural ecosystems, including energy demands so that enduring stewardship is provided robustly and successfully. This can be accomplished by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and providing adaptation opportunities to mitigate the negative impacts of energy-related emissions. The use of solar and wind power is increasing as low-carbon energy technologies fall in cost and gain popularity. This will lead to a greater demand for energy storage to balance the supply and demand of electricity, and other parts of the energy sector.
The program aims to enhance interdisciplinary knowledge in climate, energy usage, and environmental sustainability. The curriculum is designed to benefit from the depth and influence of extensive research, advances in public health, and transformative engineering at Johns Hopkins University. Students will study the impacts of human activities, systems, and processes on the environment. They will also learn how to create solutions that consider these factors. Additionally, they will discover the strategies necessary to maintain the climate and environment, while fulfilling the energy needs of today and the future.
Graduates of the Master’s in Climate, Energy, and Environmental Sustainability will be able to:
- Apply the foundations of sustainability and its relationship to energy use, environmental impact, and economic, and social systems.
- Direct the development of solutions to climate problems, energy availability, conversion, and use, and their implications for environmental sustainability.
- Explore the interdisciplinary aspects of environmental sustainability in science, public health, and society.
- Design and implement rigorous and strategic solutions to global environmental, climate, energy, social, and economic challenges.
- Lead or advance public and private sector initiatives in energy, sustainability, and climate change planning and management.
Admission Requirements
Applicants (degree-seeking and special students) must meet the general requirements for admission to graduate study, as outlined in the Admission Requirements section.
In addition, applicants for the Master of Science in Climate, Energy, and Environmental Sustainability degree will have prior educational experience that must include the following prerequisite courses:
- Calculus II.
- Successful completion of college-level courses in physics, chemistry, biology, geology, and statistics is strongly recommended.
Applicants whose prior education does not include the prerequisites listed above may still enroll under provisional status, followed by full admission status once they have completed the missing prerequisites. Missing prerequisites may be completed with Johns Hopkins Engineering or at another regionally accredited institution. Admitted students typically have earned a grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale (B or above) in their undergraduate studies. Transcripts from all college studies must be submitted. When reviewing an application, the candidate’s academic and professional background will be considered. Transfer courses are not permitted; however, transfer courses may be reviewed to waive program course prerequisites.
Program Requirements
Ten courses must be completed within five years. The curriculum consists of five courses from the Climate, Energy, and Environmental Sustainability program and five electives. Electives may be selected from any of the four environmental areas of study: Environmental Engineering, Environmental Engineering and Science, Environmental Planning and Management, or Climate, Energy, and Environmental Sustainability, subject to prerequisite restrictions. Only one C-range grade (C+, C, or C–) can count toward the master’s degree.
Any deviation from the program requirements or digression from the provisions specified in the student's admissions letter will not be approved by the program chair.
Courses
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Course (Students with an undergraduate degree in Environmental Engineering are exempt from this requirement) | Credits | |
| EN.575.604 | Principles of Environmental Engineering 1 | 3 |
| Climate, Energy, and Environmental Sustainability Courses (Select 4 or 5 depending on EN.5775.604 requirement) | Credits | |
| EN.575.623 | Industrial Processes and Pollution Prevention | 3 |
| EN.575.658 | Natural Disaster Risk Modeling | 3 |
| EN.575.711 | Climate Change and Global Environmental Sustainability | 3 |
| EN.575.721 | Air Quality Control Technologies | 3 |
| EN.575.722 | Principles of Air Quality Management | 3 |
| EN.575.723 | Environmental Sustainability and Next Generation Buildings | 3 |
| EN.575.732 | Energy Technologies for Solving Environmental Challenges | 3 |
| EN.575.733 | Energy and the Environment | 3 |
| EN.575.734 | Smart Growth Strategies for Sustainable Cities | 3 |
| EN.575.736 | Designing for Sustainability: Applying a Decision Framework | 3 |
| EN.575.738 | Transportation, Innovation, and Climate Change | 3 |
| EN.575.743 | Atmospheric Chemistry | 3 |
| EN.575.750 | Environmental Policy Needs in Developing Countries | 3 |
| EN.575.771 | Data Analytics in Environmental Health and Engineering | 3 |
| EN.575.801 | Independent Project | 3 |
- 1
All students in the Environmental Engineering, Science, and Management Programs who do not possess an undergraduate degree in Environmental Engineering must take EN.575.604 Principles of Environmental Engineering as one of their required courses.
Electives
Select up to five courses from the Climate, Energy, and Environmental Sustainability course list above or from the following elective courses:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select up to five of the following elective courses: | Credits | |
| EN.575.601 | Fluid Mechanics | 3 |
| EN.575.605 | Principles of Water and Wastewater Treatment | 3 |
| EN.575.606 | Water Supply and Wastewater Collection | 3 |
| EN.575.607 | Radioactive Waste Management | 3 |
| EN.575.608 | Optimization Methods for Public Decision Making | 3 |
| EN.575.611 | Economic Foundations for Public Decision Making | 3 |
| EN.575.615 | Ecology | 3 |
| EN.575.619 | Principles of Toxicology, Risk Assessment & Management | 3 |
| EN.575.620 | Solid Waste Engineering & Management | 3 |
| EN.575.626 | Hydrogeology | 3 |
| EN.575.628 | Business Law For Engineers | 3 |
| EN.575.629 | Modeling Contaminant Migration through Multimedia Systems | 3 |
| EN.575.635 | Environmental Law for Engineers & Scientists | 3 |
| EN.575.637 | Environmental Impact Assessment | 3 |
| EN.575.640 | Geospatial Intelligence: the art and science for better understanding our world | 3 |
| EN.575.643 | Chemistry of Aqueous Systems | 3 |
| EN.575.645 | Environmental Microbiology | 3 |
| EN.575.703 | Environmental Biotechnology | 3 |
| EN.575.704 | Applied Statistical Analysis and Design of Experiments for Environmental Applications | 3 |
| EN.575.706 | Biological Processes for Water & Wastewater Treatment | 3 |
| EN.575.707 | Environmental Compliance Management | 3 |
| EN.575.708 | Open Channel Hydraulics | 3 |
| EN.575.710 | Financing Environmental Projects | 3 |
| EN.575.713 | Field Methods in Habitat Analysis and Wetland Delineation | 3 |
| EN.575.714 | Water Resources Management | 3 |
| EN.575.715 | Environmental Contaminant Dispersion and Transport | 3 |
| EN.575.716 | Principles of Estuarine Environment: The Chesapeake Bay Science and Management | 3 |
| EN.575.717 | Hydrology | 3 |
| EN.575.720 | Air Resources Management and Modeling | 3 |
| EN.575.724 | Air Quality and Climate Modeling | 3 |
| EN.575.727 | Environmental Monitoring and Sampling | 3 |
| EN.575.728 | Sediment Transport and River Mechanics | 3 |
| EN.575.730 | Geomorphic and Ecologic Foundations of Stream Restoration | 3 |
| EN.575.731 | Water Resources Planning | 3 |
| EN.575.735 | Energy Policy and Planning Modeling | 3 |
| EN.575.737 | Environmental Security with Applied Decision Analysis Tools | 3 |
| EN.575.741 | Membrane Filtration Systems and Applications in Water and Wastewater Treatment | 3 |
| EN.575.742 | Hazardous Waste Engineering and Management | 3 |
| EN.575.744 | Environmental Chemistry | 3 |
| EN.575.745 | Physical and Chemical Processes for Water and Wastewater Treatment | 3 |
| EN.575.746 | Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant Design | 3 |
| EN.575.747 | Environmental Project Management | 3 |
| EN.575.748 | Water Quality Engineering with Green Infrastructure | 3 |
| EN.575.749 | Water Quality of Rivers, Lakes, and Estuaries | 3 |
| EN.575.751 | Environmental Justice, Climate, and Health Equity | 3 |
| EN.575.752 | Environmental Decision-Making: Climate, Energy, Indigenous Populations, and Accessibility | 3 |
| EN.575.753 | Communication of Environmental Information and Stakeholder Engagement | 3 |
| EN.575.759 | Environmental Policy Analysis | 3 |
| EN.575.761 | Measurement and Pseudo-measurement in the Environmental Arena | 3 |
| EN.575.762 | Resilience of Complex Systems | 3 |
| EN.575.763 | Nanotechnology and the Environment: Applications and Implications | 3 |