Course Overview
There is a need both in the public and private sectors for professionals with the skills to develop and implement environmental policies based in part on scientific criteria. This is in addition to consideration of economic, technological, and social factors. At the local level a business might have to consider environmental impacts of its waste disposal. At the national level, energy use strategies and urban air pollutants have implications related to economics and public health. Finally, at the global level international policies must address topics such as the release of chemicals implicated in climate change. The rationale for the Master of Science program is that students who seek to become policy makers in government and industry would benefit from an academic program which combines rigorous treatments of both environmental science and environmental policy. Such students should appreciate the concepts and methods of environmental research at a level which facilitates the creation and implementation of policy. A distinguishing feature of the joint Chicago Harris-Physical Sciences initiative is the inclusion of environmental science at a rigorous level as an integral part of the program. The scientific portion of the curriculum seeks to develop the student's understanding of the processes which control the state of the natural environment and its response to perturbations, particularly those brought about by human activities as a consequence of policy decisions.
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