Master of Science in Sustainable Organizations and Policy

Organizations seek out sustainability professionals who are prepared to successfully manage the interdependencies of public policy with the needs and strategies of industry. This innovative program is designed to provide aspiring sustainability leaders with the fundamentals, professional skills and unique client-based experiences that position our graduates to achieve their career ambitions.

Program Overview

Offered by the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and the Martin J. Whitman School of Management, the STEM-designated master of science in sustainable organizations and policy (MSOP) joint program leverages the national reputations and programmatic strengths of both schools in preparing students to be versatile, multidisciplinary, forward-thinking experts and leaders ready to take on the important global challenges related to sustainability. 

Students will gain the foundations, system-thinking skills and tailored hands-on consulting experiences across government and industry sectors as part of a close-knit cohort with on-going faculty mentoring to propel you in your career. Additionally, the program provides training in high-demand skills including greenhouse gas modeling and reporting, corporate sustainability reporting, supply chain risks analyses, domestic and international policy and regulatory reporting, AI models for sustainability with strong emphasis on data management, data analysis and data visualization.

The MSOP: A Degree Built to Meet Your Professional Goals

This 30-credit master of science degree provides the flexibility to be tailored to your career goals and can be completed in one year as a full-time student. A key component of the program is that students will take courses from both Maxwell and Whitman—12 credits from each school—ensuring that students learn about sustainability from a variety of perspectives spanning policies, regulations, economics and finance, organizational strategies, community affairs, marketing, entrepreneurship, environmental studies, national security, international affairs, public administration, political science, statistics, sociology, and supply chain management.

The program begins with the cohort developing the foundational 18 credit core and expands to provide flexibility to leverage a broad range of electives that best fit a career in government or business. The cohort comes together to apply their skills as part of a 3-to-4-person consulting team for a leading organization on a pressing sustainability topic.