Online Master of Sustainability, Security, and Resilience

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Our 100% online program is designed for working professionals and can be completed in fewer than two years. No GRE is required to apply. The degree consists of three stackable certificates that you will earn along the way. Register for a virtual information session below to learn more about the program.

Apply by April 15, 2023 for best consideration for a Summer 2023 start.

Term A class begins May 9
Term B class begins July 3

Organizational Leadership

Many organizations are unprepared to address these unprecedented challenges that impact all sectors of public management over time, including sea level rise, extended drought, extreme weather events and natural disasters, human migration, globalization, and rapid urbanization. This degree will build your capacity to lead your organization or community, with the capabilities necessary to assess, prepare and effectively respond.

Why Resilience is Important

Does your organization or community have the resilience to survive when catastrophe strikes? Having to prepare and respond to crises hitting simultaneously is the new normal. The COVID-19 pandemic may have been one of the first incidents in this century to impact the entire global community, but it certainly won’t be the last. Recent events show the vulnerability of communities worldwide, including: 

• Wildfires in California and Australia
• Extreme rain throughout the country
• Agricultural fields flooded in the Midwest
• Extraordinary heat and cold events
• Threats to drinking water and sewage treatment, along with electrical grid and supply chain failures, in the wake of natural disasters 

Program Curriculum

This is a five-semester (18-month) online program designed for working professionals. Complete the program at your own pace, taking two asynchronous classes each semester wherever you are.

The program consists of three certificates and a capstone course. Related Programs

Required Courses (30 credit hours)

Community Risk and Resilience Certificate (9 credit hours)

• ES 5610 - Resilience Theory and Practice
• ES 5640 - Risk, Climate Security, and Community Engagement
• ES 5630 - Climate Change Mitigation, Adaptation, and Resilience Policy

Environmental Change Management and Leadership Certificate (9 credit hours)

• ES 5620 - Environmental Science and Public Policy
• ES 5831 - Environmental Sustainability Assessment
• ES 6840 - Environmental Leadership

Planning Resilient Systems Certificate (9 credit hours)

• ES 5740 - Strategies for Resilient Agriculture
• ES 5730 - Environmental Entrepreneurship
• ES 5720 - Energy Systems and Policy

Master's Capstone (3 credit hours)

• ES 6850 - Capstone: Resilient Infrastructure and Communities

Expand Your Career Opportunities

Mid-career employees with this degree have a variety of career opportunities, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a growing demand in the field. Professions that could benefit include:

• City and community planners
• Regional development personnel
• Elected local officials
• Government agency staff, including departments of transportation, agriculture, housing, and natural resources, Homeland Security and emergency services planners, National Guard and national security practitioners
• Community health workers
• Veterans and active-duty military
• Private-sector and nonprofit leaders
• Scientists/researchers transitioning into leadership roles that demand new skills in communication and public policy

Join the Conversation

If you're curious about how this program can work with your life and goals, we'd like to connect with you. Register for a virtual information event that is convenient for you.

April 10, 5:30 p.m. EST