Sustainability Master’s Degree Requirements

• ENVR 101 Proseminar: Introduction to Graduate Studies in Sustainability and Global Development
• ENVR 210 Quantitative Research in Sustainability
• 3 sustainability skill-set courses
• 3 sustainability electives
  • EXPO 42c Writing in the Sciences or EXPO 42b Writing in the Social Sciences is an option.

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The thesis is a 9-month independent research project where you work one-on-one in a tutorial setting with a thesis director.

You enroll in the following additional courses:

• 1 applied research course
• ENVR 496 Crafting the Thesis Proposal in Sustainability course (3-week on-campus course; see on-campus experience)
• ENVR 499AB ALM Thesis in Sustainability (8 credits)

Recent Thesis Topics:

• Examining Partnerships Between Grocery Stores and Food Pantries as a Mechanism for Reducing Grocery Stores’ Generated Food Waste
• Solar Power Tower: An Alternative Method to Power Egypt
• Quantifying Benefit-Cost Ratios for a Low Emission Zone against Heavy Duty Diesel Vehicles in Bangkok
• Dumping on the Disenfranchised: Environmental Justice Implications of Polychlorinated
  Biphenyl Contamination in West Virginia
• Design Methodology for Optimized Climate-Specific Passive Dew Collectors

In the capstone track, you develop a project design in the precapstone tutorial, then execute the project in your capstone course. You choose the 1) independent research, 2) consulting, or 3) innovation capstone.

Additional courses for the capstone track include:

• 3 sustainability electives
• Precapstone tutorial (noncredit)
• Capstone (on campus one weekend or 3 weeks; see on-campus experience)

Capstone sequencing. You enroll in the precapstone and capstone courses in back-to-back semesters and in your final academic year. The capstone must be taken alone as your sole remaining degree requirement.

1. Independent research capstone experience. First, in ENVR 598 Sustainability Precapstone Tutorial, you design an independent research project with your assigned research advisor. Then, in the ENVR 599 Independent Research Capstone, you execute the research while receiving guidance and support from your instructor and fellow degree candidates.

Recent Research Capstone Topics:

• Analyzing Implementation Barriers to Farm-to-School Programs
• Comparing External Cost in the Transportation of Alberta Bitumen by Pipeline and Rail
• To What Extent Are Wind and Solar Companies Pursuing a Clean Energy Future at the Expense of Human Rights?
• Clean Ride to School: Viability and Opportunities of School Bus Electrification in
  Massachusetts
• Capturing Carbon Atmospherically for Use as Materials and Ingredients as an Alternative to
  Fossil Fuel Sources

2) Consulting capstone experience. First, in ENVR 598a Consulting for Sustainability Solutions Precapstone, you work with your research advisor to identify a partner organization. For example, a company, nonprofit organization or governmental agency. Then, in ENVR 599a Consulting for Sustainability Solutions Capstone, you develop a Sustainable Action Plan (SAP) to support the partner’s sustainability efforts.

Recent Consulting Partners:

• IBM
• National Oil Company of the United Arab Emirates
• Sargento Foods, Inc.
• Luwire Wildlife Conservancy (Mozambique)
• Arnold Arboretum, Harvard University
• Automotive Industry, Mexico

3) NEW Innovation capstone experience. First, you successfully complete ENVR 154 Sustainable Product Design and the Innovation Ecosystem as one your electives. Then you register for ENVR 598b Innovation in Sustainability and Global Development Practice Precapstone, where you draft a sustainable startup business plan for investors or a plan to assess a local innovation ecosystem for a client. Class time is devoted to addressing investor and client requirements, plus developing actionable solutions.

Finally, in ENVR 599b Innovation in Sustainability and Global Development Practice Capstone, you deliver an innovative new product development plan or sustainable business plan focused on reducing operating costs, minimizing the environmental footprint, and improving environmental sustainability practices. You will work with public or private entities, such as local governments, corporations, nongovernment organizations, governmental agencies, schools, universities, and hospitals.

You can choose to concentrate your degree studies in a specific area within sustainability to earn a certificate along the way.

Graduate Certificates:

• Corporate Sustainability and Innovation
• Environmental Policy and International Development
• Natural Resource Management and Sustainable Ecosystems
• Sustainable City and Communities
• Sustainable Food Systems

To meet the on-campus requirement, you choose the Standard on-campus option and study with us in the summer. You can easily request an I-20 for the F-1 student visa for Harvard Summer School’s 3-week session. For more details, see International Student Study Options for important visa information.

Come to Cambridge for Convocation (fall) to celebrate your hard-earned admission, Harvard career fairs offered throughout the year, HES alumni networking events (here at Harvard and around the world), and, of course, Harvard University Commencement (May).

• Prior to enrolling in any degree-applicable courses, you must possess a 4-year regionally accredited US bachelor’s degree or its foreign equivalent. Foreign bachelor’s degrees must be evaluated for equivalency.
• If English is your second language, you’ll need to prove English proficiency before registering for a course. We have multiple proficiency options.

To begin the admission process, you simply register — no application required — for the following two, four-credit, graduate-level degree courses (available online).

These prerequisite courses count toward your degree once you’re admitted; they are not additional courses. They are investments in your studies and help ensure success in the program.

• ENVR 101 Proseminar: Introduction to Graduate Studies in Sustainability and Development Practice
  • Before registering, you’ll need to pass our online test of critical reading and writing skills or earn a B or higher in EXPO 42c Writing in the Sciences or EXPO 42b Writing in the Social Sciences.
  • You have two attempts to earn the minimum grade of B in the proseminar (a withdrawal grade counts as an attempt). The proseminar cannot be more than 2 years old at the time of application.
• ENVR 210 Quantitative Research in Sustainability

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Course sequencing. While the two courses don’t need to be taken in a particular order or in the same semester, we recommend that you start with ENVR 101. Each course must be completed with a grade of B or higher, without letting your overall Harvard cumulative GPA dip below 3.0.

During the semester of your second degree course, submit the official application to the program.

Don’t delay! You must prioritize the two degree courses for admission and apply before completing subsequent courses. By doing so, you’ll:

• Avoid the loss of credit due to expired course work or changes to admission and degree requirements.
• Ensure your enrollment in critical and timely degree-candidate-only courses.
• Avoid the delayed application fee.
• Gain access to exclusive benefits.

Eligible students who submit a complete and timely application will have 10 more courses after admission to earn the degree. Applicants can register for courses in the upcoming semester before they receive their grades and while they await their admission decision.

Prospective ALM students can expect acceptance into the program by meeting all the eligibility and academic requirements detailed on this page, submitting a complete application, and having no academic standing or conduct concerns.

We offer one alternative pathway to admission:

MITx MicroMasters® Credential Admissions Pathway

If you have earned the MITx MicroMasters credential, you may apply the credential toward admission and complete 1 additional course at the Extension School. Learn more about the MicroMasters pathway.

GPA. You need to earn a B or higher in each of the two degree courses required for admission and a B– or higher in each of the subsequent courses. In addition, your cumulative GPA cannot dip below 3.0.

Withdrawal Grades. You are allowed to receive two withdrawal (WD) grades without them affecting your GPA. Any additional WD grades count as zero in your cumulative GPA. See Academic Standing.

Repeat Courses. We advise you to review the ALM program’s strict policies about repeating courses. Generally speaking, you may not repeat a course to improve your GPA or to fulfill a degree requirement (if the minimum grade was not initially achieved). Nor can you repeat a course for graduate credit that you’ve previously completed at Harvard Extension School or Harvard Summer School at the undergraduate level.

Courses over five years old at the point of admission will not count toward the degree. As stated above, the proseminar cannot be more than two years old at the time of application.

Further, you have five years to complete your degree requirements. The five-year timeline begins at the end of the term in which you complete any two degree-applicable courses, regardless of whether or not you have been admitted to a degree program.

Potential degree candidates must plan accordingly and submit their applications to comply with the five-year course expiration policy or they risk losing degree credit for completed course work. Additionally, admission eligibility will be jeopardized if, at the point of application to the program, the five-year degree completion policy cannot be satisfied (i.e., too many courses to complete in the time remaining).

When you have fulfilled all degree requirements, you will earn your Harvard University degree: Master of Liberal Arts (ALM) in Extension Studies, Field: Sustainability. Degrees are awarded in November, February, and May, with the annual Harvard Commencement ceremony in May.

When you become an officially admitted degree candidate, you have access to a rich variety of exclusive benefits to support your academic journey. To learn more, visit degree candidate academic opportunities and privileges.