Georgia Tech offers a variety of climate and sustainability-related degree programs at the graduate and undergraduate levels.
B.S. Environmental Science
The Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science encompasses the study of natural environmental systems and the interaction of humans with these systems. It includes a strong foundation in the basic sciences, requiring core content in mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, Earth sciences, and environmental policy. Upper-level coursework builds lab, field, communication, and computational skills. Students will be encouraged to create a focused pathway of electives that matches their interests and career goals. This degree program will prepare students for careers in environmental consulting, conservation, environmental sustainability, and environmental education. It will also provide a strong base for students interested in pursuing graduate programs and careers in environmental policy, environmental law, medicine, and other master’s and Ph.D. programs in environmentally related disciplines.
B.S. Environmental Engineering
The School of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) offers a BS degree in Environmental Engineering (BS EnvE). The curriculum is designed to provide students with fundamental knowledge of scientific disciplines and engineering principles that are used to address emerging environmental issues such as sustainable air, water, and land resources; human health; and environmental restoration. In the first and second years, students take courses in physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, English composition, and introductory engineering. The third year incorporates advanced engineering topics, including solid and fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, and laboratories in engineering materials, hydraulic engineering, and environmental monitoring and process engineering. The fourth year is elective based, allowing students to select courses from specific focus areas, including biological processes, sustainability, air pollution, and water resources, in addition to technical and design electives. A senior-level capstone design course serves to integrate principles from a range of disciplines. The curriculum is intended to provide students with the flexibility to develop tailored sequences of electives to meet individual education and career objectives, while ensuring a comprehensive engineering design experience.
B.S. Civil Engineering
The four-year curriculum leading to the Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering (BS CE) enables the graduate to enter professional practice as an engineer or to continue their studies in programs leading to advanced degrees in the following broad fields of specialization:
- Construction Engineering,
- Environmental and Water Systems,
- Geotechnical Systems,
- Structural Systems,
- Transportation Systems.
The BS CE degree program is designed to offer depth in course material considered essential for all civil engineers, as well as flexibility in selecting elective courses that offer breadth of topic exposure. Civil engineers contribute to society in numerous ways; thus, the School’s philosophy is to provide the student with a range of electives that meet student interests. Civil engineers must not only be technically proficient, but also must be effective in working with people and with professionals in other disciplines.
Minor in Sustainable Cities
Planning for cities and urban regions brings together concepts that involve almost every major at Georgia Tech. From climate to the economy, from health to social justice, and from infrastructure to technology, a holistic, sustainable approach is needed to solve the complex problems facing cities and regions.
The School of City and Regional Planning offers a minor in Sustainable Cities that emphasizes sustainability in the context of the urban and regional built environment. It provides students with a deep learning experience that incorporates classroom learning and practical knowledge of the ways in which cities and regions can grow and thrive as they become more sustainable, just, and resilient.
Minor in Leadership Studies
The Minor in Leadership Studies is designed to provide students with in-depth knowledge of leadership theory, skills, and experience through a rigorous and multi-disciplinary program of study. Students will complete the program by applying their knowledge and skills through a project based experiential learning course. The minor is currently comprised of three tracks – Business, Global Engineering Leadership & Public Policy, offered through the Institute for Leadership & Entrepreneurship at the Scheller College of Business, the College of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the School of Public Policy at the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts. This program offers interested students the opportunity to gain insight into global civil society, to learn about the challenges of creating and leading effective and sustainable social enterprises, and to make a positive impact by working closely with a non-profit organization in Budapest, Hungary. This program introduces students to the concept of “sustainable communities” and is affiliated with Serve-Learn-Sustain.
Minor in Architecture
Architecture is a highly integrative and complex discipline that can provide a foundation for careers in different areas of environmental design and construction, as well as provide preparation for other collaborative design processes involving the integration of art and science.
The minor in architecture enables students to develop their creativity and passion for producing innovative, culturally-enhancing design. Students in the minor will learn to produce models for handling complex, multidisciplinary collaboration for concrete solutions to real-world social and ecological sustainability problems.
M.S. in Environmental Engineering
The Environmental Engineering program provides comprehensive educational and research opportunities in air, land and water science and engineering.The principal focus areas include:
- environmental biotechnology
- water quality and treatment
- wastewater reclamation and reuse
- environmental hazards and risk assessment
- ground water modeling and treatment
- air quality monitoring; pollution control and modeling
- environmental sciences; and industrial ecology
- sustainability
Environmental engineering is also a key component in Institute-wide initiatives in bioengineering, bioscience and biotechnology, nanotechnology, materials science and technology, sustainable technology and development, environmental science and technology, and energy-water-food systems.
The multi-disciplinary credentials of our faculty, our state-of-the-art research facilities, and extensive collaborations with other engineering and science faculty all combine to attract high-caliber students from a variety of disciplines.
The master’s degree requires 30 credit hours beyond a Bachelor of Science. Thesis and non-thesis options are available. Typically, a non-thesis master’s degree can be completed in three semesters and a thesis degree program can be completed in two years.
Master of Sustainable Energy and Environmental Management
The Master of Sustainable Energy and Environmental Management (MSEEM) curriculum is a multidisciplinary program with courses taught in schools across the Georgia Tech campus. These include public policy, business, industrial and systems engineering, city and regional planning, civil and environmental engineering, and economics, among others. This curriculum is designed to allow students to develop individualized courses of study designed to supplement their current strengths and give them the skills necessary to achieve career goals.
Students completing the MSEEM program will be able to:
1. Assess the context of coupled human and natural systems in energy and environmental problems
2. Identify and describe ethical values associated with energy and environmental problems
3. Manage and design appropriate responses to energy and environmental sustainability problems
4. Apply tools and methods to develop solutions for energy and environmental problems
Master of Science in Urban Design
The Master of Science in Urban Design (MSUD) degree is oriented to those who wish to expand upon their previous professional education and professional experience, as architects, landscape architects, city planners, or civil engineers, and to enter urban design practices either in private firms or public agencies, or to pursue a Ph.D. The MSUD Program is housed in the School of Architecture and collaborates with the Georgia Tech School of City and Regional Planning. The curriculum is focused on urban design studios, often in direct collaboration with local communities, addressing contemporary challenges including climate change, equity, and retrofitting obsolescent infrastructure. Internships with leading urban design firms across the US help students build professional networks. Courses in urban design, history and theory, real estate, and urban ecology provide a rich interdisciplinary experience augmented with elective opportunities in architecture, planning, engineering, computation, public policy, heritage preservation, and other areas. Most students complete the program over the summer in our Modern Architecture and Modern City European study program, doing coursework and independent study.
MBA with Sustainability Concentration
Gain a deeper understanding of business-relevant trends and innovation opportunities related to resource scarcity, environmental concerns, societal needs, emerging technologies, and policy developments.
Students interested in sustainability but not seeking to complete the concentration may still choose to take any of the electives listed below. The flexibility of the concentration in strategic sustainability supports those seeking to strengthen traditional career paths as well as those wanting to dive deeper and explore careers focused on particular sustainability-related areas.
Ph.D. Program in Ocean Science & Engineering (OSE)
The goal of the Ph.D. Program in Ocean Science & Engineering (OSE) is to educate the next generation of transdisciplinary ocean scientists and engineers by combining the basic and applied sciences with innovative ocean technologies, and to advance interdisciplinary research at the frontiers of the physical, biological, chemical and human dimensions of ocean systems.
The OSE training is organized around Research Themes
| Ocean Sustainability | Ocean & Climate | Ocean Microbes |
| Marine Living Resources | Ocean Technology | Coastal Ocean Systems |
Students will learn how to identify cutting-edge questions in the ocean sciences and technologies, and will develop broadly relevant quantitative, computational and laboratory skill-sets to address problems ranging from ocean energy, ocean & climate change, ocean prediction systems, coastal ocean hazards, ocean observing technology, marine ecosystem dynamics & services, marine chemical ecology, global and regional ocean biogeochemistry.