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Master of Environmental Studies

Green Thinking!

Links:  http://environment.wharton.upenn.edu/curriculum_major.htm 

http://www.sas.upenn.edu/earth/ies_c.html 

Be part of the exciting multidisciplinary intellectual community at Penn's College of Liberal and Professional Studies (LPS) who are focused on advanced study of the environment through the Master of Environmental Studies (MES) Program. 

You'll take courses across the University and collaborate with Penn's world-class researchers and practitioners in the physical, biological, and social sciences, economics, and other arts and sciences disciplines, as well as professionals in planning, engineering, business, health care, and the law. Gain the breadth needed to address complex issues of the environment while you develop the depth required to provide specific expertise in environmental restoration and protection. 

Earn your MES degree without interrupting your career. With day and evening classes available, you can complete the 12-course program, either full- or part-time, in just two to four years. LPS faculty and advisors work closely with you to develop the program that matches your unique goals and schedule. 

The Master of Environmental Studies degree is offered by the School of Arts and Sciences, in cooperation with the Institute for Environmental Studies (IES). It is administered by Penn's College of Liberal and Professional Studies. 

CURRICULUM 

New MBA/MES Joint Degree 

Wharton is pleased to announce the establishment of a new program which offers an MBA/MES dual degree.  This joint degree complements and enhances the multi-disciplinary approach in integrating knowledge and advancing educational goals in the business and the environment sectors. The MBA/MES program expands the range of skills and knowledge that Wharton students can develop in the field of environmental management.

The multi-disciplinary nature of the MES curriculum exposes Wharton students to faculty and students with similar interests in environmentally related topics throughout the Penn community.  The capstone component for the joint MES/MBA degree gives students the opportunity to participate in research initiatives in a concentrated field of study. 

Students will be at Wharton for three semesters and in LPS for one year, plus a summer capstone course.  We expect that this degree will allow students use cutting edge management and financial techniques to close the gap between business and the environmental sciences. 

MBA Major in Environmental and Risk Management  

The major in Environmental and Risk Management is concerned with public and private sector issues in designing and implementing effective strategies related to the impacts of business activities on the environment and related areas in health and safety. There has been a growing concern with such impacts because of their inherent importance for responsible management. This is due primarily to the increasing cost of laws and regulations governing those business activities which may pose risks to the environment, to the health and safety of workers, and/or to surrounding communities. 

This major is designed to provide in-depth foundations for those interested in pursuing careers in the growing environmental sector of the economy, whether in private business, in environmental consulting, or in government. Non-majors interested in an overview of business and policy in the environmental area should also find selected courses from this major of interest.

The program provides an interdisciplinary approach, building on faculty and courses from departments such as Accounting, Health Care Management, Insurance and Risk Management, Legal Studies, Management, Marketing, Operations and Information Management, and Business and Public Policy. Additional coursework on environmental and technological risks can be pursued in parallel with the Wharton program through studies in the School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Engineering and Applied Science. 

The program is coordinated by the Director of the Environmental Management Program. The program also offers a seminar series cosponsored with the Institute for Environmental Studies and the Risk Management and Decision Sciences Center. The ongoing design and monitoring of the program is supported by a school-wide group of faculty with teaching and research interests in environmental and risk management. 

Requirements for the Major: Five course units (cu) are required. 

The major in Environmental and Risk Management at the Wharton School requires five units of course work as indicated below or four units of course work and an advanced study project approved the Director of the Environmental Management Program. Acronyms on the following list of courses refer to the following departments: health care management (HCMG), insurance (INSR), legal studies (LGST), management (MGMT), marketing (MKTG), operations and information management (OPIM), and business and public policy (BPUB).   

The following mini-courses (0.5 cu) are required: 

OPIM 762 - Environmental Sustainability and Value Creation (Q1-Spring 2008) - This course is intended to familiarize students who are not environmental specialists with relevant facts and analyzes on this recent environmentalism evolution. What are the key concepts? What is at stake? Who are the key interested parties? Who is leading the way in reshaping business strategies as well as public policies? What are the lessons learned from successes and failures to integrate the environmental component, here and abroad? Also, why those who want to do good have to develop a robust business model to achieve that goal, and how to do it?

INSR 811 - Risk and Crisis Management - The success of any firm depends jointly on its ability to create value and on its ability to preserve value. The creation of value arises when a firm is able to identify and execute investments with a positive net present value. The creation of value invariably exposes the firm to risk and this value can easily be jeopardized. A fall in demand for its product, a sudden rise in production or financing costs, a technological failure, destruction of assets or information, a liability suit, or the activities of a rogue trader, each can squander the value created. In extreme cases these risky possibilities can bankrupt the firm. Risk management is becoming increasingly important and firms are devoting increasing time, attention and resources to deriving strategies for preserving value. These strategies include, hedging, insurance, contingent financing and changes in organizational design which make the firm more robust to shocks. Risk and Crisis Management will look at these and related strategies. 

Four of the following courses are required: 

HCMG 901 - Seminar in Health Care Cost Benefit and Cost Effectiveness Analysis - The purpose of this doctoral level course is to investigate the theory and practice of cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness analysis as applied to health care. The three techniques to be examined are cost-effectiveness analysis with single dimensional outcomes, cost effectiveness analysis with multiple attributes (especially in the form of Quality Adjusted Life Years), and economic cost-benefit analysis. Valuation of mortality and morbidity relative to other goods will be emphasized. Students will be expected to develop written critiques of articles in the literature, and to design a new application of one of the techniques as a term project.

LGST 815 - Environmental Management: Law & Policy - This course provides an introduction to environmental management with a focus of law and policy as a basic framework. The primary aim of the course is to give students a deeper theoretical and practical sense of the important relationship between business and the natural environment and to think critically about how best to manage this relationship.  :: Cross listed: MGMT 813

OPIM / BPUB 261 - Risk Analysis and Environmental Management - This course is designed to introduce students to the role of risk assessment, risk perception and risk management in dealing with uncertain health, safety and environmental risks including the threat of terrorism. It explores the role of decision analysis as well as the use of scenarios for dealing with these problems. The course will evaluate the role of policy tools such as risk communication, economic incentives, insurance, regulation and private-public partnerships in developing strategies for managing these risks. A project will enable students to apply the concepts discussed in the course to a concrete problem.

BPUB 777 - Cost Benefit Analysis - Cost benefit analysis -- the principal tool for project and policy evaluation in the public sector. For government whose "products" are rarely sold, the valuation of costs and benefits by means alternative to market prices is necessary. It is the counterpart to cost accounting in private firms and provides guidance for avoiding wasteful projects and undertaking those that are worthwhile. Given government regulations, cost benefit evaluations are critical for many private sector activities. Real estate developers, manufacturing firms, employers of all types are required to provide evaluations of environmental impacts and of urban impacts for their proposed projects. They too must engage in cost benefit analysis, in the valuation social benefits and costs. Government analysts, consultants, and private firms regularly carry out cost benefit analysis for major investments -- bridges, roads, transit systems, convention centers, sports stadia, dams -- as well as for regulatory activities -- OSHA workplace safety regulations and the Clean Air Act are two important examples. :: Cross listed: BPUB 960

OPIM 656 - Process Management in Manufacturing - This course builds on OPIM 631 and OPIM 632 in developing the foundations of process management, with applications to manufacturing and supply chain coordination and integration. This course begins with a treatment of the foundations of process management, including quality (e.g., 6-sigma systems) and time (e.g., cycle time) as building blocks for the successful integration of plant operations with vertical and horizontal market structures. On the e-manufacturing side, the course considers recent advances in enterprise-wide planning (ERP) systems, supplier management and contract manufacturing. Industry case studies highlight contrasting approaches to the integration of manufacturing operations and risk management with e-Logistics and e-Procurement providers and exchanges. The course is recommended for those interested in consulting or operations careers, and those wishing to understand the role of manufacturing as a general foundation for economic value creation.  :: Prerequisite(s): OPIM 621, OPIM 631, and OPIM 632 or equivalent  :: Cross listed: ESE 522

ASP: Advanced Study Project in the environmental area, supervised by a Wharton faculty member.