International Master of Environmental Policy

About this course

New economic opportunities in emerging economies and around the globe have brought complex environmental challenges—from increased air and water pollution to food security to energy and climate change. Duke Kunshan University’s international Master of Environmental Policy (iMEP) program prepares its graduates to meet these pressing challenges through effective policy solutions drawn from an array of disciplines.

International Opportunities

Building on the strong relationship between the iMEP program and Duke University, iMEP students will have the opportunity to spend a semester at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, USA, where they will interact with the broader Duke faculty, gain additional English-language experience, and build networks with US-based contacts.

At the same time, the program will bring students pursuing a master’s degree from the Nicholas and Sanford schools to Duke Kunshan, further increasing diversity and networking opportunities in the iMEP program. Internships with a range of international organizations, NGOs, and corporations round out the opportunities available to iMEP students.

Entry Requirements

Applicants to Duke Kunshan University’s graduate programs must hold the equivalent of a US bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution. In addition to that, the following are required:

• Complete online application form
• Resume / CV
• Statement of Purpose (500 - 1,000 words)
• At least two letters of recommendation 
• Unofficial Transcript
• Official GRE score
• Official TOEFL score (minimum score of 90 required) or IELTS score (minimum score of 7.0 required)*

*The program’s language of instruction is English, and written and spoken English proficiency is required. Students who are not native English speakers must provide language evaluation test scores with their application materials. 

Students are also recommended to  complete both basic statistics and microeconomics courses prior to enrollment

Curriculum

The overall curriculum emphasizes on policy and the social sciences, and it draws more heavily on the Chinese experience and other comparative cases in Asia. Specifically, the first-year structure of curriculum includes economics, statistics, and policy analysis, followed by a spring semester policy practicum. In the second year, students will have an opportunity to spend one semester in Durham. This allows them to benefit from the larger number of electives available on the Durham campus. They are required to take environmental science, law, and a master’s project.

The curriculum consists of 16 classes (48 course hours) spread out over 2 years. Students will be required to take 7 core classes (21 course hours of credit) so as to ensure quality and consistency in the degree. They will also be required to enroll in a full year of the Masters Project class (MP, 6 course hours). Unlike the traditional master programs in China, the iMEP program does not offer a thesis option but a capstone project. There will be flexibility with the 7 elective classes (21 course hours) so as to allow students to pursue particular environmental policy and resource issues as well as enhancing their methodological skills. Finally, they will be required to complete a summer internship in China, ideally connected to their MP.

The curriculum will include (expected 2-year schedule):

• 7 core classes (21 course hours)
• 7 elective classes (21 course hours)
• Summer Internship
• 2 MP capstone courses (6 course hours)

The program includes a statistics and economics prerequisite; students will be evaluated prior to enrollment to ensure that they have the appropriate statistical skills and background in principles of economics. 

Some of the courses that may be covered throughout this program include:

• Environmental Economics 
• Environmental GIS 
• Environmental Law, Governance and Regulation 
• Environmental Policy Analysis 
• Key Topics in International Environmental Policy 
• Masters Project 
• Narrating Nature: Documentaries for Environmental Studies 
• Planetary Health and Environmental Epidemiology 
• Quantitative Modeling for Energy Systems Analysis 
• Statistics and Program Evaluation