Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning

MS in Environmental Engineering Policy and Planning

The MS in Environmental Engineering Policy and Planning is a Joint MS degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering and Urban and Environmental Planning. The program trains professionals with both technical engineering skills and a policy perspective in terms of planning and implementation. The program is organized around four tracks:

  • Climate
  • Energy
  • Transportation
  • Water

Students typically complete the program in four semesters.

Program Policies and Requirements

  • The MS in Environmental Policy and Planning requires 42 credits (including a 3 credit thesis) and a non-credit internship. 

Course Requirements

All Tracks:

Engineering Analytics (11 credits)

Required:

  • ES 100 Actionable Engineering Diplomacy (3 credits)
  • CEE 201 Applied Probability Theory (Fall; Session 1; 2 credits)
  • CEE 202 Data Analysis and Statistical Methods (Fall; Session 2; 2 credits)
  • CEE 203 Statistical Inference and Prediction (Spring; Session 1; 2 credits)
  • CEE 204 Hypothesis Testing and Uncertainty Analysis (Spring; Session 2; 2 credits)
  • OR approved advanced data analysis elective

Spatial Analysis (3 credits, choose 1 class from the following)

  • CEE 187 Geographic Information Systems (Fall, 3 credits) OR UEP 232 Intro to GIS (Fall and Spring, 3 credits)
  • CEE 189 OR UEP 189 Remote Sensing (Fall, 3 credits)
  • OR approved advanced spatial analysis elective

Urban Planning Fundamentals (9 credits)

  • UEP 250 Foundations of Planning and Policy
  • UEP 251 Economics for Policy and Planning Analysis
  • UEP 252 Cities in Space Place and Time

Practicum

  • UEP 255 Field Projects: Planning and Practice (4 credits)
  • Thesis (3 credits)
  • Internship (non-credit) 150 hours

Climate Track (12 credits)

Required:

  • CEE 103 Climate Science and Engineering (new course, Fall 2022)
  • UEP 221 Climate Change Policy and Planning

Electives (choose 2 of the following):

  • CEE 132 Data Science for Sustainability
  • CEE 136 Air Pollution Control (Spring)
  • CEE 152 Environmental Health – Data Lab (Fall)
  • CEE 214 Environmental and Water Systems (Spring)
  • EOS 151 Global Climate Change (Fall)
  • UEP 235 Advanced Geospatial Modeling or Advanced GIS
  • UEP 237/CEE 193 Urban Analytics & Visualization (Fall)
  • UEP 238 Data Science for Urban Sustainability (Spring)
  • UEP 264 Green Urban Design (Fall)
  • UEP 207 Environmental Law
  • UEP 267 Sustainability Metrics and Decision Tools
  • OR approved advanced climate track elective

Energy Track (12 credits)

Required:

  • CEE 101 Engineering the Energy Transition (Fall)
  • UEP 293 Energy Policy Transformation to Zero Carbon

Electives (choose 2):

  • CEE 132: Data Science for Sustainability
  • CEE 136: Air Pollution Control (Spring)
  • CEE 214 Environmental and Water Systems (Fall)
  • UEP 207 Environmental Law
  • UEP 237/CEE 193 Urban Analytics & Visualization (Fall)
  • UEP 238 Data Science for Urban Sustainability (Spring)
  • OR approved advanced energy track elective

Transportation Track (12 credits)

Required: 

  • CEE XXX: Transportation Engineering (New, Fall 2022)
  • UEP 173: Transportation Planning

Electives (choose 2):

  • CEE 129: Bridge Engineering (Spring)
  • CEE 136: Air Pollution Control (Spring)
  • CEE 146: Foundation Engineering (Fall)
  • UEP 237/CEE193 Urban Analytics & Visualization (Fall)
  • UEP 238 Data Science for Urban Sustainability (Spring)
  • UEP 264 Green Urban Design (Fall)
  • UEP 207 Environmental Law
  • UEP 294 Planning for Pedestrians and Bicycles
  • OR approved advanced transportation track elective

Water Track (12 credits)

Required:

  • CEE 293: Physical Hydrology (Fall) 
  • UEP 279: Water Resources/Watershed Management (Fall)

Electives (choose 2):

  • CEE 111: Hydrology of the Built Environment (Fall)
  • CEE 112: River Hydraulics and Stream Restoration (Spring)
  • CEE 113: Groundwater (Fall)
  • CEE 143 Site Remediation (Fall)
  • CEE 159: WASH Design (Fall)
  • CEE 214 Environmental and Water Systems (Spring) 
  • CEE 251 Biology of Water and Health
  • UEP 202/201: Land Use Planning I/II
  • UEP 264 Green Urban Design (Fall)
  • UEP 194 Urban Design and the Changing Suburbs
  • UEP 206 Low Impact Design
  • UEP 207 Environmental Law
  • OR approved advanced water track elective

General Track (12 credits)

  • Courses chosen from above Tracks and with Advisor approval

Admissions

Students must be accepted into both departments in order to enter the joint degree program. A single application can be submitted on the Tufts' online application system by choosing the "MS in Environmental Engineering Policy and Planning Joint Degree" program. The application will then be reviewed concurrently by each department according to its own review criteria. The candidate's admission to UEP is not affected by the decision of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.