Master of Environmental Management in Environmental Leadership

Program Code: N-DEL-MEM
Degree Designation: Master of Environmental Management
Department: Nicholas School of the Environment
Website: nicholas.duke.edu/academics/masters-programs/duke-environmental-leadership-master-environmental-management

Program Summary

The Duke Environmental Leadership Master of Environmental Management (DEL-MEM) focuses on leadership and is designed for mid-career professionals. The DEL-MEM Program’s hybrid (online and place-based) format makes it feasible for professionals to pursue the degree while working full-time.

The DEL-MEM is a two-year, four-semester, thirty-course-credit program designed for mid-career professionals with a minimum of five years of professional experience in an environmental field. The DEL-MEM focuses on interdisciplinary and global themes, strategic approaches to environmental management, communication, and effective leadership. The DEL-MEM degree is offered primarily via distance-learning technologies and is complemented with five short place-based sessions.

For more information about the DEL-MEM Program, contact  nicholas-admissions@duke.edu or visit nicholas.duke.edu/academics/masters-programs/duke-environmental-leadership-master-environmental-management.

Academic Requirements

This is a two-year, four-semester, 30-credit degree.

• Core Courses & Seminars – 17 credits

  Core courses are designed to give students an interdisciplinary foundation across the following learning domains: environmental science and systems; environmental law, policy, and governance; business, markets, and innovation; communication and professional practice; environmental leadership.

• The planned core course schedule, which is subject to change, is as follows:

  • ENVIRON 961: Ecosystem Science and Management

  • ENVIRON 962: Economics of Environmental Management

  • ENVIRON 973: Targeted Environmental Management and Leadership: Utilizing Cost, Quality, and Time

  • ENVIRON 964: Environmental Law and Policy

  • ENVIRON 966: Professional Writing Course

  • ENVIRON 995: Leadership Seminar (includes five place-based sessions)

• Focused Courses / Electives – Minimum 7 credits

  Students can choose from a wide variety of electives*, including:

  • Artificial Intelligence for Environmental Sciences

  • The Science of Climate Change

  • Community Engagement for Environmental Leadership

  • Community-Based Environmental Management (with a field component in Mexico)

  • Restoration Ecology (optional field trip)

  • Sustainable Development (optional field trip to Colombia)

  • Geospatial Technologies for Environmental Leaders 

  • Sustainable Cities

  • Carbon Accounting

  • Business Strategy for Environmental Sustainability

  • Leading Organizational Change for Climate Impact

• Learning Pathways (6 credits)

  Students are required to take a minimum of six additional credits from either a course-based pathway or a Master's Project pathway. Most students follow the course-based pathway. These pathways allow students to choose either a project or a combination of courses that deepen and enrich their learning within their specific course of study.

  ◦ Master's Project (MP) Pathway: 4-6 credits

  ◦ Course-Based Pathway: 6 credits of coursework to enrich your course of study

*Offerings of elective courses are specifically cultivated by the DEL-MEM team and may vary from year to year.