Master’s in Environmental Studies and Sustainability

Community Planning for Resiliency

It is increasingly essential that we couple our greenhouse gas reduction actions with preparations for climate extremes and other changes both expected and unexpected. Students will work through a planning project that focuses on assessment, vulnerability, sustainability, and resilience in a case study of their choosing. Students will choose and assess a community and assess the vulnerability. They will research and propose how to increase resilience and improve the sustainability of the area.

Leading Sustainable Change

Students will work to become sustainability leaders in the world today. Implementing a plan for change is important, but having the ability to create a personal and professional structure is an essential skill that will build the ability to continuously lead, learn and refine. Students will develop a personal leadership development plan using a sustainability assessment and SWOT analysis that will be used to communicate with stakeholders.

Thinking in Systems

Essential to careers in environmental sustainability, students will learn to apply systems thinking and analysis techniques to a system. They will choose a system of interest that they will thoroughly review in order to evaluate flows, stocks, parameters and variables. Students will discover how to incorporate or leverage social systems to create better outcomes. They will present recommendations for actions based on systems insights.

Unity Alum, Chelsea Wulff works as a Senior Conservation Program Specialist.

“Unity presented a unique opportunity to work on my Master’s Degree remotely and seamlessly integrate what I learned into my professional decisions. I had the power to focus each term’s paper on a different sustainable lens as it relates to water conservation which opened my mind to new scientific resources to guide my program design and implementation. I was also promoted in my time at Unity to Senior Conservation Program Specialist at SUEZ in our New York Operations. SUEZ’s mission is to shape a sustainable future, now! Unity’s program helped me live out that vision and has aided in designing educational and useful outdoor water and conservation rate campaigns.”

Unity Alum, Morgan White, works for Bear Brook State Park.

“Since graduating from Unity with my undergraduate degree in 2019 with a Bachelor of Science in Parks and Forest Resources and a Masters degree in 2021, I have been able to explore different avenues in the field such as learning more about state park management. Currently, I am working for Bear Brook State Park, under the NH Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR), which is located in southern New Hampshire in the town of Allenstown. I work in admissions and as a tour guide for Bear Brook’s Museum Complex. Bear Brook is the second largest developed state park in New Hampshire over 10,000 acres and 50 miles of trails. I am very lucky to have been hired by this park during the Covid-19 pandemic and thank my educational background that I have earned through Unity for getting me in the door. In addition, I feel that earning these environmental science degrees, will give me the foundation to help propel me forward into exploring different career paths in the world of sustainability as well.”

Unity Alum, Sarah Stanley, works as the Executive Director at Kennebunk Land Trust.

“I chose Unity’s master’s in Environmental Studies & Sustainability program because I wanted the flexibility to continue working as well as the opportunity to update my knowledge. Unity, recognized as a leader in the environmental field, provided the opportunity to deepen my understanding of how my work in conservation dovetails with broader environmental studies and sustainability issues. The program also allowed me to sharpen my skills and apply these skills through both my capstone project and work with my current organization.”

Dr. Tamara Lawless

Instructor of Environmental Justice

Dr. Tamara Lawless holds a Ph.D in Sustainability from Arizona State University, a M.S. in Environmental Education from the Expedition Education Institute, and a B.S. in Conservation Biology and Environmental Studies from the University of Wisconsin – Madison.

Dr. Lawless brings value to her students from her vast fieldwork experience. She has worked on a variety of sustainability issues including water scarcity, climate change resiliency and adaptation, childhood obesity, social justice, and food insecurity throughout her career. She is a firm believer in sustainability solutions that are driven by the community in which they are embedded. With training in sustainability science, community outreach, environmental education, and governmental affairs, she takes great joy in mentoring students to tackle the complex challenges posed by sustainability problems.