Advanced Courses | Field of Specialization

Advanced-level Courses —  Four courses in the student's field of specialization. At least one course must be from the social sciences/policy and at least one course must be chosen from the natural sciences or engineering. 

During their Sophomore year, students should begin developing a field of specialization in consultation with their academic advisor.  The field of specialization should be a focused area of study within ESPP (e.g., climate change and food security, terrestrial conservation ecology, watershed management, or the economics of the clean energy transition).  Coursework conducted as part of the field of specialization is also intended to expose students to knowledge, perspectives and/or methodological approaches that will help shape their Senior capstone or thesis projects.
 
Students should formally identify their field of specialization during the Fall of their Junior year by submitting the Field of Specialization Form to the ESPP Office.  On this form, students should identify the four advanced courses they plan to take and explain how each course will contribute to their field of specialization.

Students are required to choose one course from each of the following lists. 

The remaining two advanced courses can be from courses outside these lists, approved on a case-by-case basis as part of each student’s Field of Specialization (FoS). These courses should: (i) be from the Social Science or Natural Science distributional areas, (ii) should include a substantial focus on environmental science and/or public policy, and (iii) must relate to the student’s FoS.  Ordinarily, only one FoS course can be a seminar course.

Natural Science Short List
Students are required to choose at least one course from the following list as part of their field of specialization. 

The courses below were selected to provide students with an understanding of fundamental biological, chemical, and/or physical principles essential for analyzing and addressing complex environmental issues ranging from climate change to biodiversity loss. Courses will introduce students to a variety of quantitative methods in environmental science through labs and fieldwork.

Natural Science Short List:
EPS/ESE 101: Global Warming Science (Tziperman)
EPS/ESE 109: Earth Resources and the Environment (Shaw) 
EPS/ESE 133: Atmospheric Chemistry (Jacob)
EPS/ESE 161: Applied Environmental Toxicology (Sunderland)
[ EPS/ESE 169: Field and Lab-Based Seminar on Local Pollution Issues (Sunderland) ]
EPS/ESE 168: Human Environmental Data Science (Huybers) 
OEB 55: Ecology: Populations, Communities and Ecosystems* (Davies, Moorcroft, Taylor) 
OEB 65: Conservation Biology* (Davies) 
OEB 120: Plant Ecophysiology and Diversity (Holbrook, Cavender-Bares)
OEB 157: Global Change Biology (Moorcroft)
[ OEB 172 Remote Sensing for Biodiversity and Ecology (Moorcroft, Cavender-Bares) ]
ESPP 171: Solid Waste in Developing Countries (Thomas)
ESPP 173: Water Resources in Developing Countries (Thomas)

Social Science Short List
Students are required to choose at least one course from the following list as part of their field of specialization. 

The courses below were selected to provide students with an understanding of the human dimensions of environmental challenges, including cultural, economic, political, and ethical aspects. These courses will introduce students to theoretical and practical aspects of policy-making and regulatory frameworks, preparing them to become effective decision-makers in environmental policy.

Social Science Short List:
API 165: Energy and Environmental Economics and Policy (HKS) (Aldy)
ESPP 160: US Environmental Policy and Policymaking (Jenks)
[ ESPP 77: Technology, Environment and Society* ] (Jasanoff)
ESPP 78: Environmental Politics* (Jasanoff) 
GOV 1722: Politics of the Environment and Climate Change (Ansolabehere)
SOC 1284: People and the Planet: How Societies Cause, Mitigate, and Adapt to Climate 
Change (Beckfield)

*May count as advanced course if not taken as part of basic requirements

[ ] Courses in brackets are not expected to be offered in 2026/27.
Course list updated March 25, 2026

Example Fields of Specialization 

Ecology and Conservation Biology
- Advanced Course 1 (Natural Sciences) OEB 65: Conservation Biology
- Advanced Course 2 (Social Sciences) ESPP 160: US Environmental Policy and Policymaking
- Advanced Course 3 OEB 157: Global Change Biology
- Advanced Course 4 OEB 172: Remote sensing for Biodiversity and Ecology

Climate Policy
- Advanced Course 1 (Natural Sciences) EPS/ESE 101: Global Warming Science
- Advanced Course 2 (Social Sciences) GOV 1722: Politics of the Environment and Climate Change
- Advanced Course 3 SOC 1284: People and the Planet: How Societies Cause, Mitigate, and Adapt to Climate Change
- Advanced Course 4 ESPP 90G: The Law and Policy of Climate Change: Influencing Decision Makers

Energy Transition
- Advanced Course 1 (Natural Sciences) EPS/ESE 109: Earth Resources and the Environment
- Advanced Course 2 (Social Sciences) API 165: Energy and Environmental Economics and Policy
- Advanced Course 3 ESPP 77: Technology, Environment and Society 
- Advanced Course 4 EPS/ESE 164: Environmental and Industrial Chemistry for Energy, Climate, and Sustainability

Water Resources
- Advanced Course 1 (Natural Sciences) EPS/ESE 161: Applied Environmental Toxicology 
- Advanced Course 2 (Social Sciences) ESPP 160: US Environmental Policy and Policymaking
- Advanced Course 3 ESPP 173: Water Resources in Developing Countries 
- Advanced Course 4 EPS/ESE 162 Hydrology