ESPP Secondary Field

The secondary field in ESPP offers students in other concentrations an opportunity to complement their studies with courses that will provide an environmental science and policy perspective.

Secondary Field Requirements - Five Courses

Foundational/Introductory Courses
Choose one:
EPS/ESE 6 Introduction to Environmental Science and Engineering (fall)
EPS/ESPP 105  Confronting Climate Change (fall)
EPS/ESE 50. The Fluid Earth: Oceans, Atmosphere, Climate, and Environment (spring)
GenEd 1158. Water and the Environment (spring)
[ GenEd 1085. Energy Resources and the Environment ]

Choose at least two upper-level courses from each of the two categories 

Social Sciences and Public Policy
API 165 Energy and Environmental Economics and Policy
ECON 1661 Economics of Climate Change and Environmental Policy
[ ESPP 77 Technology, Environment and Society ]
ESPP 78 Environmental Politics
ESPP 160 US Environmental Policy and Policymaking: The Role of Congress, EPA, Stakeholders, and Courts
[ ESPP 180 Climate Change, Health and Environmental Justice-Focusing on Solutions ]
Gov 1722 Politics of the Environment and Climate Change 
One ESPP junior seminar (ESPP 90) may be used in substitution for one of the social science and public policy requirements.

Natural Sciences and Engineering
EPS/ESE 101 Global Warming Science
EPS/ESE 109 Earth Resources and the Environment 
EPS/ESE 112 Thermodynamics
EPS/ESE 132 Introduction to Meteorology and Climate
EPS/ESE 133 Atmospheric Chemistry
EPS/ESE 161 Applied Environmental Toxicology 
[ EPS/ESE 162 Hydrology ]
EPS/ESE 164 Environmental and Industrial Chemistry for Energy, Climate, and Sustainability 
EPS/ESE 168 Human Environmental Data Science: Agriculture, Conflict, and Health 
EPS/ESE 169 Field and Lab-Based Seminar on Local Pollution Issues
ESPP 171 Solid Waste in Developing Countries
ESPP 173 Water Resources in Developing Countries 
OEB 55 Ecology: Populations, Communities and Ecosystems
OEB 65 Conservation Biology
OEB 120 Plant Ecophysiology and Diversity
OEB 157 Global Change Biology
OEB 172 Remote Sensing for Biodiversity and Ecology

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

Additional Opportunities for Engagement
There are many opportunities to enrich your studies in ESPP by getting involved in the larger environmental community at Harvard.  Please stay tuned for e-mail announcements throughout the semester for ESPP-related talks, seminars and events!

Note regarding courses while taken abroad: One course taken through a study abroad program may, with prior approval, be counted toward the SF requirement.