Master of Science in Sustainability Management and Policy (MSSMP)

Degree Program

Sustainability Specialists are #2 on the Top 10 fastest growing jobs according to the World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2023, with a growth rate of more than 30% and a net employment gain of 9 million new jobs per year. The demand for sustainability professionals continues to increase as governments, corporations, and the United Nations have set sustainability goals for decades to come. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported strong growth in all sustainability-related job categories, with a 11.9% increase in employment forecasted for 2019-2028. Global efforts to decarbonize in response to the climate crisis require a wide range of green jobs across sectors and industries, potentially creating 30 million jobs in clean energy, efficiency, and low-emissions technologies by 2030.

CSULB's College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, College of Liberal Arts, College of Business, and the College of Professional and Continuing Education (CPaCE) have joined efforts to offer a Master of Science in Sustainability Management and Policy (MSSMP) degree program to meet the needs of this growing workforce. This program provides an interdisciplinary graduate degree that will empower students with in-demand technical, managerial, and problem-solving skills to guide the decision-making process in the context of sustainability.

Students will engage with regional and national sustainability groups and collaborate with various professionals from a wide array of industries, government, non-government, and academic organizations in order to excel as active leaders in sustainability fields. 

The Integrative Capstone Experience course (6 units) will serve as the culminating educational experience for students in the MSSMP program. It is designed to integrate the transdisciplinary fields of the program’s curriculum. Under the guidance of faculty mentors, students will engage in a 12-week project with partner companies and non-profit organizations.

  • Working professionals seeking to apply concepts of sustainability within an organization and the industry’s regulatory environment
  • Students with a science or engineering foundation who are interested in sustainability (including those studying courses in chemistry, calculus, biology, microbiology, chemistry, or physics)
  • Those who want to pursue a career in the wide field of sustainability or advance from their current positions in related fields 
  • Technical, managerial, and problem-solving skills to guide decision-making in the context of sustainability
  • A balance between theory and application of social, economic, environmental, business, and technical systems
  • Focus on security and assurance for protection of data, software, and resources
  • Mentorships with sustainability professionals
  • A culminating capstone project within a professional setting that gives students real-world experience
  • Evening courses
  • How to define and apply sustainability principles and practices within professional responsibilities
  • How the interaction of environmental, economic, and social values interact to foster or hinder sustainability and sustainable practices
  • How to analyze and experience local, national, and global sustainability across disciplines
  • How to apply sustainability principles within the context of personal and professional values
  • How to develop proficiency with data collection, analysis, and representation on a range of sustainability-related topics
  • Sustainability and Society
  • Sustainability Science
  • Sustainability Case Studies
  • Data Analytics and Sustainability
  • Sustainability and Organization Theory
  • Environment, Law, Policy, and Ethics
  • Decision-Making and Uncertainty
  • Benefit-Cost Analysis
  • Environmental Economics and Policy
  • Sustainability and Strategic Management