University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability

SEAS’ doctoral program develops the creative abilities of select exceptional students, training them for independent work that contributes to original research and scholarship at the forefront of their chosen fields.

SEAS offers a PhD in Environment and Sustainability with two primary tracks:

• Resource Ecology Management, with an ecology and science focus
• Resource Policy and Behavior, with a social science focus.

SEAS offers five formal dual-degree programs with the following University of Michigan schools:

• Michigan Law
• Ross School of Business (Erb Program)
• College of Engineering
• Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning
• Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy

In addition to the above administration-approved dual-degree programs, SEAS students have initiated dual degrees with other University of Michigan programs, including:

SEAS also offers the following graduate certificate programs for any graduate student concurrently enrolled at the University of Michigan:

• Sustainability
• Industrial Ecology
• Spatial Analysis
• Environmental Justice
• Climate Change Solutions

“THE GREAT LAKES UNIVERSITY”

SEAS hosts three of the major Great Lakes research centers at U-M that receive funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

• Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research (CIGLR)
• Great Lakes Integrated Science and Assessments (GLISA)
• Michigan Sea Grant

The creation of new centers and major initiatives enables SEAS to tackle the impacts of climate change, advance research, and promote environmental justice—while forging new community partnerships. The following are among the most recent:

• The SEAS Sustainability Clinic in Detroit
• The Berman Western Forest and Fire Initiative
• The Tishman Center for Social Justice and the Environment
• The Equity and Justice Initiative
• Institute for Global Change Biology

Among the ongoing centers and initiatives at SEAS are:

• Sustainable Food Systems Initiative
• The Center for Sustainable Systems
• The Erb Institute: Advancing Business Sustainability

Place-based learning is a hallmark of the SEAS education, and many of our students travel throughout the country and around the globe. From master’s projects in places like Puerto Rico, to Colorado and Washington, D.C., we work hand-in-hand with communities to have a true impact. Closer to home, our state of Michigan—surrounded by the Great Lakes—provides an array of ecosystems to study and explore. SEAS itself manages six natural areas totaling 1,761 acres near campus, and the university’s Matthaei Botanical Gardens, Nichols Arboretum, and Biological Station provide an additional 14,000 acres for field study.

The University of Michigan is home to 1,600 registered, student-run clubs and organizations on campus, many of which involve meaningful community engagement and social justice work, The most popular among SEAS students are listed below.

• SEAS student government
• People of the Global Majority in the Environment (PGMEnt)
• Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences (MANRRS)
• Student Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects
• Graduate Rackham International (GRIN)
• Students of Color at Rackham (SCOR)
• Art and the Environment (ArtEco)
• The Student Sustainability Coalition
• Out at SEAS
• SEAS Black Student Group

Ranked the No. 1 most-educated city in America by Forbes magazine, Ann Arbor is a national center for the arts, hosting cultural and intellectual events such as the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Berlin Philharmonic, and concerts brought to campus by the University Musical Society. Nationally acclaimed events like the Ann Arbor Art Fair draw nearly half a million visitors every year.

SEAS offers a full slate of environmental career forums, along with lectures by renowned figures such as Vice President Al Gore, National Geographic photographer Jimmy Chin, prominent geographer Mei-Po Kwan, father of environmental justice Dr. Bob Bullard, and the Dalai Lama. University-wide activities such as sporting events, film festivals, symposia, and musical performances are listed events on the SEAS events calendar and the U-M events website.