California State Capitol Building located in Sacramento
Training the next generation of environmental leaders

The Master of Science in Environmental Policy and Management

affiliated with the UC Davis Institute of the Environment, provides advanced training in applying environmental science to real-world environmental policy and management issues. The program leverages the position of UC Davis as among the world’s strongest campuses in environmental and natural resources research and science.

The EPM program sets itself apart by targeting students with interdisciplinary backgrounds who seek applied professional careers in environmental policy and management. The focus is on building quantitative skills for practice-oriented careers in environmental policy and management.

About us

The EPM program is designed to address needs in several areas:

  • Students and employers often ask for better and more formal preparation to bridge the differences between scientific academic background and policy and management work, with emphasis on communicating technical information in various management and policy contexts.
  • Increased attention is being placed on the co-development of science for policy and management. Doing so requires training individuals with the interdisciplinary skills to understand both communities.
  • Environmental problem solving increasingly requires more analytical capability within a political and economic decision-making framework.
  • Real and rigorous problem-solving skills involving analysis, communication, and negotiation are needed for students with scientific backgrounds involved in policy-making and management positions.

 

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EPM News

Building Connections: Fall EPM Networking Events Recap and Alumni Advice

EPM students had two chances this fall to practice networking and meet professionals in the environmental field. The annual Fall Networking Mixer brought students and professionals together for an evening of bingo and conversation, and the EPM Alumni Association led a Networking 101 workshop to share advice for how to build professional relationships.

Fall Networking Mixer

On October 20, EPM hosted its 2026 Fall Networking Mixer. Students, alumni and local environmental professionals gathered around tables to talk about careers and get to know one another.

TA Spotlight - Aaron Guerra

Meet Aaron Guerra! Aaron is a PhD candidate in the Geography Graduate Group who is also earning his MS in Statistics. This fall, he is serving at the TA for R-DAVIS, a course where graduate students from a range of disciplines learn to analyze and visualize data in R. Aaron is passionate about helping future scientists and practitioners build a foundation in data analysis, and he enjoys learning about effective approaches to data visualization.