Develop the transdisciplinary systems thinking and problem-solving skills to address today’s complex environmental and climate challenges through participatory processes and an environmental justice lens, in our STEM certified graduate sustainability studies program at the intersection of science, design, and policy.
The Master of Science in Sustainable Environmental Systems (SES) is one of the nation’s most innovative, interdisciplinary, systems-based sustainability programs. This STEM certified degree program is designed to meet today’s increasing demand for environmental professionals, uniquely combining environmental science, sustainable design, and climate policy. Leveraging professional faculty and courses across the Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment, students learn the interdisciplinary skills and systems-thinking approach needed to assess contemporary environmental issues; catalyze innovative environmental problem-solving; uphold environmental and social justice; and engage diverse stakeholders in designing and developing sustainable plans, policies, and communities.
Interdisciplinary, socially engaged, and justice-driven, our tight-knit community is connected by a shared mission for collective environmental and climate action. The SES program welcomes students with a variety of undergraduate and graduate degrees, recognizing that sustainability work is most effective when integrating diverse experiences. Students entering the program with relevant professional experience, or with a Bachelor of Architecture or relevant 5-year or Masters degree, may receive up to 10 credits of advanced standing—and the commensurate tuition savings. With class sizes of just 8-12 students, you’ll collaborate closely with your colleagues, faculty, and industry and community partners to learn, share and apply the skills and tools needed to improve environmental systems and meet real world challenges.
In Sustainable Environmental Systems, program-wide interdisciplinary connections are complemented by curricular and extracurricular opportunities in GCPE, the School of Architecture, Pratt Institute, and beyond. We work closely with campus stakeholders including Pratt’s Sustainability Coalition and the Pratt Sustainability Center to assess campus sustainability, coordinate Pratt Earth Action Week, and develop campus as a living laboratory projects. Beyond Pratt’s gates, our practice based approach, experiential learning opportunities, and climate action research initiatives such as RAMP (Recover Adapt Mitigate Plan) allow you to tailor and maximize your graduate experience.
Participatory and Professional Practice
Through studios, client-based capstone projects, practicums, applied research, partnerships and public programs, you’ll have opportunities to have a real world impact on sustainable and just development with New York City, regional, and even international communities and partners. Sustainable Environmental Systems courses are taught by innovative civic, community, and government leaders who are active in promoting best sustainability practices in environmental science, management, policy, planning and design in the NYC region and beyond. You’ll learn from one another, the faculty, community partners, and our powerful professional network. Most classes meet at night to accommodate working students and your ongoing professional development.
Internships & Fellowships
Virtually every student is assured a fellowship or internship with an organization, agency, or professional practice during their time in the program. Grant-funded research projects provide additional project-based opportunities to work with our faculty and partners. Longstanding opportunities include the Environmental Justice Fellowship with the NYC Environmental Justice Alliance and its members, and the SWIM (Stormwater Infrastructure Matters) Coalition Fellowship. Recently, Sustainable Environmental Systems fellows and interns have worked with the NYC Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice, NYC Department of Environmental Protection, New York Sustainable Energy Research and Development Agency (NYSERDA), UN-Habitat, UPROSE, The Point CDC, El Puente, Resilience Education Training and Innovation (RETI) Center,, , Urban Green Council, and the Pratt Sustainability Center.
International Exchange and Study Abroad
As climate change continues to disproportionately impact frontline communities around the world, emergent international solutions can galvanize action, foster solidarity, and lead to inclusive approaches. Our international student body values sharing experiences across geographies and cultures, and expands on this practice through our study abroad courses. The SES Sustainability Knowledge Exchange has recently visited grassroots organizations, industry and academic partners, and government officials in Brazil, the Netherlands, and Puerto Rico. Students have also traveled to Cuba, Japan, and Germany through courses offered across Pratt Institute. Contact us to find out where we might engage next!
Our Faculty
Sustainable Environmental Systems faculty are predominantly full time practitioners, working at the forefront of complex environmental challenges and equitable climate action in New York City and beyond. At the MS in SES and GCPE, your professors bring their commitment, passion, and experience into the classroom to support student learning and professional development. See all Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment faculty and administrators.
Distinguished Pratt MS in SES graduates are leading diverse and thriving careers in leadership roles as environmental managers, sustainable designers, policy analysts, resiliency planners, low-impact developers, researchers, and climate justice advocates, collaborating across sectors to develop thriving communities.
Current and recent SES alumni jobs include:
Associate Program Manager, United Nations – Habitat Programme
Policy Advisor, Clean Energy & Equity, NYC Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice
Planner II: Resilience and Waterfront, Boston Planning and Development Agency
Sustainability Planner, Capital District Regional Planning Commission, Albany, NY
Resilience Director, Palm Beach County, FL
Chief of Staff, Center for Urban Innovation, NYC Economic Development Corporation
Senior Program Officer, Wind Institute, New Jersey Economic Development Authority
Senior Program Manager, Made in NYC, Pratt Center for Community Development
Join us at Pratt. Learn more about admissions requirements, plan your visit, talk to a counselor, and start your application. Take the next step.
You’ll find yourself at home at Pratt. Learn more about our residence halls, student organizations, athletics, gallery exhibitions, events, the amazing City of New York and our Brooklyn neighborhood communities. Check us out.
Upcoming Information Sessions
All times ET
GCPE Advanced Certificate Info Session
Tuesday, September 10, 2024 4:30pm -5:30pm (virtual)
Thursday, September 12, 2024 10am -12pm (virtual) Thursday, October 10, 2024 3 – 5pm (In Person + Campus Tour + Studio Visit) Tuesday, November 12, 2024 10am – 12pm Thursday, November 21, 2024 10am-12pm (Virtual 1:1’s) Thursday, February 18, 2025 9:30am – 10:30am (Virtual)
Application season is here!
Take the next step towards your future with a Master of Science in Sustainable Environmental Systems from Pratt Institute’s Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment.
Join our virtual Info Session November 12, 10am-12pm EST to learn about our program and our three partner programs in the GCPE:
Historic Preservation, MS
Sustainable Environmental Systems, MS
Urban and Community Planning, MS
Urban Placemaking and Management, MS
The priority deadline for Fall 2025 admission is January 5, 2025.
Spring 2025 late applications are still being accepted; apply now!
RSVP (required) and more information via the links in bio.
#graduateschool #gradschool #nyc #sustainability #sustainableenvironmentalsystems #stem #science #policy #design #sustainabledevelopment #systemsthinking #communityengagement #praxis #servicelearning #postprofessional #application #applynow #information #infosession #masterofscience
Meet Yassmin, a Spring 2024 graduate from our MS in SES program!
With a background in Environmental Health and a BS degree from American University of Beirut, Yassmin has tackled complex environmental challenges in Lebanon and beyond. Her experience in Pratt GCPE’s Sustainable Communities Studio taught her the power of collaboration across diverse fields, ultimately leading to her impactful capstone project.
Focused on mitigating extreme heat for NYC app-based delivery workers, Yassmin worked on her Capstone with the NYC Emergency Management’s Risk Analysis and Recovery Unit to propose safer working conditions for these workers. Equipped with essential tools like GIS and environmental assessments, Yassmin is poised to help strengthen communities against climate change.
Her vision? A future where education and infrastructure empower individuals to thrive amid environmental challenges.
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At Pratt’s MS in Sustainable Environmental Systems, our students bring their diverse expertise across disciplines, sectors, and geographies into a creative, mission-driven, transdisciplinary setting. We celebrate our #alumni and their accomplishments through the #SESAlumniSpotlight series. This series highlights recent graduates’ pathways through the program, and exciting developments in their emerging #sustainability #careers.
This Saturday, November 2nd, kick off #PrattEarthActionWeek with SES faculty Carter Craft as he takes a small group on a boat tour* of the Newtown Creek and East River, discussing the history, plans, policies, development, and communities in and around these waterways
* If sold out, keep in touch with our program and Carter for future opportunities to get on the water - including his SES-761B Waterfront and Wetland Planning course each Summer semester!
Meet Spring 2024 alumna, Aditi Galande!
Aditi has a Bachelor of Architecture from Pune University, and a Master in Landscape Architecture from the Government of India School of Planning and Architecture, in Bhopal. Her professional experience includes landscape design projects, and research and development of a manual of native vegetation for Indian design professionals. At Pratt, Aditi worked as a graduate assistant in our academic department (GCPE) office, was part of a Taconic Fellowship faculty and student research team that created the Pratt Phenology Trail.
Adits’s Capstone project focused on community-engaged planning and design methods to monitor and mitigate urban heat in The Bronx, through the development of green corridors. Currently, Aditi works as a Climate Resilience planner at +LAB Architect, focusing on climate vulnerability assessment, long-term planning, and sustainable design to co-create resilient communities.
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At Pratt’s MS in Sustainable Environmental Systems, our students bring their diverse expertise across disciplines, sectors, and geographies into a creative, mission-driven, transdisciplinary setting. We celebrate our #alumni and their accomplishments through the #SESAlumniSpotlight series. This series highlights recent graduates’ pathways through the program, and exciting developments in their emerging #sustainability #careers.
Join Pratt Institute’s Delta Cities Coastal Resilience advanced interdisciplinary studio as we host the Pratt Earth Action Week panel discussion, “Delta Cities Deep Dive - Participatory Science and Education on the Water.”
On Thursday, November 7th, 2024, 5:00pm-6:30pm, the MS in SES program for an exciting Pratt Earth Action Week 2024 event.
In this virtual discussion, practitioners and researchers working with waterfront communities and inhabitants (human and non-human) will share their experiences, lessons and best practices for mutual learning, co-creation, collaboration, and shared stewardship of our waterfronts, waterways, and water resources - in the New York - New Jersey Harbor, Hudson River Estuary, and beyond!
Panelists:
Sara Eichner, Hudson Access Project + Studio 2263
Jennifer Kepler, Gowanus Canal Conservancy
Shino Tanikawa, New York City Soil and Water Conservation District + SWIM Coalition
This event is part of the Fall 2024 Pratt Earth Action Week. The Pratt Sustainability Center is delighted to announce that this Fall’s Pratt Earth Action Week will take place from November 4th-9th. This week-long series of sustainability events celebrates the creative collaborations of the Pratt sustainability community and networks and offers us the opportunity to connect, across groups, disciplines, and initiatives.
#PrattEarthActionWeek #PrattEarthActionWeek2024 #DeltaCities #CoastalResilience #DeepDive #panel #studio #public #free #EnvironmentalEducation #ParticipatoryScience #WaterQuality #WaterAccess #stewardship
Meet Bansari Makadiya!
Bansri holds a Bachelor of Architecture from SEDA, Navrachana University, in India. She concluded her studies with an experimental thesis comparing the thermal performance of composite rammed earth wall typologies that experimented with a variety of layered materials.
She was a teaching assistant in the Spring 2023 Green Infrastructure Studio, and worked on various geospatial and planning analysis projects as an intern with the Regional Planning Association (RPA). RPA was also Bansri's Capstone project client, in which she made a case for transit oriented development as a potential vehicle to provide accessible housing to New York City residents experiencing climate-driven relocation.
Currently, Bansri works as a Climate and Sustainability Planner at the NYC Department of City Planning's Brooklyn Borough office, focusing on resiliency planning, specifically addressing water-related challenges.
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At Pratt’s MS in Sustainable Environmental Systems, our students bring their diverse expertise across disciplines, sectors, and geographies into a creative, mission-driven, transdisciplinary setting. We celebrate our #alumni and their accomplishments through the #SESAlumniSpotlight series. This series highlights recent graduates’ pathways through the program, and exciting developments in their emerging #sustainability #careers.
Welcome to the 2024-2025 group of officers for Leaders in Environmental Advocacy at Pratt - LEAP:
Co-chairs:
Christopher Hauserman
Ajwah Zahid
Treasurer:
Jen Hung
Event Coordinator:
Dhruvin Thakkar
Communications Lead:
Mariana Torres
We look forward to a great year of collaboration, advocacy, events, and activities, for a more sustainable and just campus, community, and beyond!
If you’re a Pratt student who wants to join LEAP, find them on Pratt Engage.
To collaborate with the LEAP team and members, email them at leap@pratt.edu
#StudentGroup #EnvironmentalAdvocacy #Leaders #sustainability #events #activities #workshops #collaboration #social #community #pratt
This October, Pratt SES NATURA Network Fellow Franklin Kirimi shares his projects and collaborations at Kounkuey Design Initiative, focused on nature-based solution co-production with informal frontline East African communities.
Wednesday, October 16th
5:30-7:00pm EDT
Virtual
Zoom registration link in bio (rsvp required)
Through the example of the Rivers + People plans in Nairobi, we’ll discuss approaches to river rehabilitation that can ensure community involvement through community-informed spaces and action plans.
This presentation is coordinated with the MS in SES program’s Sustainable Communities faculty and students, as part of their ongoing engagement with Mr. Kirimi.
Partners and co-sponsors:
Pratt Institute MS in Sustainable Environmental Systems
NATURA Network
Kounkuey Design Initiative - Kenya
Pratt Institute Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment
Pratt Institute School of Architecture
Pratt Institute
#RiversAnd People #CommunityResilience #NatureBasedSolutions #InternationalExchange #CoProduction #CoDesign #ClimateJustice #EastAfrica #sustainability #RiverRehabilitation
We are thrilled to welcome our new students to the Brooklyn campus! After a successful orientation, classes kicked off last month, and we’re already seeing great energy and enthusiasm across the board.
As we embark on this new semester, we look forward to fostering a collaborative and dynamic environment, where students can thrive academically, build lasting connections, and explore new opportunities. We’re excited to work closely with everyone and make this semester a truly memorable and impactful experience!
Sam Asher
Anthony Cowell
Christopher Hauserman
Jen Hung
Sanya Jain
Sher Netto
Riya Shah
Dhruvin Thakkar
#GraduateDegree #SustainableSystems #Pratt #WelcomeBack #EnvironmentalScience #graduate #GraduateOrientation #sustainability #GradSchool #SustainableEnvironmentalSystems
The Master of Science in Sustainable Environmental Systems (SES) is one of the nation’s most innovative, interdisciplinary, systems-based sustainability programs. The 40-credit, STEM-designated Master of Science in Sustainable Environmental Systems, offered in the evenings at Pratt’s School of Architecture on the Brooklyn campus, is designed to meet today’s increasing demand for environmental professionals. Students learn the interdisciplinary skills and systems-thinking approach needed to assess contemporary environmental issues; catalyze innovative environmental problem-solving; uphold environmental and social justice; and engage diverse stakeholders in designing and developing sustainable plans, policies, and communities. Graduates are prepared to take on a range of roles as environmental designers, policy analysts, sustainability consultants, low-impact developers, researchers, and advocates, collaborating with environmental scientists, policymakers, and communities. The SES program is unique in its combination of science, design, and policy. By uniting a foundation of theoretical and technical core courses with innovative mini-courses, the program offers a uniquely comprehensive curriculum that fosters exposure to cutting-edge practicing professionals. The program encourages students to closely examine the relationships between the environment, policy, and systems design.
About the Program
The Sustainable Environmental Systems program is unique in its emphasis on the urban environment. As integral members of the Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment (GCPE), students are exposed to land use, transportation, preservation, development, and economic planning strategies. Through this exploration, students understand the complexities of the urban context and can analyze global, federal, state, and local policies accordingly. Students learn the skills needed to build and preserve sustainable urban communities. The SES program welcomes students with a variety of undergraduate degrees, recognizing that sustainability is most effective when integrating a number of disciplines. Students entering the program with relevant professional experience, or with a Bachelor of Architecture or a BS/BE in civil engineering or environmental science, may receive up to 10 credits of advanced standing.
Professional Practice
The MS in SES is perhaps the most practice-based program in the United States. Top sustainability practitioners in the NYC region, rather than full-time academicians, teach virtually all of the courses. They are generally innovative civic, community, and government leaders who are active in promoting best practices in environmental management, policy, and design. Students learn from one another and the faculty, who serve as a diverse and powerful professional network for our students. Most of our classes meet at night to accommodate students who work full-time and those participating in internships.
The curriculum culminates with the Demonstration of Professional Competence, or Capstone, course. During this course, students complete a demonstration fulfilling an approved scope of work, showing the analytical capacities and creative skills expected of a professional in the sustainability fields. As a capstone to the program, the demonstration can involve original research, a work-related project or an extension of course-related work. Students are expected to complete distinct deliverables to a client and interact with classmates and faculty advisers to develop research that can propel them to a new career in sustainability-related fields.
Fellowships and Internships
Most students are assured a fellowship or internship with an organization, agency, or professional practice during their time in the SES program. In the past, fellows and interns have been placed with the NYC Mayor’s Office of Sustainability, Waterfront Alliance, Stormwater Infrastructure Matters (SWIM) Coalition, Resilience Education Training and Innovation (RETI) Center, New York Industrial Retention Network, New York City Environmental Justice Alliance (NYC-EJA), and Pratt Sustainability Center. Internship examples include modeling energy efficiency efforts in Bedford-Stuyvesant with the Pratt Center for Community Development, working with local businesses to develop sustainability plans, and collaborating with NYC-EJA and member organizations on advocacy for the Waterfront Justice Project.
Multidisciplinary Experience
The MS in SES program is one of four graduate-level programs in the Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment, a unique, interdisciplinary alliance with shared values of urban sustainability and community participation, defined by the “triple bottom line” of environment, equity, and economy. Each program—including City and Regional Planning, Historic Preservation, and Urban Placemaking and Management— maintains its independence, degree, and depth of study. Students can explore electives within and outside of GCPE, including in Facilities Management, Real Estate Practice, Industrial Design, and Interior Design, and have the option for extended study in GCPE beyond the 40-credit Master of Science in SES, as follows:
Courses in City and Regional Planning expose students to land use, transportation, and economic development planning strategies.
Courses in Historic Preservation allow for a focus on the “least carbon footprint” approach of preservation and reuse, and an emerging dialogue on climate heritage.
Courses in Urban Placemaking and Management develop skills in community engagement and public space design and management.
The SES program operates closely with sustainability-focused stakeholders across campus. SES administrators, faculty, and students occupy roles in Pratt’s Sustainability Coalition, Sustainability Committee, and Department Sustainability Coordinators team, and research collectives, and have formed long-lasting partnerships with the Pratt Sustainability Center and the Institute’s Facilities Office. Together, we assess campus sustainability, collaborate on institutional priorities, coordinate events such as Pratt Earth Action Week, and develop campus living laboratory projects.
Acting Academic Director
Leonel Ponce
718.399.4328 lponce@pratt.edu
Through their studies in the Sustainable Environmental Systems program, students will:
Develop the ability to assess and critically examine environmental issues related to water and air quality, solid waste management, urban energy systems, and building performance.
Demonstrate a foundational understanding of the legal, economic and regulatory framework of federal, state, and New York City environmental policy and review.
Learn stakeholder engagement and uphold social and environmental justice while demonstrating the ability to engage in collaborative, interdisciplinary, environmental problem solving.
Develop an understanding of sustainable community development.
Design sustainable environmental policies and plans with verifiable indicators and metrics.
Understand and argue the cost of environmental externalities associated with current economic policy and development.
Develop a baseline level of technical proficiency and professional communication skills: written, oral, and visual.