- Courses
E-IPER PhD and Joint MS students pursue a rigorous but flexible graduate curriculum, with several shared core classes providing the foundation onto which each student constructs a unique pathway of courses, research, internships, and other experiences that matches his or her individual needs and goals. Details about the requirements for each degree can be found in the Requirements section.
PhD
E-IPER's core first year PhD sequence (IPER 310, 315, 320, and 330) introduces students to the diverse theories, analytical tools, and methods required for interdisciplinary research.
IPER 310: Environmental Forum SeminarConceptual frameworks, analytical approaches, and validity of conclusions from an interdisciplinary research perspective. Participants attend the Woods Institute’s Environmental Forum seminar series or other appropriate seminar series on campus selected by faculty and students, followed by student-facilitated discussions.
IPER 315: Environmental Research Design Seminar
Series of faculty presentations and student-led discussions on interdisciplinary research design, as exemplars of the research design theories being discussed in IPER 320. Designing Environmental Research, which is a corequisite. Topics parallel the IPER 320 syllabus.
IPER 320: Designing Environmental Research
Research design options for environmentally related research. Major philosophies of knowledge and how they relate to research objectives and design choices. Evaluation of strengths and weaknesses of alternative research designs, emphasizing methods, data, and argument. Development of individual research design proposals, including description and justification understandable to a non-specialist.
IPER 330: Research Approaches for Environmental Problem Solving
How to develop and implement interdisciplinary research in environment and resources. Assignments include development of research questions, a preliminary literature review, and a summer funding proposal. Course is structured on peer critique and student presentations of work in progress. Corequisite: IPER 398 with the faculty member chosen to explore a possible dissertation topic.
Following these introductory courses, students develop in-depth expertise in the disciplines and research methods necessary to advance their own individual research interests. To acquire broad foundational knowledge for interdisciplinary research, students take courses in each of four PhD Focal Areas:
Culture and Institutions
At least two courses are required. Students may choose a course not listed below provided it meets the criteria for this breadth area's subject knowledge. Students are advised to seek approval from their lead advisers in advance and are required to obtain their advisers' signatures on the breadth certification form as verification that they have met this requirement.
ANTHRO 247. Nature, Culture, Heritage
ANTHRO 262. Indigenous Peoples and Environmental Problems
CEE 275 A. Law and Science of California Coastal Policy
CEE 277C. Environmental Governance
EARTHSYS 224. Environmental Justice: Local, National, and International Dimensions
ECON 228. Institutions and Organizations in Historical Perspective
EDUC 332X. Theory and Practice of Environmental Education
HISTORY 281A. Environmental History of the Americas
HISTORY 276. Modern Brazil
LAW 280. Toxic Harms
LAW 281. Natural Resources Law and Policy
LAW 285. International Trade Regulation
LAW 338. Land Use
LAW 437. Water Law and Policy
LAW 455. Energy Law and Policy
LAW 603. Environmental Law and Policy
LAW 604. Environmental Law Workshop
LAW 605. International Environmental Law and Policy
LAW 667. Marine Resources
MS&E 252. Decision Analysis I
POLISCI 351A. Foundations of Political Economy
POLISCI 362. New Economics of Organizations
POLISCI 364. Theories of Political Institutions
POLISCI 424. Introduction to Political Psychology
POLISCI 435. Topics in the Philosophy of Social Science
POLISCI 436. Rational Choice
POLISCI 440A. Theories in Comparative Politics
POLISCI 440B. Comparative Political Economy
POLISCI 440C. Methods in Comparative Politics
POLISCI 442. Qualitative and Field Methods
PSYCH 223. Social Norms
PUBLPOL 102. Organizations and Public Policy
PUBLPOL 166. Organizational Theory and Design
PUBLPOL 194. Technology Policy
PUBPOL 202. Organizations and Public Policy
SOC 116. Understanding Social Change in China: A Global Perspective
SOC 260. Formal Organizations
SOC 314. Economic Sociology
SOC 318. Social Movement and Collective Action
SOC 320. Foundations of Social Psychology
SOC 360. Foundations of Organizational Sociology
SOC 362. Organization and Environment
SOC 363. Social and Political Processes in Organizations
SOC 363A. Seminar on Organizational Theory
SOC 363B. Seminar on Organizational Theory: Institutional Analysis
SOC 364. Social Psychology of Organizations
SOC 366. Organization Studies: Theories and Analysis
SOC 377. Comparing Institutional Forms: Public, Private, and Nonprofit
Economics and Policy Analysis
One of the alternative course sequences listed below, culminating in IPER 243 (same as MS&E 243), satisfies the minimum breadth requirement.
ECON 50 and 51. Economic Analysis I and II; and MS&E/IPER 243
ECON 50. Economic Analysis I and ECON 155. Environmental Economics and Policy; and MS&E/IPER 243
ECON 202 or ECON 202N and ECON 203 or ECON 203N. Core Economics; and MS&E/IPER 243
ECON 106. World Food Economy; and MS&E/IPER 243
MS&E 241. Economic Analysis; and MS&E/IPER 243
MS&E 248. Economics of Natural Resources; and MS&E/IPER 243
PUBLPOL 201A. Microeconomics; and MS&E/IPER 243
Possible substitutes for IPER 243:
ECON 250. Environmental Economics
ECON 251. Natural Resources and Energy
PUBLPOL 201B. Cost-Benefit Analysis and Evaluation
The same alternative prerequisites listed above apply to PUBLPOL 201B, ECON 250, and ECON 251.
PUBLPOL 201B focuses less on environmental issues than IPER 243. Ph.D. students choosing economics and policy analysis as one of their fields of inquiry are encouraged to take ECON 202 or ECON 202N and ECON 203 or ECON 203N, in addition to IPER 243, ECON 250, and/or ECON 251.
Engineering and Technology
At least one course is required; this list represents examples of appropriate courses only. Students may choose a course not listed below provided it meets the criteria for this breadth area's subject knowledge. Students are advised to seek approval from their lead advisers in advance and are required to obtain their advisers' signatures on the breadth certification form as verification that they have met this requirement.
CEE 101B. Mechanics of Fluids
CEE 161A, Rivers, Streams, and Canals
CEE 172. Air Quality Management
CEE 176A. Energy Efficient Buildings
CEE 176B. Electric Power: Renewables and Efficiency
CEE 177. Aquatic Chemistry and Biology
CEE 201D. Computations in Civil and Environmental Engineering
CEE 207A. Energy Resources
CEE 215. Goals and Methods of Sustainable Building Projects
CEE 260A. Physical Hydrogeology
CEE 262B. Transport and Mixing in Surface Water Flows
CEE 263A. Air Pollution Modeling
CEE 264A. Rivers, Streams, and Canals
CEE 266A. Watersheds and Wetlands
CEE 266B. Floods and Droughts, Dams and Aqueducts
CEE 270. Movement and Fate of Organic Contaminants in Surface Waters and Groundwater
CEE 275A. Law and Science of California Coastal Policy
EE 293A. Fundamentals of Energy Processes
EE 293B. Fundamentals of Energy Processes
MS&E 250A. Engineering Risk Analysis
Natural Sciences
At least two courses are required. Students may choose a course not listed below provided it meets the criteria for this breadth area's subject knowledge. Students are advised to seek approval from their lead advisors in advanced and are required to obtain their adviser's signatures on the breadth certification form as verification that they have met this requirement.
BIO 101. Ecology
BIO 102. Demography: Health, Development, Environment
BIO 106. Human Origins
BIO 117. Biology and Global Change
BIO 121. Biogeography
BIO 136. Evolutionary Paleobiology
BIO 139. Biology of Birds
BIO 144. Conservation Biology
BIO 175. Tropical Ecology and Conservation
BIO 216. Terrestrial Biogeochemistry
BIO 247. Controlling Climate Change in the 21st Century
BIO 264. Biosphere-Atmosphere Interactions
BIO 280. Fundamentals of Sustainable Agriculture
BIOHOPK 263H. Oceanic Biology
BIOHOPK 266H. Molecular Ecology
BIOHOPK 272H. Marine Ecology
CEE 164. Introduction to Physical Oceanography
CEE 266A. Watersheds and Wetlands
CEE 272. Coastal Contaminants
CEE 274A,B. Environmental Microbiology I,II
CEE 274P. Environmental Health Microbiology
CEE 275A. Law and Science of California Coastal Policy
EARTHSYS. 208. Coastal Wetlands
EESS 141. Remote Sensing of the Oceans
EESS 143. Marine Biogeochemistry
EESS 155. Science of Soils
EESS 162. Remote Sensing of Land Use and Land Cover
EESS 164. Fundamentals of Geographic Information Science (GIS)
EESS 220. Physical Hydrogeology
EESS 240. Advanced Oceanography
EESS 258. Geomicrobiology
EESS 259. Environmental Microbial Genomics
EESS 266. Soil Chemistry
ENERGY 260. Groundwater Pollution and Oil Slicks
GEOPHYS 104. The Water Course
GEOPHYS 130. Biological Oceanography
GES 170. Environmental Geochemistry
GES 259. Marine Chemistry
Joint MS
All Joint MS students are required to complete E-IPER’s two core Joint MS courses. Environmental Science for Managers and Policymakers is designed specifically to provide a solid foundation for future course work in the sciences and engineering for professional school students.
IPER 338 or IPER 339, Environmental Science for Managers and Policymakers
This course, required of all Joint MS students, covers the fundamentals of earth systems and environmental science and develops skills in spreadsheet modeling, optimization and Monte Carlo simulation that are essential for environmental policy analysis and resource management. The course is taught by a diverse team of Stanford faculty. The course will prepare future managers, entrepreneurs and policy makers to apply scientific understanding to business operations, strategy, and the design of effective market-based environmental policy. This course will be counted toward the Joint MS regardless of what course number students register under and will not be counted as part of the 12 unit maximum from the student’s professional school (see section D. Unit Accounting). It is highly recommended that GSB students take this class in their first year and that Law students take it in their second year of law school – that is, in their first year in the Joint MS program.
IPER 290: Capstone Project in Environment and Resources
All students admitted for 2009-2010 are required to complete a final project that integrates their professional degree and Joint MS coursework. Students will typically take the Capstone Project in Environment and Resources course during the Winter quarter of their second year in the Joint MS program; in AY 2009-2010, the course will be offered in Spring quarter. The capstone project may derive from a previous class, internship, or independent study a student has taken and should be conducted in consultation with the student’s advising team, described in Section B. The requirement may be completed as an individual project or with a team of five students maximum and will be completed and presented publicly as part of the Capstone Project in Environment and Resources course.
In addition, Joint MS students take a minimum of four courses within one of the Course Tracks listed below, which provide a strong “science core” to their Masters program. Students work with their advisors to identify additional courses to complete their Joint MS program plan.
The E-IPER Program provides students with a focused science and technical background for environmental issues while also allowing them to pursue interdisciplinary themes melding science, policy, economics, law, and business. Students interested in a policy-focused program should explore Stanford's Masters Program in Public Policy.
Joint MS Course Tracks
ENERGYAPPPHYS 219. Solid State Physics and the Energy Challenge
CEE 173A. Energy Resources
CEE 176A. Energy Efficient Buildings
CEE 176B. Electric Power: Renewables and Efficiency
CEE 236. Green Architecture
CEE 272P. Distributed Generation and Grid Integration of Renewables
CHEMENG 454. Synthetic Biology and Metabolic Engineering
EARTHSYS 232. Energy Cooperation in the Western Hemisphere
EE 293A. Fundamentals of Energy Processes
EE 293B. Fundamentals of Energy Processes
ENERGY 101: Energy and the Environment
ENERGY 102: Renewable Energy Sources and Greener Energy Processes
ENERGY 104: Technology in the Greenhouse
ENERGY 120: Fundamentals of Petroleum Engineering
ENERGY 226. Thermal Recovery Methods
ENERGY 227. Enhanced Oil Recovery
ENERGY 253. Carbon Capture and Sequestration
ENERGY 269. Geothermal Reservoir Engineering
MS&E 198. Applied Modeling of Energy and Environmental Markets
MS&E 243. Energy and Environmental Policy Analysis
MS&E 295. Energy Policy Analysis
MS&E 491. Real-World Clean Energy Project Development
MATSCI 302. Solar Cells
MATSCI 316. Nanoscale Science, Engineering, and Technology
ME 260. Fuel Cell Science and Technology
ME 370A. Energy Systems I: Thermodynamics
ME 370B. Energy Systems II: Modeling and Advanced Concepts
ME 370C. Energy Systems III: Projects
CLIMATE AND ATMOSPHERE
BIO 117. Biology and Global Change
BIO 247. Controlling Climate Change in the 21st Century
BIO 264. Biosphere-Atmosphere Interactions
CEE 172. Air Quality Management
CEE 263A. Air Pollution Modeling
CEE 263D. Air Pollution: From Urban Smog to Global Change
CEE 278A. Air Pollution Physics and Chemistry
CEE 278B. Atmospheric Aerosols
CEE 278C. Indoor Air Quality
EARTHSYS 143. Climate Change in the West: A History of the Future
EARTHSYS 233. California Climate Change Law and Policy
EARTHSYS 284. Climate and Agriculture
ENERGY 253. Carbon Capture and Sequestration
MS&E 294. Climate Policy Analysis
CLEANTECH
APPPHYS 219. Solid State Physics and the Energy Challenge
CHEMENG 274. Environmental Microbiology I
CHEMENG 355. Advanced Biochemical Engineering
CHEMENG 454. Synthetic Biology and Metabolic Engineering
CHEMENG 456. Metabolic Biochemistry of Microorganisms
CEE 172P. Distributed Generation and Grid Integration of Renewables
CEE 176A. Energy Efficient Buildings
CEE 176B. Electric Power: Renewables and Efficiency
CEE 215. Goals and Methods of Sustainable Building Projects
CEE 226. Life Cycle Assessment for Complex Systems
CEE 275B. Process Design for Environmental Biotechnology
ENERGY 253. Carbon Capture and Sequestration
ENERGY 269. Geothermal Reservoir Engineering
MS&E 264. Sustainable Product Development and Manufacturing
MS&E 491. Real-World Clean Energy Project Development
MATSCI 302. Solar Cells
MATSCI 316. Nanoscale Science, Engineering, and Technology
ME 222. Design for Sustainability
ME 260. Fuel Cell Science and Technology
LAND USE AND AGRICULTURE
BIO 101. Ecology
BIO 117. Biology and Global Change
BIO 121. Biogeography
BIO 125: Ecosystems of California
BIO 144. Conservation Biology
BIO 206. Field Studies in Earth Systems
BIO 216. Terrestrial Biogeochemistry
BIO 264. Biosphere-Atmosphere Interactions
BIO 280. Fundamentals of Sustainable Agriculture
EARTHSYS 143. Climate Change in the West: A History of the Future
EARTHSYS 233. California Climate Change Law and Policy
EARTHSYS 273. Aquaculture and the Environment: Science, History, and Policy
EARTHSYS 281. Concepts of Urban Agriculture
EARTHSYS 284. Climate and Agriculture
EESS 155. Science of Soils
EESS 162. Remote Sensing of Land Use and Land Cover
EESS 256. Soil Chemistry
URBANST 163. Land Use Control
URBANST 165. Sustainable Urban and Regional Transportation Planning
OCEANS AND ESTUARIES
BIO 274S. Hopkins Microbiology Course
BIOHOPK 263H. Oceanic Biology
BIOHOPK 271H. Ecological and Evolutionary Physiology
BIOHOPK 272H. Marine Ecology
BIOHOPK 285H. Ecology and Conservation of Kelp Forest Communities
CEE 262D. Introduction to Physical Oceanography
CEE 272. Coastal Contaminants
CEE 275A. Law and Science of California Coastal Policy
EARTHSYS 208. Coastal Wetlands
EARTHSYS 273. Aquaculture and the Environment: Science, History, and Policy
EESS 241. Remote Sensing of the Oceans
EESS 243. Marine Biogeochemistry
EESS 244. Marine Ecosystem Modeling
EESS 258. Geomicrobiology
FRESHWATER
CEE 101B. Mechanics of Fluids
CEE 169. Environmental and Water Resources Engineering Design
CEE 177. Aquatic Chemistry and Biology
CEE 260C. Contaminant Hydrogeology
CEE 262A. Hydrodynamics
CEE 262B. Transport and Mixing in Surface Water Flows
CEE 262E. Lakes and Reservoirs
CEE 264A. Rivers, Streams, and Canals
CEE 265C. Water Resources Management
CEE 265D. Water and Sanitation in Developing Countries
CEE 266A. Watersheds and Wetlands
CEE 266B. Floods and Droughts, Dams and Aqueducts
CEE 266D. Water Resources and Water Hazards Field Trips
CEE 268. Groundwater Flow
CEE 270. Movement and Fate of Organic Contaminants in Waters
CEE 271A. Physical and Chemical Treatment Processes
CEE 273. Aquatic Chemistry
CEE 273A. Water Chemistry Laboratory
CEE 275B. Process Design for Environmental Biotechnology
EARTHSYS 143. Climate Change in the West: A History of the Future
EARTHSYS 233. California Climate Change Law and Policy
EARTHSYS 273. Aquaculture and the Environment: Science, History, and Policy
HUMAN AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
ANTHRO 261A. Ecology, Nature, and Society: Principles in Human Ecology
ANTHRO 262. Indigenous Peoples and Environmental Problems
ANTHRO 277. Environmental Change and Emerging Infectious Diseases
ANTHRO 362. Conservation and Evolutionary Ecology
BIO 102. Demography: Health, Development, Environment
CEE 265C. Water Resources Management
CEE 265D. Water and Sanitation in Developing Countries
CEE 274D. Pathogens and Disinfection
CEE 274E. Pathogens in the Environment
CEE 276. Introduction to Human Exposure Analysis
CEE 276E. Environmental Toxicants
CEE 278C. Indoor Air Quality
EARTHSYS 165. Promoting Behavior Change
EARTHSYS 224. Environmental Justice: Local, National, and International Dimensions
SUSTAINABLE BUILT ENVIRONMENT
CEE 100. Managing Sustainable Building Projects
CEE 136. Green Architecture
CEE 176A. Energy Efficient Buildings
CEE 176B. Electric Power: Renewables and Efficiency
CEE 177P. Sustainability in Theory and Practice
CEE 215. Goals and Methods of Sustainable Building Projects
CEE 224A. Sustainable Development Studio
CEE 226. Life Cycle Assessment for Complex Systems
CEE 248. Real Estate Development
CEE 248G. Certifying Green Buildings
CEE 265A. Sustainable Water Resources Development
CEE 272P. Distributed Generation and Grid Integration of Renewables
CEE 341P. Politics and Infrastructure Investment
URBANST 163. Land Use Control
URBANST 165. Sustainable Urban and Regional Transportation Planning