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.
Student Work
Take a look at examples of work by recent Sustainable Environmental Systems graduates, and imagine what you might be able to do!
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
Fall 2023
Tuesday, September 12, 2023 10am -12pm (virtual) Thursday, October 19, 2023 3 – 5pm (In Person + Campus Tour + Studio Visit) Tuesday, November 14, 2023 10am – 12pm (Virtual + Application Q&A)
Pratt Earth Action week is almost upon us!
Join us on Saturday, April 6th, 11am-1pm EDT for an in person interactive workshop, led by new faculty member Yuliya Dzyuban!
Microclimate Discovery: Pratt Environmental Awareness Walk
Do you wonder why the city feels so unbearably hot in the summer? Join us on a microclimate discovery! We will guide participants’ exploration on how microclimate is shaped by the diverse urban landscape and natural elements. Through measuring these nuances and experiencing their impact on our senses, we will consider the significance of urban design to ensure comfort for both human and non-human inhabitants of our cities. The walk will start near Pratt Campus and will end with a reflection at the Naval Cemetery Landscape.
Location: Meet in front of the entrance gate on 200 Willoughby Ave
Time and Date: Saturday, April 6, 11:00 am - 1:00pm
RSVP REQUIRED (space limited) - RSVP via link in bio.
Organizers:
Yuliya Dzyuban, Assistant Professor, Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment, Pratt Institute
Kasturi Sudesh Salvi, Research Assistant, Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment, Pratt Institute
Melissa Ingaruca Moreno, PhD Candidate, Mycohackers Berlin / University of Helsinki
Hosted by:
@pratt_ses
@pratt.trail.network
@bkgreenway
@navalcemeterylandscape
Part of @prattinstitute @pratt.sustainability.center #EarthActionWeek
#microclimate #workshop #EnvironmentalMonitoring #assessment #EnvironmentalWalk #ThermalComfort #PrattTrail #UrbanHeat #EnvironmentalJustice #Greenway #UrbanGreening #UrbanForest
#Repost @thread_design with @use.repost
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#clichybatignolles #parisfrance a living example of the fourth level of #ecodistrict achievement where complex systems of energy and water create a diverse home for flora fauna and people. #floodparks are the #climatefuture #cloudburstparis . Thank you @parisetmetropoleamenagement for the tour and welcoming us into the neighborhood. #prattparisclimateexcursion
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#PrattSESParis2024
#PrattGCPEParis2024
#SustianableEnvironmentalSystems
#InternationalClimateExchange
#TravelCourse
#ClimateActionPlanning
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@prattgcpe
@prattsoa
@pratt_ses
@pratturbanplanning
@prattinstitute
@prattplacemaking
**Pratt SES and GCPE students and faculty**
You are invited to attend a special guest lecture in our @pratt_ses @prattgcpe #SustainableCommunities class, on Wednesday, March 21st, 5-6:30pm!
Francesc Magrinyà of the Technical University of Catalonia (UPC) will present with Pratt faculty Rafael de Balanzo Joue on their ongoing research about Barcelona’s #Superblocks evolution, and their connected #resilience work.
This event is open only to members and invited guests of Pratt’s MS in Sustainable Environmental Systems and the Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment, as space is limited. Please RSVP via link in bio.
#SustainableEnvironmentalSystems #SustainableCommunities #resilience #GuestLecture #PublicHealth #UrbanDesign #OpenSpaceAccess #TransportationNetwork
#Repost @thread_design with @use.repost
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thread is in #paris this week with the #prattinternationalclimateexcursion2024 leading a deep dive into how the #cityoflight is transforming itself into #villevert - the green city. Looking at the intersection of urban landscapes architecture and social democracy. We will be meeting with city agencies, community leaders, artists, and residents to learn how climate action is realized in this historic urban fabric.
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A view from our window reveals ‘it a 15 minute city but a 5 minute city of daily needs in walking distende.
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The seine is overflowing on this doting day
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Courtyards, hidden joys sit behind the street wall.
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Separation of church and state is very real here.
#PrattGCPEParis2024
#SustianableEnvironmentalSystems
#InternationalClimateExchange
#TravelCourse
#ClimateActionPlanning
@prattsoa @prattgcpe @pratt_mla @prattinstitute
As we enter Spring Break and the temperatures rise, the MS in SES program invites Pratt Institute Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment students, faculty, alumni, and friends to the next installment of #GCPESnackChats, with our new Assistant Professor - Dr. Yuliya Dzyuban!
On Wednesday, March 27th, 3:30-4:30pm EST, Dr. Dzyuban will demonstrate how she combines meteorological measurements, geographic information systems, and social science to collect, map, and visualize the relationships between urban design, microclimate, individual health and perceptions of heat. Through her research, she advocates for infrastructure improvements that support thermally conscious urban design.
The presentation will be in person and broadcast virtually. Limited in person seating available - bring your snacks, and we will provide some!
Please RSVP via the link in bio.
#SnackChats #Research #UrbanHeat #microclimate #ThermalComfort #HeatMitigation #PariticipatoryActiknResearch #presentation #faculty #Pratt #SustainableEnvironmentalSystems
Two new officers have been onboarded to our affiliated student organization, Leaders in Environmental Advocacy at Pratt, and are hard at work collaborating ahead of this Spring’s upcoming student-led events.
Welcome to LEAP, Mariana!
Two new officers of our affiliated student organization, Leaders in Environmental Advocacy at Pratt, have been onboarded and are hard at work helping plan this Spring’s studebt-led sustainability events.
Welcome to LEAP, Ajwah!
Nia Starr is a Fall 2023 graduate of the SES program. Previously, she worked as a designer and art director in nonprofits, the hospitality industry, and e-commerce start-ups. At Pratt, she focused her coursework on studying how policy, economics, and the environment intersect and affect development. In her capstone, Nia worked with @wildgridhome to develop program delivery to connect underserved communities with climate-centered resources for residential electrification. This was in response to how communities can benefit from the Inflation Reduction Act, fostering equitable energy just transition. You can find her capstone project and others via the link in bio.
Nia is working towards designing a better world to mitigate human suffering from the effects of climate change.
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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.
Spring 2024 SES class highlight: Green Infrastructure Studio - Naval Cemetery Landscape site visit.
On February 2nd, SES students and faculty visited the Naval Cemetary Landscape in Wallabout, Brooklyn, as part of their Green Infrastructure Advanced Studio.
In the studio, @prattgcpe students have the opportunity to design and understand the techniques of construction and implementation, gaining valuable experience and knowledge of the practical and policy aspects of green infrastructure.
In Spring 2024, students are working with the Brooklyn Greenway Initiative to enhance the visibility of the visibility of the Naval Cemetery Landscape, addressing site specific concerns, and improving connectivity with the adjacent portion of the Brooklyn Greenway. This includes investigating the study area’s ecological, hydrological and cultural systems, complex boundaries and deep sectional site history to design and link a large scale site and network planning with small scale installations, urban planning, and metrics based thinking around water, health, transportation, public space, and species diversity.
Students are now putting the finishing touches on their midterm presentations, later this week. Good luck to all!
#GreenInfrastructure #UrbanGreenSpaces #NatureBasedSolutions #ClimateAdaptation #CommunityEngagement #UrbanPlanning #environmentalplanning #climatemitigation #urbansustainability
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.