Carbon Management Degree Focus - PSM-ESS - Warner College of Natural Resources

Professional Science Master’s Carbon Management Degree Focus

The Carbon Management degree focus of the Professional Science Master’s in Ecosystem Science and Sustainability is designed to develop professionals with expertise in carbon and greenhouse gas management for local to national governments, corporations, agricultural and forestry operations, energy companies, and other entities.

Students also learn about current and emerging policies and the tradeoffs among carbon, nitrous oxide, and methane.

This is an in-demand area with high earning potential. Read more about how CSU is training students to meet the demand here!

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Carbon Management Track

The carbon management focus of the PSM teaches you applied skills in carbon and greenhouse gas management for local to national governments, corporations, agricultural and forestry operations, energy companies, and more. The curriculum provides a foundation in carbon management concepts and approaches as well as technical capacity to quantify greenhouse gas emissions and develop mitigation strategies.

The course selection can be designed to obtain both the PSM and the carbon management certificate.

Some of the classes you take as part of the carbon management track:

Foundations of Greenhouse Gas Management and Accounting
Current Topics in Climate Change
Applications in Greenhouse Gas Inventories
Life Cycle Analysis
Integrated Ecosystem/Sustainability Analysis

Internships – Putting Your Carbon Management Degree into Practice

As part of the Professional Science Master’s students complete a 400-hr, 4-credit internship to gain on-the-job experience and expand their professional networks. Students apply to their internship with the guidance of their faculty advisor and internship coordinator. These internships are almost always paid.

Students have interned at a variety of places, including American Carbon Registry, The Climate Trust, and Bank of America.

Ben Robinson, an alumnus of the Carbon Track, interned with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. He has since become a senior associate with HXE–a consulting firm that specializes in sustainability–and has hired two interns and one full-time employee from the program.

Careers – What Can You Do With a Carbon Management Degree?

Carbon Accounting is a quickly growing area of demand as governments, companies, and organizations work to reduce their carbon footprint, bring down greenhouse gas emissions, and reach net zero.

The Carbon Management track prepares you for a variety of jobs, in the public, private, and NGO sectors. Some job titles you could expect to apply for are: