The Energy, Resources and Environment (ERE) Program prepares the next generation of global leaders to address urgent energy and environmental concerns and threats. Under the guidance of expert faculty, ERE students gain the intellectual framework and analytic skills required to address important issues such as climate change, international agriculture, forestry, wildlife conservation, and international water issues.
The ERE curriculum requires students to take both energy and environment courses to ensure that all graduates understand the deep links between these two subject areas. Students gain an understanding of the threats posed by climate change, the functioning of energy markets, the "iron triangle" of energy, water and food security, as well as, begin to formulate possible solutions to these daunting challenges.
As one of the largest programs at Johns Hopkins SAIS, students in the ERE program are afforded several opportunities to participate in experiential learning opportunities such as the International Energy and Environment practicum, Frontiers in Energy, Science and Technology (FEST) study trips, the Global Leaders Forum (GLF), alumni discussions, and more. For a more complete overview of ERE please check out our Prospectus.
Request a Brochure
Join us for an Information Session
The Practicum is an innovative program that allows students to combine a for-credit course with extensive, in-depth, real world experience consulting for client organizations on projects aimed at addressing international environmental and energy policy challenges. The Practicum is designed to provide quality research and analysis on intractable challenges to clients, while providing students with the opportunity to apply concepts learned in the classroom to critical problems. Where possible, the work is integrated into the on-going research of an ERE faculty member.Learn more about the International Energy and Environment Practicum.
The Global Leaders Forum is a speaker series that brings together leaders from the public sector, research, finance and industry throughout the academic year to explore solutions to key domestic and international energy and environmental challenges. The GLF serves as a platform for policymakers and executives to share their expertise and insight with faculty and students and the broader academic, business and media communities. Our invitations are sent to professionals from the energy and environment sectors in the Washington, DC area as well as the Johns Hopkins SAIS' student and faculty body and alumni. Typically a diverse audience of approximately100-150, including students professionals and faculty attend Global Leaders Forum events.Learn more about the Global Leaders Forum.
To supplement its rigorous academic curriculum, the Energy, Resources and Environment Program also developed the Frontiers in Energy, Science and Technology (FEST) Field Visits initiative to provide its students with first-hand experience visiting utility, nuclear power and LNG plants, hydraulic fracturing and off-shore oil facilities, sewage treatment plants, and solar panel manufacturing facilities, among others. FEST offers student enrichment activities designed to provide first-hand exposure to innovations in the energy and environment sectors.Learn more about Frontiers in Energy, Science and Technology (FEST).
The Global Issues in Agriculture Seminar Series brings professionals working in the fields of Food Security, Agricultural Economics and Resource Management to the Johns Hopkins School for Advanced International Studies in Washington, DC. The speaker series was founded by Dr. Robert L. Thompson, who recently retired from his position as a visiting professor in the Energy, Resources and Environment and International Development Programs.Learn more about the Global Issues in Agriculture Seminar Series.
Learning Goals and Objectives
MA students must complete 64 credits and all degree requirements in order to graduate.
Students who are approved for a Dual Degree program or with Advanced Standing only need to complete 48 credits or 56 credits as determined by Academic Affairs, but still must fulfill all degree requirements.
MA students concentrating in Energy, Resources and Environment must complete 24 credits of applicable coursework and a program capstone. At least 16 credits must start with the course prefix SA.680.XXX and of these courses, one must be designated "Energy" and one must be designated "Environment" on the ERE Course Matrix.
All ERE concentrators and MIPP Affiliates must complete the Online Basics of Energy (OBE) course before the start of classes of their first term with ERE.
All ERE concentrators are required to complete either Global Energy Fundamentals (SA.680.697) or Global Environment Fundamentals (SA.680.698) in their first year.
Students can use the ERE Curriculum Sequences to help plan their concentration. These energy and environment sequences are recommended courses that that are geared toward students' career goals and academic interests. The sequencing of courses is encouraged, but not required.
Capstone
Energy, Resources and Environment concentrators must complete one of the following capstones:
MA students must complete a concentration in International Economics (16 credits). The four required courses are:
If a student is waived from a required course(s), the student must take a replacement International Economics course(s) to fulfill the concentration requirement.
Students who pass the non-credit Microeconomics course in Pre-Term will have this concentration reduced to 12 credits, but still must complete the remaining required International Economics courses (or a replacement course(s) if waiver exam(s) passed).
International Economics GPA Requirement
Students must achieve an International Economics concentration GPA of at least 2.67.
In the standard case, the concentration GPA is the average of the grades in Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, International Trade Theory, and International Monetary Theory. If a student completed the non-credit Microeconomics course in Pre-Term, the concentration GPA is calculated based on the grades in the remaining required International Economics courses. If one or more of the required courses is waived, the highest grade(s) from any eligible replacement International Economics course(s) is used.
Students who do not meet the minimum International Economics concentration GPA must re-take required courses (or take additional replacement courses if any required course(s) are waived) until the minimum is achieved. The highest grade from any attempt at a required course is used in this calculation.
MA students must fulfill the Quantitative Reasoning Requirement (4 credits). Eligible courses include:
Students may not double-count the same course toward the Quantitative Reasoning requirement and as a replacement International Economics concentration course and vice-versa.
If a student is waived from a Quantitative Reasoning course, the student must take a different course from the list above to fulfill the Quantitative Reasoning requirement.
Students who pass the non-credit Statistical Methods for Business & Economics course in Pre-Term will have fulfilled the Quantitative Reasoning requirement.
MA students must fulfill two Core requirements from the subjects below. Students may fulfill a Core requirement by passing a for-credit Core course or by passing a non-credit Core exam.
Students may not take a Core exam in the semester in which they plan to graduate. If Core requirements are not completed before the start of a student’s final semester, the student no longer has the option of completing the exam and must enroll in the Core course(s) for credit.
MA students must pass exams to demonstrate proficiency in a non-native language taught at SAIS. Students enroll in non-credit language courses to prepare for the proficiency exam.
Students whose native language is not English may use English as their proficiency language. All non-native English speakers are required to pass an English placement exam upon entering the school, even if not using English for proficiency, and may be required to take additional English language coursework.
Beyond the requirements, MA students may have room in their degree for electives, a minor, and/or a specialization(s).
Students may pursue an optional minor in any policy/regional area other than General International Relations.
Students may pursue an optional specialization(s) in five areas International Economics or Emerging Markets.
Entering Class 2017-2018
Entering Class 2016-2017
Entering Class 2015-2016
Entering Class 2014-2015
Entering Class 2013-2014
Entering Class 2012-2013
Entering Class 2011-2012
Entering Class 2010-2011
Entering Class 2009-2010
Energy, Resources and Environment Minor Requirements:
General Minor Requirements:
The ERE program provides its students both an academic and academic enrichment focus. Currently, the program offers a MA degree or a minor. We also accept applications for MIPP candidates to affiliate with ERE. If you are interested in opportunities to obtain a PhD in ERE please contact Professor Johannes Urpelainen at johannesu@jhu.edu.
The course will examine important issues related to global agriculture, including: globalization and recent evolution of the world food system; agricultural market volatility and trends in agricultural commodity prices; the nexus among agriculture, poverty, and hunger; technological change and agriculture’s role in economic development; the degrading global natural resource base and implications for food production and the rural poor; options for restoring a degree of sustainability while increasing production; agriculture and climate change--a two-way relationship that can no longer be ignored; public policy distortions in global agriculture affecting both domestic markets and trade; public vs. private roles in agricultural and rural development going forward; and by illustration exciting career opportunities in agriculture for the next generation of professionals.
Please stop by often to see a list of upcoming ERE events.
2018-2019 Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies Academic Calendar
Whether you are a recent graduate or one of the trail-blazing students whose passion helped start the program (formerly the International Policy Program) at Johns Hopkins SAIS, we wish to hear from you!
We welcome alumni to engage and participate in upcoming ERE events. Connect with us in person and online:
We also encourage you to connect with the SAIS Energy and Environment Alumni Network group on Linkedin and with current student leaders of the SAIS Energy and Environment Club (EEC).
Support the Energy, Resources and Environment Program
To successfully develop solutions to complex and critical energy and environmental problems, the ERE program embraces a vision that unprecedented and multi-faceted innovation will be required, in many cases involving new public-private partnerships, to undertake technology development, deliver the needed investment, create the appropriate policy environment, establish an appropriate governance framework and succeed in international diplomacy. This vision is borne out both in ERE classes and in the research work conducted by ERE faculty, post docs and research assistants.
The Initiative for Sustainable Energy Policy – is an interdisciplinary research program that uses cutting-edge social and behavioral science to design, test, and implement better energy policies in emerging economies.
Hosted at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), ISEP identifies and pursues opportunities for policy reforms that allow emerging economies to achieve human development at minimal economic and environmental costs. The initiative pursues such opportunities both pro-actively, with continuous policy innovation and bold ideas, and by responding to policymakers’ demands and needs in sustained engagement and dialogue.
A unique feature of ISEP is the pragmatic recognition of the administrative, political, and socio-cultural constraints on policy reform. The initiative is based on the premise that the obstacle to energy policy reform is rarely the lack of better alternatives to the current situation, but rather the vexing difficulty of enacting, implementing, and sustaining these alternatives. We adopt a balanced method that considers both sustainability and access to energy crucial priorities, and conduct rigorous research for evidence-based policy advice.
Banks, John P., co-author, “ Business and Nonproliferation: Industry's Role in Safeguarding a Nuclear Renaissance” (2011)
Banks, John P., “Does decarbonization mean de-coalification? Discussing carbon reduction policies, Coal in the 21st Century Series” (2015)
Banks, John P., “Fostering low carbon energy: Next generation policy to commercialize CCS in the United States, Coal in the 21st Century Series” (2015)
Banks, John P., “Transforming the Electricity Portfolio: Lessons from Germany and Japan in Deploying Renewable Energy” (2014)
Jordaan, Sarah M., co-author "How to reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas industry across North America" (2018)
Jordaan, Sarah M., G. A. Heath, J. Macknick, E. Mohammadi, D. Ben-Horin, V. Urrea and D. Marceau. (2017). Understanding the life cycle surface land requirements of natural gas-fired electricity. Nature Energy, 2: 804–812.
Boersma, T. and Sarah M. Jordaan. (2017) Whatever happened to the golden age of natural gas? Energy Transitions, 1:5.
Jordaan, S. M., E. Romo-Rabago, R. McLeary, L. Reidy, J. Nazari, I. M. Herremans. (2017) The role of energy technology innovation in reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Canada. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 78: 1397–1409.
Brandt, A. R., G. A. Heath, E. A. Kort, F. O'Sullivan, G. Pétron, Sarah M. Jordaan, P. Tans, J. Wilcox, A. M. Gopstein, D. Arent, S. Wofsy, N. J. Brown, R. Bradley, G. D. Stucky, D. Eardley, and R. Harriss. (2014) Methane Leaks from North American Natural Gas Systems. Science, 343: 733-735.
Keller, Kenneth H., "From Here to There in Information Technology," in American Behavioral Scientist (2008)
Keller, Kenneth H., "Nanotechnology and Society" in Journal of Nanoparticle Research (2007)
Keller, Kenneth H., "Improving the Understanding of Science and Technology," in Technology in Society (2006)
Kohl, W.L., author, “Outlook for Nuclear Power Revival After Fukushima,” USAEE Dialogue, Vol. 20, No. 1 (2012)
Kohl, W.L., author, “Consumer Country Energy Cooperation: The IEA and the Global Energy Order” in A. Goldthau and J.M. Witte, Global Energy Governance: The New Rules of the Game (Brookings, 2010)
Nahm, Jonas, “Renewable Futures and Industrial Legacies: Wind and Solar Sectors in China, Germany, and the United States.” Business and Politics. (2017) (Forthcoming)
Nahm, Jonas, “Exploiting the Implementation Gap: Policy Divergence and Industrial Upgrading in China’s Wind and Solar Sectors.” The China Quarterly. (2017) (Forthcoming)
Nahm, Jonas, and Kostka, Genia, “Central–Local Relations: Recentralization and Environmental Governance in China.” The China Quarterly. (2017) (Forthcoming)
Nahm, Jonas and Steinfield, Edward S., “Scale-Up Nation: China’s Specialization in Innovative Manufacturing.” World Development 54: 288-300. (2014)
Nahm, Jonas and Steinfield, Edward S., “The Role of Innovative Manufacturing in High-Tech Product Development: Evidence from China’s Renewable Energy Sector” in Production in the Innovation Economy, edited by Richard Locke and Rachel Wellhausen. MIT Press. (2014)
Nahm, Jonas, “Energy Efficiency in Buildings: The Case of Germany.” MIT Industrial Performance Center Working Paper 11-0005. (2011)
Wang, Rui, The Capitalization of Subway Access in Home Value: A Repeat-Rentals Model with Supply Constraints in Beijing.” Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 80: 104-115, 2015 (with W. Sun and S. Zheng) [Award] Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors Best Valuation Paper, Asian Real Estate Society, 2014
Wang, Rui, “Urban Spatial Structure and Motorization in China.” Journal of Regional Science, forthcoming (with B. Sun, T. Zhang, and Z. He)
Wang, Rui, “The Housing Market Effects of Local Home Purchase Restrictions: Evidence from Beijing.” Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, forthcoming (with W. Sun, S. Zheng, and D.M. Geltner)
Wang, Rui, “Urban Spatial Structure and Commute Duration: An Empirical Study of China.”
Wang, Rui, International Journal of Sustainable Transportation, forthcoming (with B. Sun, Z. He, and T. Zhang)