Corporate Environmental Management
Specialization Advisor(s)
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- Eric Masanet (Class of 2024)
As environmental awareness is expanding, an increasing number of corporations are assessing their own environmental performance. By improving their environmental management practices, corporations play a major role in addressing environmental problems.
Effectively engaging customers and other stakeholders also helps corporations influence the direction of environmental improvements.
Master of Environmental Science and Management students in the Corporate Environmental Management (CEM) specialization learn how private-sector firms address environmental and natural resource issues and promote shareholder value. This creates the important link between quality of environment and natural resources and a firm’s overall market objectives. CEM students learn how to enhance competitive strategy and incorporate environmental objectives, while responding to new market opportunities, social demands, and regulatory pressures. Students identify, evaluate, and measure sources of competitive advantage that have beneficial environmental, resource, and financial consequences. Students learn how and when private market solutions and property rights can help solve environmental problems. Students also learn how to be effective leaders within companies and why some regulatory systems perform better than others, and students explore policy instruments available to guide corporations’ actions.

Requirements
Master of Environmental Science and Management students are required to take a minimum of 36 units of electives in their primary specialization. With an advisor’s approval, Bren students may also take courses in other UCSB departments as electives to satisfy specialization requirements.
ESM courses are offered through the Bren School and most ESM courses are offered every year. Courses marked with an asterisk (*) will be offered every other year.
Courses
CEM Specialization Courses (12 units required)
ESM 245 Cost Benefit Analysis (4 units)
At least 4 units of business strategy:
ESM 281 Corporate Environmental Management (4 units)
TMP 240 Business Strategy and Leadership Skills (4 units)
At least 4 units of business application:
ESM 222 Pollution Risk Management (4 units)
ESM 271 Carbon Footprints and Carbon Accounting (4 units)
ESM 273 Life Cycle Assessment (4 units)
ESM 282 Pollution Prevention (4 units)
ESM 288 Energy, Technology and the Environment (4 units)
Technical Skills (4 units required)
ESM 212 Biological Community Survey & Analysis (4 units)
ESM 228 Monitoring and Evaluation (4 units)
ESM 232 Environmental Modeling (4 units)
ESM 244 Advanced Data Analysis (4 units)
ESM 262 Computing for Environmental Science and Management (2 units)
ESM 263 Geographic Information Systems (4 units)
ESM 269 Survey Design and Environmental Public Opinion (2 units)
ESM 271 Carbon Footprints and Carbon Accounting (4 units)
ESM 273 Life Cycle Assessment (4 units)
ESM 284 Sustainable Product Development (4 units)
ESM 287 Energy Demand Analysis (4 units)
Environmental Economics, Policy and Law (4 units required)
ESM 225 Water Policy (4 units)
ESM 229 Economics and Policy of Climate Change (4 units)
ESM 242 Natural Resource Economics (4 units)
ESM 243 Environmental Policy Analysis (4 units)
ESM 248 Environmental Institutions (4 units)
ESM 257 Coastal Ocean Policy and Management (4 units)
ESM 277 International Environmental Law (2 units)*
ESM 278 Natural Resources Law and Policy (2 units)*
Environmental Management (4 units required)
ESM 230 Strategic Planning for Non-Profit Ventures (4 units)*
ESM 279 Financial Management and Environmental Accounting (4 units)
ESM 281 Corporate Environmental Management (4 units)
ESM 284 Sustainable Product Development (4 units)
Eco-Entrepreneurship (4 units required)
ESM 230 Strategic Planning for Non-Profit Ventures (4 units)*
ESM 256A Intro to Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation (2 units)
ESM 256B New Venture Opportunity Analysis (4 units)
ESM 402A New Venture Formation (Eco-E Project) (4 units)
ESM 279 Financial Management and Environmental Accounting (4 units)
TMP 240 Business Strategy and Leadership Skills (4 units)
TMP 241 Managing for Innovation (4 units)
TMP 242 Entrepreneurship (4 units)
TMP 244 Entrepreneurial Marketing (3 units)
TMP 246 New Venture Finance (3 units)
TMP 255 New Product Development (4 units)
TMP 268AB New Venture Competition Seminar (3 units)
TMP 269 Creating a Market-Tested Business Model (4 units)
Environmental Communication (4 units required)
ESM 269 Survey Design and Environmental Public Opinion (2 units)
ESM 430 Workshops in Environmental Science & Management (Social Media) (1 unit)
ESM 437 Writing Skills for Environmental Professionals (3 units)
ESM 438 Presentation Skills for Environmental Professionals (4 units)
ESM 440 Strategic Environmental Communication (4 units)
ESM 441 Intro to Environmental Media Production (3 units)
ESM 442 Communication for Civic Engagement & Grassroots Organizing (2 units)
ESM 449 Environmental Communication Practicum (4 units)
FAMST 118 Sponsored Campus Production (Green Screen) (4 units)
Additional Science (recommended)
ESM 211 Applied Population Ecology (4 units)
ESM 214 Biological Waste Treatment (4 units)*
ESM 215 Landscape Ecology (4 units)
ESM 219 Microbial Processes in the Environment (4 units)*
ESM 222 Pollution Risk Management (4 units)
ESM 224 Sustainable Water Resources Management (4 units)
ESM 226 Groundwater Management (4 units)
ESM 235 Watershed Analysis (4 units)
ESM 237 Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation (4 units)
ESM 239 Advanced Climate Science for Policymakers (4 units)*
ESM 240 Climate Change Biology (2 units)*
ESM 254 Coastal Marine Ecosystem Processes (4 units)
ESM 260 Applied Marine Ecology (4 units)
ESM 270 Conservation Planning & Priority Setting (4 units)
ESM 270P Conservation Planning Practicum (4 units)
ESM 282 Pollution Prevention (4 units)
ESM 288 Energy, Technology and the Environment (4 units)
Advanced Special Topics (recommended)
Advanced Special Topics courses (variable units) are typically taught by Visiting Professors and Lecturers and may be offered during any quarter of the academic year.
ESM 293 Advanced Special Topics in Climate and Energy
ESM 294 Advanced Special Topics in Environmental Law
ESM 296 Advanced Special Topics in Environmental Management
ESM 297 Advanced Special Topics in Environmental Policy
ESM 299 Advanced Special Topics in Environmental Science
ESM 430 Workshops in Environmental Science and Management
Relevant Courses in other UCSB departments
TMP 240 Business Strategy and Leadership Skills (4 units)
TMP 241 Managing for Innovation (4 units)
TMP 242 Entrepreneurship (4 units)
TMP 244 Entrepreneurial Marketing (3 units)
TMP 246 New Venture Finance (3 units)
TMP 269 Creating a Market-Tested Business Model (4 units)
Internship Opportunities
Students gain experience in an industry or sector relevant to career goals through a summer internship. CEM students have taken internships with a wide variety of organizations, including the Environmental Defense Fund, Chrysler, Rocky Mountain Institute, ALCOA, Toyota, Patagonia, Madison Energy and Gas, The World Bank Group, and many other agencies, organizations, and companies.
Certificate in Management Opportunity
For highly motivated graduate students across the UC Santa Barbara campus seeking a structured and diploma-enhancing business education, the Technology Management Program offers a UC-wide recognized graduate certificate. The Graduate Program in Management Practice (GPMP) is open to UC Santa Barbara master's degree students and PhD candidates from any major. This program provides a path for innovative and dedicated students to gain in-depth understanding of cutting-edge entrepreneurial and business practices in global-technology based companies.
Research & Special Projects
Students may participate in research directed by Bren faculty through one of the many interdisciplinary research groups at UCSB.
