Bren Students solve real problems
Three degrees. One commitment to real-world impact.
At Bren, student work takes different forms across our two professional master's degrees and research focused PhD program, but every path puts students to work on environmental problems that organizations, markets, and communities actually face.
MESM Master of Environmental Science & Management
Two major year-long applied tracks
MESM students choose between two year-long applied tracks — one client-facing, one entrepreneurial.
Client-facing track
MESM Impact Projects
formerly Group Projects
Teams of 4–6 students spend a year solving an environmental problem for a real client.
Explore the trackEntrepreneurial track
MESM Impact Ventures
formerly Eco-E Projects
The entrepreneurial path — build and validate a venture with measurable impact.
Explore the trackSpecialized capstone · Communication Focus (ESM 449)
Environmental Communication Capstone
A specialized capstone — not a full applied track — for MESM students in the Communication Focus, producing professional environmental media and communication products.
Learn moreMEDS Master of Environmental Data Science
The MEDS Capstone Project
MEDS Capstone
A two-quarter, client-driven data-science project (EDS 411A/B). Small teams deliver client data products and tools — parallel in role to MESM Impact Projects, distinct in length and focus.
Learn morePhD Doctor of Philosophy
Independent faculty-mentored research
PhD Research & Dissertation
Doctoral students conduct original environmental research, develop specialized expertise, and culminate their work in a dissertation.
Explore PhD researchCourse numbers refer to Bren School courses.
At a Glance
Which path does what?
MESM’s two major applied tracks, MESM Impact Projects and MESM Impact Ventures, sit alongside the Environmental Communication Capstone, a specialized capstone within the Communication Focus. The MEDS Capstone is the signature applied project within MEDS. PhD students pursue original research culminating in a doctoral dissertation.
| Category | MESM Impact Projects | MEDS Capstone | Environmental Communication Capstone | MESM Impact Ventures | PhD Dissertation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Degree | Master of Environmental Science and Management | Master of Environmental Data Science | Master of Environmental Science and Management | Master of Environmental Science and Management | Doctor of Philosophy in Environmental Science and Management |
| Type | Major applied track — client-facing | Signature project (MEDS) | Specialized capstone (Communication Focus) | Major applied track — entrepreneurial | Independent faculty-mentored research |
| What it is | A year of applied work for a real client — the MESM master's project | Client-driven applied data-science project | Course-based capstone producing communication & media products | Build and validate an environmental venture — the project, the entrepreneurial way | Original doctoral research producing new environmental knowledge |
| Team & length | 4–6 students · year-long across two years | Small teams · two quarters (EDS 411A/B) | Individual or small teams · one quarter (ESM 449) | Student teams · year-long | Individual · multi-year (typically five) |
| Delivers | Professional recommendations, tools & analyses the client uses | Client data products & tools | Media & communication products | A venture: business model, validation, pitch | A dissertation, published research & specialized expertise |
| Showcase | Opens the season — Apr 16 | Presents — May 28 | Closes the quarter — Jun 4 | Alongside MESM — Apr 16 | Dissertation defense — year-round |
GRADUATE PROJECTS AND RESEARCH
Learn more about each experience
At the Bren School, graduate students put their knowledge into practice through applied projects, entrepreneurial ventures, communication work, and original research. MESM students choose between two year-long applied tracks: MESM Impact Projects, the team-based, client-facing experience formerly known as Group Projects, and MESM Impact Ventures, the team-based entrepreneurial track formerly known as Eco-E Projects. MESM students may also pursue an optional Environmental Communication Capstone, culminating in a public symposium presentation. MEDS students complete a required Capstone Project, applying data science methods to a real-world environmental challenge. PhD students conduct original research culminating in a doctoral dissertation and public defense.
Teams of four to six MESM students partner with a real client — businesses, government agencies, and nonprofits — to tackle a defined environmental problem and deliver professional recommendations with real-world impact. This year-long, client-facing experience concludes at the Bren Impact Showcase.
Formerly Group Projects.
The entrepreneurial path to the project. Student teams find where market demand meets an environmental need, then build and validate a venture designed for measurable impact — for students who want to build solutions, not just analyze problems.
Formerly Eco-E Projects.
A course-based capstone (ESM 449) for MESM students in the Communication Focus, who design and produce professional environmental media and communication products — translating science into stories and campaigns that move audiences.
The signature applied work of the Master of Environmental Data Science: a two-quarter, client-driven project (EDS 411A/B) in which small teams deliver professional data products and tools to a partner organization.
PhD students conduct original, faculty-guided research that advances knowledge in environmental science and management. Their work culminates in a doctoral dissertation and public defense, contributing new evidence, methods, and insights to their fields.
The Culminating Event
The Bren Impact Showcase season
The Bren Impact Showcase is where student teams present a year of work to the people it was built for — clients, faculty, and the wider Bren community. It unfolds across three dates each spring: MESM Impact Projects and Impact Ventures in April, MEDS Capstones in late May, and the Communication Capstone in June. Different teams, different weeks — one Showcase.
April 16, 2027
MESM Impact Projects + MESM Impact Ventures
The two MESM applied tracks open the season.
MAY 28, 2027
MEDS Capstone Projects
The MEDS data-science capstones present next.
JUNE 4, 2027
Environmental Communication Capstone Projects
The Communication Focus capstone closes the quarter.
The Work Product
Hundreds of projects. Decades of impact.
Every completed project lives in our searchable Master's Project Directory — final reports, executive summaries, presentations, data products, and ventures.
Our Partners
Organizations that have worked with Bren students
A sample of past and current client partners — and ventures founded by Bren students through the venture track.