ENGINEERING: ENERGY AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Engineers focusing on sustainable development will use their skills to provide solutions for a growing number of concerns: climate change, waste and pollution, poverty, and resource depletion and distribution. Engineers in this field will work to find innovative ways of implementing sustainability at the practical level.

Those with a Master’s in Engineering for Sustainable Development may find work in large NGOs such as the World Bank or the United Nations; may work for governments at the local or national level; may work for utility companies or in other aspects of industry; or they may continue their studies to earn a Ph.D in Engineering to teach at the university level and continue research. The average salary for a Master’s in Sustainable Development is between $50,000 and $100,000. A Master’s in this Engineering discipline may take 2-3 years, while a Ph.D can take upwards of 5 years to complete.

Top graduate programs for Sustainable Development Engineering include Stanford, Duke, University of Colorado, and the Australian National University (according to the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education).