The iMEP Program, officially launched in 2016, is a professional graduate degree program tasked with advancing the educational mission of the DKU Environment Program. The iMEP Program is built upon the foundation of Duke’s NSOE and SSPP, which co-convey the Master of Environmental Policy degree.
The study of environmental policy is an applied field that examines the formation, design, application, evaluation, and impacts of public policies with a focus on providing solutions to environmental problems. The field of environmental policy takes into account the analysis of both contemporary national and international environmental problems, including for instance the study of energy, water, oceans, forests, and urbanization. The iMEP Program approaches the study of environmental policy through an interdisciplinary lens that straddles economics, public policy, political science, law, geography, and the natural sciences among other focus areas. It seeks to train the graduates to become leaders in civil society, business, consulting firms, research institutions, think tanks and entrepreneurial enterprises.
Duke’s mission statement outlines the goals of providing ‘real leadership in the educational world’ while pursuing areas of teaching and scholarship that would ‘most help to develop our resources, increase our wisdom, and promote human happiness.’ DKU’s mission is to ‘prepare students for professional, intellectual and societal leadership roles across the globe’ by ‘delivering the highest quality undergraduate and graduate education that is truly interdisciplinary.’ The iMEP Program contributes to these objectives by attracting, educating, and training future generations of environmental leaders in China, the United States and internationally. The iMEP coursework, faculty mentorship, and hands-on research and practitioner activities are designed to prepare graduates to work toward pragmatic solutions to environmental policy challenges. Given the large and growing importance of these challenges in China, the United States, and globally, iMEP is positioned to make substantial societal impacts through the future work and leadership of its graduates.
Building on the strong relationship between the iMEP program and Duke University, iMEP students will have the opportunity to spend a semester at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, USA, where they will interact with the broader Duke faculty, gain additional English-language experience, and build networks with US-based contacts.
At the same time, the program will bring students pursuing a master’s degree from the Nicholas and Sanford schools to Duke Kunshan, further increasing diversity and networking opportunities in the iMEP program. Internships with a range of international organizations, NGOs, and corporations round out the opportunities available to iMEP students.
