Sustainable Systems Master of science degree

In the sustainable systems MS, you will start with a broad foundation of knowledge in environmental life cycle assessment, sustainable decision making, economic and policy strategies, and more. Then, you will have the opportunity to customize your degree in areas that suit your interests and career goals—such as renewable energy or mobility—as well as get the hands-on experience that employers are seeking. In as little as one year of study, you will be prepared to make sustainability decisions that you can apply to any career.

Not only will you be able to focus on an area that interests you, but you will be able to get hands-on in your projects with the use of one of our many labs or through design modeling tools. This degree allows you the flexibility to adapt your career over time and in response to the ever-changing developments in sustainability. The Golisano Institute for Sustainability is dedicated to groundbreaking sustainability research and its business applications. Our research facilities are second to none, including Sustainability Institute Hall, a 75,000-sq.-foot, LEED Platinum certified research building and multiple state-of-the-art research centers.

You don’t need a background in sustainability to join this program; just a desire to create positive change in the world. We bring in students of all ages, from all backgrounds—from mechanical engineering to political science—and from all over the world so that your learning experience comes not just from the classroom, but from the different perspectives of fellow students.

Plan of study

Through a flexible and interdisciplinary curriculum, you’ll begin your degree with core courses in industrial ecology, risk assessment, the economics of sustainability, and more. Several electives from across the university will allow you to further tailor your degree to your talents and career goals, from sustainable craft brewing and distilling to corporate social responsibility.

Your degree culminates with a research thesis or a capstone project. Recent thesis examples include:

• Techno-Environmental Analysis of Generating Animal Feed from Wasted Food Products
• Fabrication and life cycle assessment of organic photovoltaics
• Characterizing adaptive capacity to climate change in developing countries: a case study on Peru

Potential tracks

Sustainable Energy

• Sustainable Energy Systems
• Food-Energy-Water Nexus
• Energy Policy

Example research project: Inspection of wind turbine blades with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)

Circular Economy

• Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
• Data Analysis for Sustainability
• Innovation Policy
• Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

Example research project: Assessing a baseline case for reaching carbon neutrality in Monroe County by 2027

Sustainable Urban Systems

• Sustainable Mobility Systems
• Graduate Sustainable Communities
• Sustainable Building Metrics

Example research project: Evaluating strategies for sustainable renovation of RIT campus buildings

Enhanced career opportunities

Our graduates have a 100 percent placement rate, in part because of RIT’s dedication to career counseling and ongoing relationships with employers. This means that all of our graduates gain employment or choose to further their education shortly after graduating. And If you’re interested in pursuing a career more focused in academia or research, the master’s degree is also an excellent stepping stone to a doctoral program, such as RIT’s Ph.D. in sustainability, if you take the route of completing a thesis while here.

Community involvement

Rochester, NY, is a hub for sustainability professionals and entrepreneurship. Students in the sustainable systems degree program are often regularly involved with local companies and organizations, from teaching about sustainability practices at inner-city high schools to completing a capstone project for companies including Rochester Regional Health or Wegman's Food Market's corporate headquarters.