Graduate Programs

The Energy and Resources Group – graduate degrees that make a difference

The Energy and Resources Group (ERG) trains interdisciplinary leaders and thinkers who are defining and solving the systemic, social, environmental, and technological challenges facing the world. ERG grants academic Master’s degrees (M.A. and M.S.) and Ph.D. degrees, as well as joint Master’s degrees with Goldman School of Public Policy (M.P.P.) or the Berkeley School of Law (J.D.).

The Energy and Resources Group was founded in 1973 at the University of California, Berkeley, as one of the first interdisciplinary graduate degree programs in academia. This innovative approach was highly effective, and the interdisciplinary environmental graduate program model can now be found at places such as Duke’s Nicholas School for the Environment (founded 1991) and Stanford University’s Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources (IPER, founded 2001). ERG has faculty, lab groups, and courses in four disciplines: energy engineering, climate change economics, environmental science, and social science / environmental justice. With these four pillars ERG graduate students gain a holistic and practical perspective that informs their research, and makes them leaders in the mission for a sustainable environment and a just society.

ERG professor and graduate students gathered around a table for discussion, with microphones for YouTube recording.

Journeys to ERG

Energy and Resources Group graduate students have diverse life experiences and perspectives. In this roundtable discussion, three ERG Masters and PhD students and Professor Meg Mills-Novoa discuss how they came to ERG, how they support their education, and how the community embraces ERG’s mission of a sustainable environment and a just society.

See the video

ERG Courses

Explore current ERG courses at the Berkeley Course Schedule.

ERG Graduate Programs

Ph.D. – Doctor of Philosophy in Energy and Resources

ERG doctoral students work­ across dis­ci­plines and depart­ments to cre­ate trans­for­ma­tive knowl­edge for the planet and its peo­ple. As one of the first interdisciplinary programs in the field, ERG faculty and students have established an impressive track record of undertaking engaged, cutting-edge research and turning these ideas into effective actions from local to global levels.

ERG admits highly qualified applicants into the Ph.D. program, designed to support and empower doctoral students to pursue rigorous, interdisciplinary, original research in the fields of energy, resources, and the environment.

The first two years of the Ph.D. involve coursework, taught jointly with the Master’s Degree students, and a Final Project in the second year. Please see the Master’s Degree Curriculum for further details. Doctoral students will receive a Master of Science or Master of Arts Degree in Energy and Resources upon completion of the first two years’ requirements.

In some cases, ERG may waive some course or project requirements for Ph.D. students who already hold a Master’s Degree and who can demonstrate a highly interdisciplinary academic background.

After completion of the first two years’ requirements, Ph.D. students will prepare for their Qualifying Examination and commence their Dissertation research.

More information about graduate admissions can be found on our admissions page.

Master’s Degree- Two-year program in Master of Science (M.S.) or Master of Arts (M.A.) in Energy and Resources

The ERG Master’s Degree is a two-year program designed to educate the next generation of interdisciplinary leaders. The curriculum is intended to serve those students for whom the Master’s degree will be the final formal education in support of a professional career as well as serving as an interdisciplinary foundation for doctoral students preparing for Dissertation research.

Students are taught the range of methods and subjects that they should be able to understand, advance, and critique in order to address critical issues stemming from the interaction of humans and the environment. To that end, the requirements for the ERG Master’s degree are both broad and deep, stressing analytic, methodological, theoretical, and practical approaches to problems in energy, resources, and the environment.

The ERG Master’s Degree program culminates in a final independent capstone project. Students develop their project and critique each other’s work over the four semesters of their Master’s seminar class. Students also work closely with their advisors and other faculty readers in the planning and completion of their project. At the end of their second year, students submit their project and present their work to the ERG community.

Ph.D. students completing the Master’s program may choose to use this project as the foundation for their future dissertation.

Concurrent ERG/PP students complete both an ERG Master’s Project as described above, and an Advanced Policy Analysis (APA) Project, which is a client-based policy analysis project through The Goldman School of Public Policy,

More information on the Master’s Degree Curriculum Requirements (MA or MS).

Students admitted to the ERG Master’s Degree may apply for admission into the ERG Ph.D. program during the regular admission cycle in their third (fall) semester, and will be considered under the same criteria and in the context of external Ph.D. admissions candidates.


Concurrent ERG/Public Policy Master’s Degree – Three-year program in Energy and Resources (M.S. or M.A.) and Master’s Degree of Public Policy (M.P.P.)

The Energy and Resources Group and The Goldman School of Public Policy (GSPP) offer a three-year concurrent Master’s Degree program that integrates the strengths of public policy analytical tools with the interdisciplinary knowledge and expertise in energy and resources. Students receive a Master of Public Policy (M.P.P.) as well as a Master’s Degree in Energy and Resources (M.A. or M.S.).

Applicants submit one application that is reviewed by the two programs independently. The online application form is available on the Graduate Divsion website. In the dropdown menu, select Public Policy, then select MPP/ERG MA or MPP/ERG MS.

Applicants may be offered admission to one of the programs or to both concurrently. Funding may come from one or both programs.

Current Master of Public Policy and ERG students may apply to change to the concurrent degree program during their first year through the normal admissions process. Use the Concurrent MPP/MA or MPP/MS degree application to apply to the concurrent degree program.

More details on the concurrent degree program.


Concurrent ERG Master’s/Law J.D. Degree

ERG and the U.C. Berkeley School of Law offer a four-year concurrent Master’s and Juris Doctor (J.D.) program. Applicants must apply and be admitted to the ERG Master’s Degree and to Berkeley Law separately.

For more information on applying to this program please contact ERG at erggrad@berkeley.edu(link is external)(link is external).