Master's Degree in Resilience Practice

A tile collage shows a group of students working at a table, saguaros in bloom, a collared lizard, and the courtyard of the ENR2 building.

The Professional Science Master's in Resilience Practice emphasizes hands-on, solutions-oriented learning that prepares students for leadership roles in the rapidly growing resilience, adaptation, and sustainability career sector. Rooted in the unique environmental and cultural landscape of the Sonoran Desert, the program emphasizes local environmental and community resilience solutions with global applications.

Unlike traditional research-based master’s degrees, this professional science master’s program emphasizes practice and implementation, and embeds students directly in agencies and organizations for a capstone project to contribute to real resilience solutions. This program leverages the knowledge of AIR’s transdisciplinary faculty alongside experienced professionals from government agencies, nonprofits, and private sector organizations for practically applicable career training.

  • Core Coursework: Students gain a deep understanding of key environmental and community resilience challenges, explore the integration of western, Indigenous, and community environmental knowledges in decision-making, apply systems thinking strategies for solution design, and practice collaborative leadership skills.
  • Specialized Skills: Through project-based courses, students develop sector-specific expertise in their chosen area of emphasis— Climate Adaptation and Mitigation, International Development, or Water Conservation and Adaptation. Students also choose from a diverse range of over 100 electives to tailor their education to their career aspirations.
  • Practical Experience and Network Building: Students engage in a 200-hour applied capstone project, collaborating with an organization or agency partner under faculty guidance. Through the capstone experience and engagement with other resilience professionals, students build their professional network throughout the program.
  • Flexibility and Accessibility: For current professionals or those aspiring to join the resilience workforce, this 33-unit program offers 7.5 week courses, part-time or full time plans of study, in-person and online course options, and flexibility to complete the capstone project during the summer or academic year.
A woman with long brown hair wearing a black suit jacket and round glasses, standing in a building courtyard and smiling.

 

Want to chat about your career goals in resilience, adaptation, and sustainability? 

Contact Leona Davis, AIR Associate Director of Professional Education: 

leonafdavis@arizona.edu, 520-621-8465