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The Climate, Environment, and Sustainability (CES) track of the Master of Engineering (MEng) degree is an intensive 9-month program. Students engage in rigorous coursework designed to deepen their understanding of critical CES issues. They also pursue interdisciplinary research, exploring topics such as ecological systems, air quality, sustainable food systems, and renewable energy. This accelerated program equips graduates with the technical expertise and leadership skills needed to drive sustainable solutions in industry, government, and beyond.
Within the CES Track, students must take at least 48 units (four graduate subjects) in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, including three core subjects (36 units), and a fourth graduate subject (12 units). Students are also required to complete a thesis (24 units) and two elective subjects (18 units) in or outside of CEE.
Students select three core subjects (36 units) from the lists below. Students must also select a fourth graduate subject in CEE (12 units). The fourth subject can be from the following lists, but any relevant graduate subject in CEE will fulfill the requirement
Fall Core Subjects:
1.65 Atmospheric Boundary Layer Flows and Wind Energy (12 units)
1.61 Transport Processes in the Environment (12 units)
1.69 Introduction to Coastal Engineering (12)
1.87 Microbial Genetics and Evolution (12 units)
Spring Core Subjects:
1.771 Global Change Science (12 units)
1.800 Environmental Chemistry (12 units)
1.811 Environmental Law, Policy, and Economics: Pollution Prevention and Control (12 units)
1.760 Carbon Management (12 units)
1.89 Environmental Microbial Biogeochemistry (12 units)
1.861 Physics and Engineering of Renewable Energy Systems (12 units)
1.C51 Machine Learning for Sustainable Systems (6 units) + 6.C51 Modeling with Machine Learning: from Algorithms to Applications (6 units)
The MEng thesis is the result of an individual research project conducted by each student in the program in close collaboration with their faculty thesis supervisor. Thesis research begins immediately upon arrival at MIT, and concludes in May with the submission of the signed thesis. Research plays an integral role in the graduate degree, and research effort is tracked through enrollment in 1.THG. Graduate students are required to register for 1.THG every semester, including Independent Activities Period (IAP) in January, and meet with their supervisors on a regular basis. We recommend students take 10 units of 1.THG in Fall, 4 units over IAP, and 10 units in Spring.
The elective subjects may come from inside or outside of CEE. Below is a list of suggested electives.
Suggested Elective Subjects, Fall 2025
1.286 Urban Energy Systems and Policy (12 units)
1.303[J] Infrastructure Design for Climate Change
1.834 Exploring Sustainability at Different Scales (12 units)
1.872 Evolutionary and Quantitative Genomics (12 units)
11.601 Theory and Practice of Environmental Planning (12 units)
12.842 Climate Science (12 units)
12.885 Science, Politics, and Environmental Policy (9 units)
Suggested Elective Subjects, Spring 2026
1.200 Transportation: Foundations and Methods (12 units)
1.631 Fluids and Diseases (12 units)
1.72 Groundwater Hydrology (12 units)
1.89 Environmental Microbial Biogeochemistry (12 units)
1.873 Mathematical Modeling of Ecological Systems (12
units)
1.878[J] Nuclear Energy and the Environment: Waste,
Effluents, and Accidents (12 units)
1.881 Genomics and Evolution of Infectious Disease (12 units)