Columbia Climate School offers students the opportunity to pursue a dual degree with other schools at Columbia University and with partner institutions around the world.
The Climate School offers several interdisciplinary dual degree programs, which award two degrees in less time than pursuing the degrees separately. Dual programs provide graduates with depth in multiple disciplines and the ability to bring both to bear on complex climate challenges.
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY DUAL DEGREES
Combine the MS in Climate with a second degree from another school at Columbia University. These programs award two degrees in less time than pursuing them separately, and draw on the full breadth of the University's faculty and facilities in New York City. Current options are listed below.
MS in Climate + MS in Architecture & Urban Design
Students enrolled in this dual degree program are awarded both the MS in Climate and MS in Architecture and Urban Design from Columbia's Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation (GSAPP). Completed over five semesters, this program combines climate science, adaptation strategies, and innovative design skills to address climate change through resilient, adaptive urban environments. By integrating climate expertise with architecture and urban studies, the program prepares students to design low-carbon, equitable, and climate-responsive communities, equipping future scholars and practitioners with the tools to build a sustainable future.
There has been an increasing need for professional expertise in climate and design and climate-conscious urban strategies. Upon completing this dual degree, students will be qualified for a range of roles across sectors, industries, and geographic scales.
Students must enroll for 79 credits – 34 credits over two semesters (fall and spring) in the MS in Climate and 45 credits over three semesters (summer, fall, and spring) in the MS in Architecture and Urban Design.
While enrolled in the STEM-designated MS in Climate, students receive an immersive year of climate courses centered on the scientific understanding of climate, quantitative methods, mitigation pathways, adaptation strategies and policies, justice frameworks, and societal impacts. Dual degree students also engage in curated integrative events and programming across both semesters linking the dual fields of study.
While enrolled in the Urban Design degree, students engage in the multidisciplinary study of cities, regions, infrastructures, and ecosystems, learning the history, theory, research, and design techniques to design environmentally friendly and responsive developments in the built environment. The program focuses on the city as an agent of resilient change and on the role of design in redefining the 21st century urban landscape to meet the challenges of climate change, rapid urbanization, and social inequality.
Together, the dual program will train scholars and practitioners to create and manage built environments that support local, low-carbon economies and just, resilient, healthy, and prosperous communities. Students will:
- Gain an understanding of the intersections between design, built environment, planning, policy, and climate justice
- Become conversant in climate adaptation policies and investments
- Practice workshop sessions and facilitation skills to advance climate-resilient community change
- Devise and connect design and policy solutions to local climate challenges
- Conceive, develop, and design urban design & infrastructural responses to climate change
Students are responsible for meeting with both program directors periodically to ensure that they meet individual curriculum and point and residency requirements.
Interested candidates must apply separately to Columbia Climate School and GSAPP. Each school’s admissions decisions are made independently based solely on that school’s selection criteria. Students pay the tuition and fees of and are granted financial aid by the school in which they are in residence during a given year.
While students may begin the dual degree at either school, the recommended path is to start at the Climate School and conclude at GSAPP. International students are encouraged to contact admissions to discuss the right pathway for them, including impacts on eligibility for Curricular Practical Training (CPT) in the summer semester.
Questions?
- MS Climate Program: [email protected] or schedule an appointment.
- MS Architecture and Urban Design Program: [email protected]
MS in Climate + MS in Carbon Management
Students enrolled in this dual degree program are awarded both the MS in Climate and MS in Carbon Management from Columbia Engineering (SEAS). Completed over four semesters, this program combines climate science and societal impacts with carbon management expertise to prepare and train students to develop and implement low-carbon strategies across sectors and industries. It puts a precise and integrated focus on carbon management in the context of a changing climate.
Upon completing this dual degree, students will be qualified for a range of roles across sectors, industries and geographic scales. There is an increasing need for interdisciplinary experts well versed in climate science, mitigation pathways, adaptation strategies, and carbon management solutions aimed at mitigating the impact of CO2 emissions.
Students must enroll for 64 credits – 34 credits over two semesters (fall and spring) in the MS in Climate and 30 credits over two semesters (fall and spring) in the MS in Carbon Management.
While enrolled in the STEM-designated MS in Climate, students receive an immersive year of climate courses centered on the scientific understanding of climate, quantitative methods, mitigation pathways, adaptation strategies and policies, justice frameworks, and societal impacts. Students then spend the summer completing a practicum experience, applying their skills in a professional setting. Dual degree students also engage in curated integrative events and programming across both semesters linking the dual fields of study.
While enrolled in the MS Carbon Management degree, students gain technical depth through core courses focused on multi-faceted aspects of carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS), and low-carbon energy conservation systems, as well as electives focused on related engineering, policy, and economics. Together, this dual program trains students to both create and implement multi-faceted solutions to the carbon problem as a key pathway to addressing the climate crisis.
Students are responsible for meeting with both program directors periodically to ensure that they meet individual curriculum and point and residency requirements.
Interested candidates must apply separately to Columbia Climate School and Columbia Engineering. Each school’s admissions decisions are made independently based solely on that school’s selection criteria. Students pay the tuition and fees of and are granted financial aid by the school in which they are in residence during a given year.
While students may begin the dual degree at either school, the recommended path is to start at the Climate School and conclude at Engineering. International students are encouraged to contact admissions to discuss the right pathway for them, including impacts on eligibility for Curricular Practical Training (CPT) in the summer semester.
Questions?
- MS Climate Program: [email protected] or schedule an appointment.
- MS Carbon Management Program: [email protected]
MS in Climate + MS in Journalism
Students enrolled in this dual degree program are awarded both the MS in Climate and MS in Journalism from the Columbia Journalism School. Completed over four semesters, this program combines climate science and solutions with essential reporting and storytelling skills. It prepares students to translate complex climate information into accessible, evidence-based narratives that inform public understanding and decision-making.
Upon completing this dual degree, students will be prepared for a wide range of roles at the intersection of these two fields, including climate or environmental reporter, data journalist, climate communicator, and multimedia climate storyteller. Beyond traditional journalism, graduates will be competitive for roles in government agencies, research institutions, nonprofit organizations, think tanks, philanthropic foundations, and corporate sustainability teams, where the ability to interpret climate information and communicate it clearly is increasingly essential.
Students must enroll for 71 credits – 34 credits over two semesters (fall and spring) in the MS in Climate and 37 credits over two semesters (fall and spring) in the MS in Journalism. The dual is designed to have students begin at the Climate School then integrate that climate knowledge into their studies at the Journalism School in the second year.
While enrolled in the STEM-designated MS in Climate, students receive an immersive year of climate courses centered on the scientific understanding of climate, quantitative methods, mitigation pathways, adaptation strategies and policies, justice frameworks, and societal impacts. Students then spend the summer completing a practicum experience, applying their skills in a professional setting. Dual degree students also engage in curated integrative events and programming across both semesters linking the dual fields of study.
While enrolled in the MS in Journalism, students learn the fundamentals of reporting, including sourcing, fact-finding, interviewing techniques, verification, ethics, relevant legal subjects, and the appropriate use of AI and social media. They also learn to tell stories across media and platforms, including text, audio, photo, video, and data, with climate-focused coursework in writing and reporting.
Together, the dual program trains scholars and practitioners to translate climate data, knowledge, and strategies into meaningful, actionable insights for the public. Students will:
- Gain foundational knowledge in both the climate and journalism fields
- Develop the ability to synthesize complex climate science data and information and translate it into clear and compelling narratives
- Hone quantitative and analytical skills that support evidence-based reporting and communication on climate-related issues
- Build practical competencies in journalistic research, interviewing, data analysis and presentation, multimedia storytelling, and ethical reporting, grounded in a deep understanding of climate systems and societal impacts
Students are responsible for meeting with both program directors periodically to ensure that they meet individual curriculum and point and residency requirements.
Interested candidates must apply separately to Columbia Climate School and Columbia Journalism School. Each school's admissions decisions are made independently based solely on that school's selection criteria. Students pay the tuition and fees of, and are granted financial aid by, the school in which they are in residence during a given year.
The dual is designed for students to start at the Climate School and conclude at the Journalism School. Students who wish to do the dual in the other direction should reach out to admissions; this may be granted after consultation with both Schools. International students should contact admissions to discuss the right pathway for them, including impacts on eligibility for Curricular Practical Training (CPT) in the summer semester.
Questions?
- MS Climate Program: [email protected] or schedule an appointment.
- MS Journalism Program: [email protected]
INTERNATIONAL DUAL DEGREES
Combine a Climate School degree with a second one from a leading global university. These programs award two degrees in less time than pursuing them separately, and give students access to two academic curricula and two professional networks across two global regions of climate work. Current options are listed below.
Dual Degree with Sciences Po
State of the Planet Announcement
This dual degree program awards students both the Master of Arts (MA) in Ecological Transition, Risks, and Governance from the Paris Climate School at Sciences Po and the Master of Science (MS) in Climate from the Columbia Climate School.
This historic partnership brings together the first two academic institutions in Europe and the United States devoted entirely to climate studies. Designed as a one-way dual degree beginning in Paris and concluding in New York, this dual program provides students with an interdisciplinary approach to navigate the interconnected worlds of climate science and global governance. Students first build an understanding of how climate and ecological decisions are shaped and carried out, then deepen their technical training in climate science and solutions.
Studying in Paris and New York gives students access to two academic and professional networks in two major centers of climate policy, finance, research, and diplomacy. Through this rigorous program, students develop a crucial fluency across both policy and science, learning to approach complex problems from multiple vantage points. Graduates leave being able to move between the two and able to translate scientific knowledge into policy, finance, and institutional action, with unmatched career versatility across various sectors:
- International organizations (UN, OECD, World Bank, European Union)
- Public administrations and government departments (Green Transition, Finance, Industry)
- Private sector: consultancy firms, financial institutions, industrial companies and insurance firms
- Research and higher education sector
- NGOs
The MS Climate program is a STEM-designated program, which gives graduates the ability to apply for extended OPT to work for up to three years in the U.S. after graduation.
Students draw on Sciences Po's strengths in economics, law, geopolitics, and risk governance, and on Columbia's strengths in climate systems science, quantitative analysis, and applied problem-solving.
In the first year at Sciences Po, students study the geopolitical, economic, legal, and governance dimensions of ecological transition, with a focus on how climate decisions are shaped and implemented. Coursework spans economics for the transition, legal stakes for the planet, societies in transition, geopolitics and climate diplomacy, and earth politics, alongside training in quantitative and qualitative methods and decision sciences. Practice-based work includes practitioner-led seminars, interdisciplinary case studies, and a Transformation Lab that functions as a policy and institutional design clinic.
In the second year at Columbia, students receive an immersive year of climate courses centered on the scientific understanding of climate, quantitative methods, mitigation pathways, adaptation strategies and policies, justice frameworks, and societal impacts. The year includes applied seminars, integrated case-based learning, and a required capstone project.
At the end of the two years, students will have learned how to:
- Analyze climate change as both a scientific challenge and a question of governance, policy, and public action
- Assess and communicate climate and ecological risk across governance systems, financial institutions, and industrial sectors
- Apply quantitative and qualitative methods to evaluate mitigation and adaptation pathways
- Translate scientific knowledge into collective action, corporate strategies, and effective public policies.
- Build fluency in both European and North American approaches to climate and environmental action.
- And more.
Students are responsible for meeting with both program directors periodically to ensure they meet the curriculum, credit, and residency requirements of each institution.
Applications are submitted through Sciences Po. For detailed admissions requirements and deadlines, visit the Sciences Po Paris Climate School Admissions page.
Students pay the tuition and fees of, and are granted financial aid by, the institution in which they are in residence during a given year.
Questions?
- Columbia Climate School: [email protected] or schedule an appointment
- Sciences Po Paris Climate School: [email protected]
Support for Dual Degree Students
The Climate School offers a wide range of services and facilities to support all students' academic, personal, and professional development. Dual degree students receive dedicated support throughout their time at the Climate School, and they have access to the full resources of each school or institution while in residence there.
Academic Advising and Support: Dual degree students are supported by faculty advisors and administrative staff at both schools. While enrolled at the Climate School, dual students receive dedicated support to plan their integrated course of study, track degree requirements, and navigate registration, credit, and residency rules.
Career Services: Dual degree students receive career support from both schools and institutions. The Climate School's Career Management Office supports students from enrollment to employment. After graduation, dual degree students join a growing global network of Climate School alumni working to advance climate solutions across sectors.
Student Life: Dual degree students have access to all standard Columbia student services, as well as at both Schools. For more on Climate School-specific student opportunities, visit the Current Students page. Students can also get involved in the Columbia Climate Graduate Council, and in Columbia's many climate, sustainability, and environment-focused student organizations.
International Student Support: The International Students and Scholars Office (ISSO) provides immigration advising and documentation services for Columbia's international students. Since dual degree students move between schools and, in some programs, between countries, international students are encouraged to consult ISSO and the admissions team early to plan their academic pathway.
