For a greater cause: Students at work at the TERI School of Advanced Studies

Students at The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) School of Advanced Studies, Delhi, are waiting with bated breath for the opportunity of a lifetime. This summer, thanks to a tie-up between TERI and the Yale Environment School, four of them will be selected to study for six weeks at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies in the US.

A three-year grant of $ 825,000 (Rs 36,747,136 approximately) will be awarded for a research and exchange programme to be conducted by the two institutes. The collaborative programme, called ?Building capacity for environmental resource management in India?, funded by the V. Kann Rasmussen Foundation of Boston will put great emphasis on teaching and training in the areas of energy, climate change, carbon sequestration, environmental law and policy, industrial ecology and joint forest and watershed management. Says the dean of the Yale Environment School, Gus Speth, ?The programme will foster the development of skills, techniques and teaching materials that are more relevant to the environmental problems in India and other developing countries.?

During those six weeks, the students will work with researchers at the Yale school on ongoing projects. The selection of the four students will depend on their academic background and their areas of interest which should match the research areas at Yale. The students will also be a part of a long-term project on comparative environmental governance. The findings of this study will be compiled in a report. ?The exchange programme will give our students an opportunity to know about the state of the art management and policy solutions in environment. Yale students, on the other hand, will be exposed to development solutions in an emerging country like India,? says Leena Srivastava, dean, TERI, that offers masters and doctoral programmes in environmental studies.

The four students will be selected from those pursuing the masters degree courses in environment studies and natural resource management. Established in 1998, TERI offers MSc programmes that are intended to educate students so that they can become natural resource or environmental managers, scientists, researchers and policy makers. From silviculture and forest measurements to biodiversity conservation and resource economics ? the courses cover a wide range of issues related to environment and development. ?Every course at TERI is multi-disciplinary in nature. Each has many dimensions to it ? be it scientific, legal, financial or social,? adds Srivastava. The pedagogical tools comprise not just classroom lectures, but also case studies, field visits, quizzes, term papers, assignments, tutorials, seminars and discussion forums.

As every industry today has become sensitive to environmental performance, the career prospects for specialists in this field are very good. ?It is, in fact, mandatory to have an environment department in every industry today. So you can imagine the scope for a career in this field,? says Manpreet Singh, who completed a masters course in environment studies from the TERI School in 2005. He is currently working as a CDM (clean development mechanism) officer with Senergy Global, a Delhi-based company dealing with carbon commerce and emission trading. Students from TERI are currently employed in the cement industry, corporate houses, NGOs, research organisations, etc.

For mid-career professionals, the TERI School offers a masters degree course in public policy and sustainable development. The course deals with the various facets of policies in the area of economic reforms and sustainable development. The first year includes core and elective courses with a six-week term at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, University of Texas, Austin, USA. The second year is primarily devoted to projects or dissertation work.

The school has recently announced the launch of a management programme in infrastructure. The unique research-based MBA course is aimed at building the capacity of experts to serve as managers of public utilities, consultants and government regulators. ?There is an enormous emphasis on infrastructure development today. This course will equip students to deal with big management projects in any sector,? says Srivastava.

The curriculum comprises a combination of lectures, tutorials, field visits, and most importantly, case studies. Students will also get an opportunity to participate in activities such as open-house processes and public hearings. While it is mandatory for students to undertake course work in the first year, in the second year they are required to write theses.

So, if environmental and development issues are close to your heart, you can opt for a specialised course at TERI.