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MSU Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics | Graduate Education > Environment | |||||||
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Environmental and Resource EconomicsOverviewThe environmental and resource economics (ERE) field emphasizes expertise in applying economic theory and empirical methods to the analysis of environmental and natural resource problems. In completing the requirements for the field, students are expected to acquire a working knowledge of historical and contemporary environmental and natural resource problems and policies and an understanding of the role of market behavior as well as formal and informal institutions for determining environmental and resource outcomes. They also develop expertise in the elements of economic theory and empirical methods that are particularly relevant to the study of these issues. FacultyFaculty working in the ERE field have special expertise in economics of land use, water resources, energy, ecosystem management, non-market valuation, property rights, resource dynamics, and policy design to achieve environmental objectives. Course ProgramCourse work in the ERE field allows students to develop advanced skills in analytical methods used in environmental and resource economics research. Such methods include optimal control theory, policy evaluation under uncertainty, techniques of non-market valuation, hedonic analysis as applied to the pricing and provision of multi-attribute goods, and location theory. Courses focus on theories and methods of environmental and natural resource economics and the application of these tools to issues of policy importance. Specific course requirements for the Ph.D. field in ERE are provided below. Masters students with an interest in ERE will put together an appropriate program of courses in the field in consultation with their major advisor and committee. This course program is also linked to an interdepartmental graduate specialization in environmental and resource economics at MSU. This specialization is directed by economists from the Departments of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics (AFRE), Forestry (FOR), Fisheries and Wildlife (FW), and Community, Agriculture, Resource, and Recreation Studies (CARRS). By fulfilling the requirements of this specialization, which involves little if any additional course work beyond that required for degrees AFRE, students can receive a formal transcript certification indicating that a graduate specialization in environmental and resource economics has been accomplished. For more information, see http://www.reg.msu.edu/academicprograms/ProgramDetail.asp?Program=5203 and http://www.reg.msu.edu/academicprograms/ProgramDetail.asp?Program=5202 MSU's recently established Environmental Science and Policy Program also sponsors a doctoral specialization in environmental science and policy. For more information on the ESP Program, and for links to all doctoral programs with environmental content at MSU, see http://environment.msu.edu. ResearchMajor research projects have focused on evaluation of the benefits of improved water quality, economic sustainability, bioenergy policy, analysis of economic incentives to achieve public policy objectives, prevention and control of invasive alien species, infectious disease in wildlife systems, corporate environmental management, recreational demand modeling and improvements in theory and empirical methods. Course RequirementsPh.D. students with a major field in ERE take two required courses: * AEC 923 Advanced Environmental and Resource Economics In addition, the Ph.D. major requires choosing one additional course from the following menu. AEC 829 Economics of Environmental Resources Masters students with an interest in environmental and resource economics should put together a suitable course program in conjunction with their major advisor and committee. Other Courses of Potential InterestIn addition to the courses listed above there are other courses across the University that may be of potential interest to students with an interest in the field. These include: AEC 865 Agricultural Benefit-Cost Analysis FacultySoren T. Anderson, Assistant Professor of Economics and Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics; Ph.D., University of Michigan, 2008; energy and environmental economics. John P. Hoehn, Professor; Ph.D., Kentucky, 1983; environmental and natural resource economics, nonmarket valuation, benefit-cost analysis. Richard D. Horan, Professor; Ph.D., Pennsylvania State, 1997; environmental and natural resource economics and policy, ecosystem conservation and management, bioeconomics, disease management, invasive species, water quality policy. Patricia E. Norris, Guyers-Seevers Chair in Natural Resource Conservation; Ph.D., Virginia Tech, 1988; land and water resource economics, water use and allocation, natural resource policy. Paul B. Thompson, W. K. Kellogg Professor in Agricultural, Food and Community Ethics; Ph.D., State University of New York at Stony Brook, 1980; pragmatism in practical ethics, risks and ethics of agricultural and food biotechnology, philosophy of technology and economics. Jinhua Zhao, Professor of Economics and Agricultural, Food and Resource Economics; PhD., Berkeley, 1997; resource and energy economics. |