Jonas Monast advises students in the DEL Master of Environmental Management (MEM) program and occasionally participates in online information sessions geared to help prospective students learn about the flexible online and place-based curriculum. During a recent session, he spoke with a participant who wondered if her employer in the electricity sector would value a MEM as highly as a MBA.

“The electricity sector is at the very beginning of a major transition. By about 2050, the entire infrastructure will be replaced,” says Monast, director of the climate and energy program at Duke University’s Nicholas Institute for Policy Solutions and Senior Lecturing Fellow at Duke Law School.

Monast says the major factors leading change in the electricity sector today are being driven by economics and regulations, which are core components of the DEL-MEM program.

“Achieving the dual goals of affordable and reliable electricity will require a very sophisticated understanding of policy and economics,” Monast says. “Duke has leading academic thinkers in environmental economics, and we have elective courses where you can learn about energy and environmental policy. The DEL program allows students to focus on topics that are critical to their business interests, and go deeper with the advice and counsel of their advisor through independent studies and the culminating master’s project.”

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Jonas Monast

Since DEL-MEM students represent a broad spectrum of the environmental workplace, the program’s flexibility creates similar opportunities for participants to delve into topics specific to their sectors. The design of the highly interdisciplinary curriculum provides a full spectrum of course offerings while the small enrollment facilitates active peer-to-peer engagement. Along with dedicated leadership counseling, the combined result pushes students to think outside of their specialty, creating collaborations that expand professional colleague networks.

“DEL-MEM students are self-driven and intellectually curious,” Monast says. “They need to be focused and highly dedicated to manage a full-time job and the rigor of the Nicholas School program. They are determined to succeed, and they know that the combined resources of Duke University will provide the technical skills and leadership training necessary to positively impact tomorrow’s global challenges.”

NOTE: Online Information Sessions are scheduled in advance of the February 1 application deadline. To learn more or register for an Information Session, click here.