The primary objective of the Program in Industrial Ecology (PIE) is to provide University of Michigan graduate students fundamental skills in, and knowledge of, industrial ecology methods and applications. PIE's certificate complements any field of study by providing specialization in technological and industrial innovation, consumer behavior and consumption patterns, policy and regulatory issues, and economic factors and market forces to achieve more sustainable systems. Participating students will be better prepared to design and manage natural and industrial systems to meet human needs in an environmentally, economically and socially sustainable manner.

Due to the interdisciplinary emphasis of the Program in Industrial Ecology, required courses are offered from a variety of University of Michigan units, including Natural Resources and Environment, Engineering, Public Health, Public Policy and the Business School.

Program in Industrial Ecology Requirements

Five courses totaling 15 credit hours selected from a group of core courses and includes fulfillment of the core PIE curriculum.  The 5 core areas are listed below: 

Program in Industrial Ecology Core

• NRE 557/CEE 586 Industrial Ecology

System Analysis and Sustainability (one course from this section is required)

• NRE 514/EHS 572                       Environmental Impact Assessment
• AOSS 467                                   Biogeochemical Cycles
• NRE 550/STRAT566                    Systems Thinking for Sustainable Development and Enterprise
• MECHENG 589                           Sustainable Design of Technology Systems
• NRE 501.092                              Environmental Systems Analysis
• NRE 501.036                              Consumption, Trade, and Environ Input-Output Analysis
• EHS 672                                     Life Cycle Assessment: Human Health and Environ Impacts

Energy Systems

• NRE 574/PUBPOL519                 Sustainable Energy Systems
• NRE 501.032                             Transportation Energy & Climate
• CEE 567                                     Energy Infrastructure Systems

Environmental Policy and Strategies (one course from this section is required)

• NRE 475                                    Environmental Law
• NRE 532                                    NR Conflict Management
• NRE 513/STRAT564&565          Strategy for Sustainable Development
• UP 532                                      Sustainable Development: Resoliving Economics and Environ Conflicts
• NRE 686/PubPol 563                 The Politics of Environmental Regulation
• NRE 527/BE 527                        Energy Markets and Energy Politics

Risk and Economic Analysis (one course from this section is required)

• EHS 508                                    Principles of Risk Assessment 
• NRE 570 & NRE 501.060/059    Environmental Economics: Quantitative Methods and Tools and one other Environ Econ Topics course*
• NRE 668/ECON 661                  Advanced Natural Resource Economics
• NRE 669/ECON 662                  Environmental Energy and Resource Economics
• ECON 437                                 Energy Economics and Policy
• NRE 523                                    Ecological Risk Assessment

*NRE 570 and NRE 501.060/059 (topical courses) are half term courses.  Taking NRE 570 and either 501.060 or 059 are considered as one full time course for PIE.

Application Codes

Applicants will need the following codes to complete their application:

• Program of Application: Industrial Ecology
• Numeric Code: 01584
• Plan (Subplan): 4720 CGR
• Program Level: Certificate