The Conservation Ecology and Sustainable Development (CESD) master’s program aims to train the next generation of conservation professionals. The program combines coursework for building practical skills and essential knowledge with a master’s thesis under the direction of faculty members with both academic expertise and real-world conservation experience. Many graduates of the program hold leadership positions in conservation organizations and state and federal management agencies, while others have gone on to earn PhDs and law degrees.

The need for such a program is found in the major global problems we face today, including the rapid depletion of our natural resources and the loss of biodiversity and remnant ‘natural’ areas in the landscape. The maintenance of our quality of life, or even a decent standard of living, depends on our ability to make the right decisions on the long-term sustainability of resource use. These decisions must be made within a holistic framework, where considerations of the physical and biological properties of ecosystems are evaluated within the social and economic context of a community. This holistic framework for decision-making is a strength of UGA’s Odum School of Ecology.