Consistently placed at the top of national rankings, Rausser College’s graduate programs allow students to form lasting partnerships with faculty working at the leading edges of their fields. Graduate degree programs are run by academic departments; visit the websites for individual departments and degrees to find more specific information, requirements and opportunities.

Information on applications, financial aid, rankings, and more can be found at the Graduate Division, a hub for current and incoming graduate students.

Graduate Degree Offerings

Agricultural & Resource Economics – Ph.D. ARE’s doctoral program produces outstanding researchers in economics and policy, specializing in problems of agriculture, agribusiness, applied econometrics, biotech/intellectual properties, energy, environment and resources, international development, and international trade.

Students sitting at a table in a lab.

Energy & Resources – M.A., M.S., and Ph.D. Students in the Master’s and Ph.D. pro­grams at ERG are taught the range of meth­ods and sub­jects they should be able to under­stand, advance, and critique to address crit­i­cal issues stem­ming from the inter­ac­tion of humans and the environ­ment. To that end, the require­ments are both broad and deep, stress­ing ana­lytic, method­olog­i­cal, the­o­ret­i­cal, and prac­ti­cal approaches to prob­lems in energy, resources, and the environment.

Environmental Science, Policy & Management – Ph.D. ESPM is engaged in biological, physical, and social research that spans the continuum from basic to applied research. The Ph.D. program incorporates two general approaches: (1) broadly based interdisciplinary education and (2) disciplinary education in relevant fields supplemented with exposure to cross-disciplinary communication and problem solving.

Forestry – M.F. ESPM’s Master of Forestry degree is the only “MF” program in California and the only graduate degree program in California that offers qualifying credit for meeting education/experience requirements for licensing as a Registered Professional Forester in California.

Range Management – M.S. Graduate study in range management serves as the basis for a professional career in rangeland livestock production systems, grassland, savanna, wetland and/or shrubland ecology and management, native plants, rangeland rehabilitation, conservation easements, wildlife habitat, water quality issues, working landscapes, and rangeland economics and policy.

a group of people looking at a laptop

Photo by Mathew Burciaga.

Metabolic Biology - M.S. and Ph.D & Molecular Toxicology – Ph.D. Nutritional Sciences & Toxicology degree programs span a breadth of topics from the delivery of nutrients to mammalian cells and their molecular functions, to the influence of genetics on diet-associated human disease, to programs and policies that address human and environmental health and safety. 

Master of Climate Solutions — MCS The Master of Climate Solutions empowers the next generation of climate and sustainability leaders with the skills and knowledge needed to enact real solutions and create change. The 10 month, in-person program translates fundamental science and groundbreaking discoveries, enabling professionals to learn how to evaluate technologies, develop just climate strategies, and remove barriers to implementing practical climate solutions.

Master of Nutritional Sciences & Dietetics — MNSD The 21-month Master of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics (MNSD) program prepares students for a career as a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist. 

Student smiling in a lab.

Plant and Microbial Biology graduate student Israel Figueroa identified the first natural example of a pathway for carbon dioxide fixation. Photo by Natalea Schager.

Plant Biology – Ph.D. The Plant Biology Ph.D. program focuses on basic plant research and on the design of biotechnologies. Our partnership with the United States Department of Agriculture’s Plant Gene Expression Center in nearby Albany, Calif., offers a model of successful collaborations between the University and an outside agency.

Microbiology – Ph.D. Microbiology draws on and is relevant to the fields of biochemistry, physiology, molecular biology, genetics, cell biology, developmental biology, pathogenesis, ecology, and evolution. UC Berkeley’s Graduate Group in Microbiology provides students with the education and research experience needed to develop as top scientists and researchers in the field.

Graduate Degree Programs by Department

Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics

Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management

Nutritional Sciences and Toxicology

Plant and Microbial Biology

Energy & Resources Group

Professional Education Programs

Other Opportunities for Graduate Students