California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona)

Master of Science in Regenerative Studies

Regenerative Studies explores the means of supporting human life within the limits of available resources without degrading the environment: regenerative processes are those that recover and renew their own sources of energy and materials through cyclical flows. The term “regenerative” emphasizes the intention to restore natural systems, not merely sustain them, while integrating the needs of the human community. Because no single discipline possesses all the knowledge and skills required to resolve these complex issues, the Master of Science in Regenerative Studies emphasizes collaborating and communicating across disciplinary boundaries while developing depth of knowledge in a particular discipline.

The Master of Science in Regenerative Studies is offered at the John T. Lyle Center for Regenerative Studies, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, using its 16-acre site as a living laboratory for hands-on research, education and demonstration. The Lyle Center is an intentionally designed human ecosystem. The buildings are designed to optimize solar heating, cooling and daytime lighting. The systems are integrated, with opportunities to experiment with renewable energy technologies, energy efficiency, food production and nutrition, water recycling and treatment systems, fish culture, animal systems, integration of designed and natural systems, and others. These support systems are part of everyday life at the Center and provide the laboratories for research and education. Faculty and students are drawn from many colleges and disciplines on campus in research and demonstration projects in the areas of energy production, solar design, water treatment, sustainable agriculture and nutrition, integrated waste management, human co-existence, social change and community building, and others. Facilitating and promoting multidisciplinary collaboration and interdisciplinary problem-solving involves university faculty, students and staff at the Lyle Center. Collaboration also includes outreach programs with local communities and international exchange programs that extend the academic community to a global scale.