UC Berkeley and UC Davis are among 10 universities that will receive $5.6 milion from the MacArthur Foundation to establish master's degree programs in sustainable development.

The grants are to be used to establish development practice programs that combine training in the natural sciences, social sciences, health sciences and management to address global challenges such as sustainable development, climate change and extreme poverty.

UC Berkeley and UC Davis were the only two U.S. universities given grants this week from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to set up the program. The UC campuses and eight foreign universities selected are to be part of a global network of 20 schools offering advanced degrees in sustainable development practices. Last year, five U.S. and five foreign universities became the first to join the network.

UC Berkeley will receive $800,000 to support its program. The plan is to enroll 50 students in a two-year master’s degree program that will welcome its first 25 students in fall 2011. The program will be based in the College of Natural Resources and combine the work of faculty in fields including engineering, business, public health and public policy.

UC Davis will receive $200,000 to offer a program within its College of Agriculture and Environmental Science. The program will serve as an agriculture hub for the global network. Plans call for offering field training in the Central Valley and at the University of Peradeniya in Sri Lanka, where students will focus on sustainable tropical agriculture.