Environmental Change Management and Leadership Certificate

The Environmental Change Management and Leadership Certificate trains public officials, community leaders, and environmental professionals on the intersection between science and policy with specific focus on leadership and assessment. In the face of unprecedented change, communities will need new strategies to be resilient to the impacts of climate change including flooding, drought, unseasonable temperatures affecting resources and food systems, wildfires, and others requiring appropriate policy solutions and strong environmental leadership. The coursework builds skills in the interaction between science and policy, policy drivers for change, strategies for environmental leadership, and characterization and assessment of sustainability of decisions, actions, or policies.

Applications for admission will be evaluated based on the applicants experience, personal statement, and letters of recommendation. The personal statement should address the applicant’s career goals and motivation to join the program. A prospective student’s professional experience will be evaluated with an admission preference for multiple years (2 or greater) in a related field. One letter of recommendation is required, however up to three may be submitted; it is preferred that the letters of recommendation are written by the prospective student’s current or past supervisor. Admission of a student with an undergraduate GPA less than 3.0 will be considered with a demonstrated track record in a related field.

A student may transfer up to 8 semester hours of courses into the Master of Sustainability, Security, and Resilience, with a maximum of one course (up to 4 hours) in any single associated complementary certificate. Requests for transfer must meet university eligibility rules and must be reviewed and recommended by the student’s advisor, approved by the program director, and the Dean of the Voinovich School. Courses recommended for transfer credit must significantly meet the outcomes of the course for which it is being substituted.