The Certificate for Advanced Graduate Study in Sustainable Business and Communities supports students in their aspirations to be effective agents of positive social change as entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs, leaders, managers, community organizers, environmental stewards, and social justice advocates. Students in the program acquire skills needed to create and lead just, sustainable, and socially responsible organizations and communities.
The certificate program helps people learn and work in areas of socially responsible business, social entrepreneurship, and sustainable community development.
Career and Employment
Students who enroll in the certificate program often come as seasoned professionals who want to deepen their understanding of sustainability issues in connection to their lives and work. Studies are individually designed and most often build on previous career experience and learning.
Career opportunities include:
- Community and Organizational change agents: Certificate graduates can become community developers, sustainability consultants or environmental coordinators who help organizations, businesses and communities meet multiple bottom lines of healthy people, viable planet, just communities, and sustainable local economics.
- Business entrepreneurs: Graduates go on to start businesses that promote sustainability and environmental stewardship or to work as sustainability officers or green product designers in mission-driven for-profit enterprises.
- Social Entrepreneurs: Graduates go on to create social ventures or provide leadership in non-profits that aim to use entrepreneurial strategies to address entrenched social, political, economic and environmental problems in order to create social and ecological change.
- Educators: Students will strengthen their skills as teachers and community educators and organizers, effecting change that enhances sustainability and social justice practices.
- Scholars: Students elect to continue their studies and research on sustainability and social justice issues, leading to publication, presentations, teaching or advanced graduate degrees.
- Activists: Student will gain knowledge and skills to effect change in policies, legislation, and regulations related to human and planetary health and well-being.
The possibilities of career enrichment and directions are varied, but the list below offers some possibilities within the US Department of Labor’s occupational profiles, with full descriptions at
http://www.onetonline.org:- Chief Sustainability Officers
- Sustainability Specialists
- Farmers and Ranchers
- Urban and Regional Planners
- Green Marketers
- Soil & Water Conservationists
- Wind Energy Project Managers
- Environmental Economists
- Recycling Coordinators
- Climate Change Analysts
- Environmental Restoration Planners
Tuition
Tuition and fees for the 2010-2011 academic year were $16,056, which included room and board for the 8-day on-campus residency.
Estimated cost for books and supplies were $600.
Graduation Rates
Data about graduation rates and average debt is not available as fewer than 10 students have graduated and, due to privacy regulations, this information cannot be disclosed.
