The graduate certificate in sustainability provides students with the opportunity to customize their graduate experience, adding sustainability training to any graduate degree program offered at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Graduate students can complete the sustainability certificate by selecting courses that meet both their degree and Sustainability requirements. As such, most students can add the sustainability certificate on to a degree without any additional time or cost. PhD students may use the sustainability certificate to fulfill their doctoral breadth requirement, though in this case courses may not be double-counted for major requirements.

The certificate’s interdisciplinary curriculum considers environmental, economic, and social factors of sustainability. Through coursework and co-curricular activities focused on solving sustainability challenges across the state, students deepen their understanding of the complexities and solutions involved in addressing today’s most pressing challenges. Students may wish to add this certificate as they prepare for a sustainability-related career pathway in industry, academia, NGOs, government agencies, or consulting. The certificate includes coursework across three thematic areas:

1. Economics & Development (Economy)
2. Systems Analysis, Planning & Engineering (Systems)
3. Environmental Policy, Health & Social Studies (Environment, Culture and Society)

Admissions

The Sustainability certificate welcomes applications from students in any graduate degree program at UW-Madison that allows students to pursue a certificate. Students may apply to the certificate program concurrently with their graduate school application or once they have matriculated at UW-Madison. Acceptance into the certificate program is contingent on enrollment in a graduate degree program.

How to Apply

All Graduate School students must utilize the Graduate Student Portal in MyUW to add, change, or discontinue any graduate/professional certificate. To apply to this certificate, log in to MyUW, click on Graduate Student Portal, and then click on Add/Change Programs. Select the information for the certificate for which you are applying. Professional students in the careers of Law, Medicine, Pharmacy, and Veterinary cannot add the certificate in the Graduate Student Portal, and should contact the program for more information.

Complete the online Certificate in Sustainability application form, which includes the following elements:

1. Information on prior educational attainment
2. Information on degree program being pursued
3. A brief statement of interest in the Sustainability certificate

Deadlines

Applications may be submitted at any time, but applicants are encouraged to apply before the end of their first year in graduate school to ensure timely completion of certificate requirements. 

Requirements

Required Courses

Economics & Development (Economy)

Systems Analysis, Planning & Engineering (Systems)

Environmental Policy, Health & Social Studies (Environment, Culture and Society)

Limitations

Students also pursuing the Certificate in Business, Environment, and Social Responsibility can overlap a maximum of 6 credits between the two certificates.

Learning Outcomes

1. Demonstrate an awareness of the three paradigms (environment, economy, and society) of sustainability, in a systems context.
2. Apply the three paradigms of sustainability to an interdisciplinary real world project.
3. Prepare for a sustainability-related career pathway in industry, academia, NGO's, agencies, and consulting.