Post-baccalaureate Certificate in Sustainability Planning
Virginia Commonwealth University
Date Posted: June 10, 2022
Submitted by: Lillian Makhoul
Sustainability Topic:
Curriculum
Content Type:
Academic Programs
Discipline:
Sustainability Studies & Science
Tags:
land use,
natural resources
Program Type: Post-Graduate Certificate/Diploma
Description
The mission of the Certificate in Sustainability Planning is to provide students with a better understanding of society’s land use and natural resource systems, with a particular emphasis on the factors that contribute to or constrain their level of sustainability. The program aims to give students the knowledge and skills needed to identify and address barriers to sustainability and to formulate strategies to create more sustainable practices, systems and institutions. Using a holistic and integrated approach, the program emphasizes the interdependence of sociocultural, biophysical and political-economic dimensions of sustainability, especially as they relate to urban or other subnational regions.
Learning Outcomes
- Students will develop a well-rounded knowledge of sustainability, with particular emphasis on the following elements: a. Factors influencing sustainability at the individual, household, community, regional, national and international scale b. Balancing environmental, economic and social objectives in decision-making c. The relationship between the built and natural environments and their effects on human health and well-being d. Linkages among consumptions/lifestyle patterns, technology, regional carrying capacity and sustainability e. Political-economic influences on land/resource use, community design, transportation and other human systems f. Energy and natural resource efficiency and conservation g. Renewable resource use, environmental management and landscape/habitat protection h. Environmental remediation
- Students will be able to communicate clearly and effectively, using a variety of methods, to enhance the collaborative and public nature of their work.
- Students will acquire the analytical and research skills needed to investigate a sustainability-related problem and develop strategies for addressing it.
- Student will acquire organizational skills and knowledge of management practices frequently employed within planning and related fields.