About the Environmental Studies Certificate
Overview
The Environmental Studies Certificate Program offers a unique opportunity for undergraduate students to broaden their studies through interdisciplinary course work related to the environment. In this program students can learn about society's environmental problems and issues; study environmental science, policy, literature, art, and philosophy; and take part in environmental research, fieldwork, and case studies.
This 15-credit certificate program can be added to any undergraduate major, and enhances the value of a bachelor's degree. Students who complete both the certificate curriculum and an undergraduate degree program earn Environmental Studies Certificates with their degrees, and completion of the certificate program is noted on their academic transcripts.
Why Earn a Certificate?
Perhaps the best reason for pursuing an environmental studies certificate is a student's own personal interest in learning more about the environment. Earning a certificate can also make a graduate more marketable.
Today many academic programs, even in environmental fields, encourage students to specialize - to focus on relatively narrow subject areas. Yet real-world problems often require understanding beyond that of a single academic discipline. For this reason, more and more employers seek people with interdisciplinary training. The Environmental Studies Certificate Program exposes students to a broad range of knowledge. It helps put other courses into perspective. The Environmental Studies Certificate is evidence to employers that the graduate has acquired not only depth in the major field, but breadth beyond that field - an excellent combination.
The certificate program has attracted students from dozens of majors in the College of Letters and Science, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, College of Engineering, School of Business, and School of Education. About 1,800 students have completed the program since its inception in 1979. Many have gone on to careers as environmental planners, analysts, and scientists for government agencies; environmental consultants; environmental lawyers; researchers, writers, and activists for private environmental organizations; or teachers and outreach specialists.
Eligibility
Any undergraduate student enrolled at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is eligible to participate in the Environmental Studies Certificate Program. Explore the certificate curriculum and the other links on this page and see if this challenging certificate is right for you.
