Why Choose a Sustainability Certificate?
Perhaps the best reason for pursuing a sustainability certificate is a personal interest in learning practical skills to make a difference in the world—in your life, in your job, and in your community. Working toward a certificate offers students the opportunity to pursue interests that complement their major(s). For example, the interdisciplinary nature of sustainability encourages students to consider multiple perspectives. In doing so, this certificate provides a breadth of perspective highly applicable to complex problems, such as those we face in our communities, in our workplaces, and in our personal lives.
The Nelson Institute also offers a major and another certificate:
Environmental Studies Major
Environmental Studies Certificate
The sustainability certificate can be added to any undergraduate major. Students who earn a sustainability certificate may not earn the environmental studies certificate or the certificate in engineering for energy sustainability.
AM I ELIGIBLE TO APPLY?
Undergraduate students enrolled at the University of Wisconsin–Madison may apply for the sustainability certificate if they meet two criteria: (1) completion of one of the approved courses for the certificate with a grade of B or better and (2) are not earning the environmental studies certificate, or the certificate in engineering for energy sustainability.
HOW CAN I APPLY?
Interested? Eligible as described above? If so, fill out this application form. Be ready to upload an unofficial copy of your transcript and to answer two short essay questions (fewer than 500 words). The first question asks "Pick an experience from your own life, and explain how it has influenced your interest in sustainability." The second question asks "If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be and why?" You might find it helpful to draft your responses beforehand.
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE CERTIFICATE
- A 3.00 GPA in all coursework that counts toward the certificate
- 12 credits of coursework, 3 credits from each of the four main categories below
- 1 credit in ENVIR ST 398 Independent Study: Sustainability Community Engagement for a sustainability-related community service project
- Courses taken on a pass/fail basis will not count toward the certificate.
Environmental Dimension
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select minimum of 3 credits | 3 | |
| ENVIR ST/SOIL SCI 101 | Forum on the Environment | 1-2 |
| ENVIR ST/ATM OCN/GEOSCI 102 | Climate and Climate Change | 3 |
| ENVIR ST/GEOSCI 106 | Environmental Geology | 3 |
| ENVIR ST 117 | GreenHouse Roots Seminar | 1 |
| ENVIR ST/GEOG 120 | Introduction to the Earth System | 3 |
| ENVIR ST/ILS 126 | Principles of Environmental Science | 4 |
| ENVIR ST/GEOG 127 | Physical Systems of the Environment | 5 |
| SOIL SCI/ATM OCN 132 | Earth's Water: Natural Science and Human Use | 3 |
| ENVIR ST/ATM OCN 171 | Global Change: Atmospheric Issues and Problems | 2-3 |
| ENVIR ST/GEOG 309 | People, Land and Food: Comparative Study of Agriculture Systems | 3 |
| CIV ENGR 311 | Hydroscience | 3 |
| SOIL SCI 327 | Environmental Monitoring and Soil Characterization for Earth's Critical Zone | 4 |
| ENVIR ST/ATM OCN/GEOG 332 | Global Warming: Science and Impacts | 3 |
| ENVIR ST/ATM OCN 355 | Introduction to Air Quality | 3 |
| ENVIR ST/F&W ECOL/ZOOLOGY 360 | Extinction of Species | 3 |
SOCIAL Dimension
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select minimum of 3 credits | 3 | |
| ENVIR ST 112 | Environmental Studies: Social Science Perspectives | 3 |
| ENVIR ST/GEOG 139 | Global Environmental Issues | 3 |
| C&E SOC/SOC 140 | Introduction to Community and Environmental Sociology | 4 |
| ENVIR ST/ENTOM 205 | Our Planet, Our Health | 3 |
| GNS/ENVIR ST 210 | Cultures of Sustainability: Central, Eastern, and Northern Europe | 3 |
| URB R PL 215 | Welcome to Your Urban Future | 3 |
| C&E SOC/F&W ECOL/SOC 248 | Environment, Natural Resources, and Society | 3 |
| GEOG/ENVIR ST 337 | Nature, Power and Society | 3 |
| ENVIR ST/GEOG 339 | Environmental Conservation | 4 |
| ENVIR ST 349 | Climate Change Governance | 3 |
| A A E/AGRONOMY/NUTR SCI 350 | World Hunger and Malnutrition | 3 |
| PUB AFFR 366 | U.S. Environmental Politics and Public Policy | 3 |
| ECON 370 | Economics of Poverty and Inequality | 3 |
| ENVIR ST/GEOG 439 | US Environmental Policy and Regulation | 3-4 |
| ENVIR ST/PHILOS 441 | Environmental Ethics | 3-4 |
| ENVIR ST/GEOG 537 | Culture and Environment | 4 |
| SOC/C&E SOC/ENVIR ST 540 | Sociology of International Development, Environment, and Sustainability | 3 |
| C&E SOC/SOC 541 | Environmental Stewardship and Social Justice | 3 |
ECONOMIC DIMENSION
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select minimum of 3 credits | 3 | |
| A A E/ENVIR ST 244 | The Environment and the Global Economy | 4 |
| A A E 246 | Climate Change Economics and Policy | 3 |
| M H R 310 | Challenges & Solutions in Business Sustainability | 3 |
| A A E/ECON/ENVIR ST 343 | Environmental Economics | 3-4 |
| ECON 370 | Economics of Poverty and Inequality | 3 |
| OTM 370 | Sustainable Approaches to System Improvement | 3 |
| A A E/INTL ST 373 | Globalization, Poverty and Development | 3 |
| CIV ENGR/G L E 421 | Environmental Sustainability Engineering | 3 |
| A A E/ECON 474 | Economic Problems of Developing Areas | 3 |
| A A E/ECON/F&W ECOL 531 | Natural Resource Economics | 3 |
| R M I 650 | Sustainability, Environmental and Social Risk Management | 3 |
| REAL EST 651 | Green - Sustainable Development | 3 |
SYSTEMS DIMENSION
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select minimum of 3 credits | 3 | |
| ENVIR ST 326 | Sustainability Tools: Systems Thinking & Life Cycle Assessment | 3 |
| AGRONOMY 375 | Special Topics (Systems Thinking only) | 1-4 |
| ENVIR ST 402 | Special Topics: Social Perspectives in Environmental Studies (Systems Thinking only) | 1-4 |
| CIV ENGR 494 | Civil and Environmental Engineering Decision Making | 3 |
MULTIDIMENSIONAL AND CROSS-TOPICS COURSES
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| May use maximum of 3 credits to substitute for 3 credits from one of the four categories above; requires special permission | ||
| LAND ARC 211 | Shaping the Built Environment | 3 |
| HORT/PL PATH 261 | Sustainable Turfgrass Use and Management | 2 |
| ED POL 320 | Climate Change, Sustainability, and Education | 3 |
| ENVIR ST/GEOG 333 | Green Urbanism | 3 |
| ENVIR ST/BSE 367 | Renewable Energy Systems | 3 |
| HORT 375 | Special Topics (A Growing Dilemma: The Future of Food only) | 1-4 |
| CURRIC/C&E SOC/ENVIR ST 405 | Education for Sustainable Communities | 3 |
| ENVIR ST 417 | Sustainability Science, Technology and Policy | 1 |
| DY SCI/AGRONOMY 471 | Food Production Systems and Sustainability | 3 |
| DY SCI/AN SCI/FOOD SCI/SOIL SCI 472 | Animal Agriculture and Global Sustainable Development | 1 |
| GEOG 475 | Topics in Geography (Green Urbanism only) | 1-4 |
| CIV ENGR 495 | Sustainable Building and Materials | 3 |
| URB R PL 551 | Climate Action Planning: Sustainable Transportation | 3 |
| LAND ARC 563 | Designing Sustainable and Resilient Regions | 4 |
| INTEREGR 601 | Topics in Interdisciplinary Engineering (Interdisciplinary Design for Energy and Sustainability only) | 1-3 |
EXCEPTIONS
Students can request to use a maximum of 3 credits from the “Multidimensional and Cross-Topics Courses” list to substitute for 3 credits from the economic, social or environmental category. Requests can be granted to the extent that the student’s proposed course portfolio still covers all four dimensions of the certificate’s curriculum. Such a request requires that the student submits a written explanation how the substitute course meets the learning outcomes of the certificate and assists the student in reaching his or her individual goals for taking the certificate. Please also submit a syllabus of the substitute class. All substitution requests require approval.
Certificate COMPLETION REQUIREMENT
This undergraduate certificate must be completed concurrently with the student’s undergraduate degree. Students cannot delay degree completion to complete the certificate.
- Students will be able to identify, critically analyze, and propose solutions to the environmental, social, and economic dimensions of sustainability.
- Students will be able to engage in systems thinking and practice so as to address the interrelationships among the three dimensions of sustainability.
- Students will develop the capacity for an engaged life in which theory, practice, and reflection are integrated in the pursuit of a more sustainable world.
Nelson Institute students are represented in majors across campus and in most undergraduate schools and colleges. Sustainability certificate students should utilize the career office for their home school as appropriate. All students, not just Letters & Science students, can also benefit from SuccessWorks at the College of Letters & Science.