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Southern Oregon University

Certificate Programs

Sustainability Leadership Certificate

The SOU Sustainability Leadership Certificate consists of a 32-credit curriculum designed to prepare individuals for leadership roles in organizations committed to sustainable practices. Coursework features a highly interactive and practical approach to learning. 

This interdisciplinary certificate may be awarded to students upon completion of a bachelor’s degree or as a post baccalaureate credential. Its curriculum draws existing courses into a cohesive whole. Core courses are in the field of Business, Environmental Studies, and Sociology. For undergraduates, electives may be taken in Geology, Outdoor Leadership, Biology, Anthropology, Geography, Political Science, Physics, History, Native American Studies, and Psychology. Graduate students may choose electives from Biology, Geography, History, and Business.

 Man in green field

This certificate develops an understanding of the issues and challenges involved in creating a sustainable business, community, and ecosystem. Individuals who complete the certificate will have a strong grasp of what sustainability is, how it is achieved, and the forces that discourage sustainable systems. This understanding will enhance their ability to serve as effective leaders in public, private, and nonprofit organizations throughout the region and state.

The specific objectives of the SOU Sustainability Leadership Program are to:

  1. Provide a broad understanding of all of the major applied areas of sustainable organizational leadership including alternative transportation, waste reduction, renewable energy, green building, corporate reporting, fair trade, localization, and community finance.
  2. Provide an in-depth understanding of the far reaching implications of sustainable leadership and sustainable practices for the local community, bioregion, country, and the planet.
  3. Build a current vocabulary of key sustainability terms, concepts, principles, and frameworks such as Triple Bottom Line, The Three E’s, etc.
  4. Facilitate opportunities for students to work on real-world projects in the field of sustainability.
  5. Allow students opportunities to explore how their personal values and future goals relate to their study of sustainable organizational leadership.
tree framed by hands

   

The program is primarily focused on developing organizational leadership within the context of sustainability and allows students to pursue areas of particular interest through elective offerings. Theory and application are carefully blended throughout the proposed course of study to provide optimal opportunities for students to meet established program outcomes.

 

Undergraduate Course of Study  

1. Prerequisite Course

  • ES 210 Environmental Studies I (4 credits)

2. Required Core (24 Credits)

  • ES 423 Sustainability and Natural Resources (4 credits) or ES 327 Energy and Climate Change or ES 442 Valuation of Ecosystem Goods and Services (4 credits)
  • ES 421 Ecological Economics and Sustainable Development (4 credits) or EC315 Environmental Change Economics (4 credits)
  • BA 374 Principles of Management (4 credits)
  • BA 483 Sustainable Organizational Leadership (4 credits)
  • BA 490 Case Studies in Corporate Sustainability (4 credits)
  • SOC 420 Environmental Sociology (4 credits) or PS 328 Public Policy and the Environment (4 credits)

3. Elective Options (8 Credits)

  • ANTH 451 Cultural Ecology (4 credits)
  • ANTH 462 Cultural Reserouce Management (4 credits)
  • BI 340 Introductory Ecology (4 credits)
  • BI 438 Conservation Biology (4 credits)
  • GEOG 360 Global Issues Population, Development, and the Environment (4 credits)
  • GEOG 437 Conservation in the United States (4 credits)
  • GEOG 439 Land Use Planning (4 credits)
  • GEOG 482 Climatology (4 credits)
  • G 314 Hydrogeology I (3 credits)
  • G 360 Environmental Geology (4 credits)
  • OAL 362 Outdoor Recreation Programming and the Environment (3 credits)
  • OAL 444 History of the Pacific Northwest Wilderness (3 credits)
  • HST 421 Environmental History (4 credits)
  • NAS 468 Native American Topics: Contemporary (4 credits)
  • PH 308 Energy and the Environment (3 credits)
  • PH 309 Energy Alternatives (3 credits)
  • PH 310 Energy Policy (3 credits)
  • PS 340 Law, Science, and the Environment (4 credits)
  • PSY 437 Creative Thinking (4 credits)
  • PSY 438 Group Dynamics (4 credits)
  • SOC 372 Social Inequality (4 credits)
  • SOC 350 People and Forests (4 credits)
  • BA 399 Special Studies (requires permission of the program coordinator)
  • BA 409 Practicum  (requires permission of the program coordinator)

 For more information on the Sustainability Leadership Certificate, contact coordinator Steve Schein at scheinst@sou.edu.