Community Environmental Studies

Certificate Program
Frequently Asked Questions >

Environmentalists and concerned citizens alike face the challenge of keeping pace with politically and technically complex issues. The growing sophistication of the environmental movement brings new demands to link conservation and preservation, environmental justice, and safety and health in the workplace and community.

The certificate in Community Environmental Studies (CES) provides professional training for careers in today's evolving environmental field. The interdisciplinary curriculum is designed to clarify career goals for those who may be considering environmental work, as well as enhance the skills of professionals already in the field.

Participants also have access to activities of the Tufts Institute of the Environment (TIE), which supports an interdisciplinary network of initiatives including research, conferences, and speakers.

Who Should Apply?

The certificate in Community Environmental Studies is open to students with a bachelor's degree and is especially appropriate for:

• People in community and environmental organizations who want to increase their environmental expertise
• Mid-career professionals seeking to apply their skills to environmental work
• Business people working with communities on environmental issues

Students interested in earning a graduate degree often can apply the certificate courses toward a Tufts master's degree in urban and environmental policy and planning.

Curriculum

To earn the CES certificate, students complete four graduate-level courses for credit. Students choose the four courses from a combination of CES core courses and CES skills and environmental policy electives. Students must select at least one core course as part of their program of study.

CES Core Courses
Select at least one core course from the following:

• UEP 200 Land Use Planning I: Nonregulatory Tools and Techniques (Fall)
• UEP 201 Land Use Planning II (Spring)
• UEP 207 Environmental Law (Fall)
• UEP 221 Climate Change Policy and Planning (Spring)
• UEP 223 Fundamentals of U.S. Agriculture (Fall)
• UEP 279 Water Resources Policy, and Planning, and Watershed Management (Fall)

Course descriptions for these core courses can be found on the UEP website

CES Course Electives
Select up to three skills and environmental policy electives from the following:

• UEP 161B Writing and Public Communication (Summer)
• UEP 173B Transportation Planning (Fall)
• UEP 174A Clean Air and Clean Water Policy (Summer)
• UEP 205 Urban Planning and Design (Fall)
• UEP 230 Negotiation, Mediation and Conflict Resolution (Spring and Summer)
• UEP 232 Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (Fall and Spring)
• UEP 263 Natural Resources Policy and Planning (Spring)
• UEP 265 Corporate Management of Environmental Issues (Fall)
• UEP 278 Environmental Justice, Security, and Sustainability (Fall)
• UEP 284 Developing Sustainable Communities (Spring)
• UEP 294BA The Nuclear Power Option (Summer)
• UEP 294BB International Sustainable Development (Summer)
• UEP 294-01 Regional Planning: Tools and Techniques (Spring)
• UEP 294-04 Green Urban Design (Spring)
• UEP 294-06 Qualitative Skills for Planning and Public Policy (Spring)
• UEP 294-08 Planning for Low-Impact Development (LID) (Spring)
• UEP 294-12 Cities of the Global South (Fall)
• UEP 294-14 International Planning and Urban Policy (Spring)
• UEP 294-16 Environmental Health for Policy and Planning (Fall)

(Students may substitute other Tufts graduate courses, subject to the approval of the certificate advisor. Course offerings may vary from year to year.)

Read more about many of these UEP courses at the UEP web site.

Tuition:

Certificate students pay a course rate for each required certificate course of $3,565 per course (2013-2014).

Students in a certificate program may be eligible for Stafford Loan assistance. Contact the Student Financial Services Office at (617) 627-2000 for more information.

Certificate courses are also available, at a cost of $4,454 per course, to students who are not pursuing a certificate. In addition, students have the option of auditing courses for $800 per course, but these courses cannot be applied toward a certificate.

Summary of Consumer Information for Students

PDF version

For more information, contact:
Certificate Faculty Advisor:
Rusty Russell, J.D. (617) 627-2220

Download Application Forms for the certificate program.