Certificate Program in Climate Change Policy and Management

Western Michigan University

The graduate certificate program in climate change policy and management, a joint program of the Departments of Political Science and Geography, Environment, and Tourism at Western Michigan University, provides professional training to address challenges arising from the climate crisis from a policy and/or management perspective, in government, private and/or nonprofit sectors. National and international communities are only beginning to come to grips with the extraordinary challenges that climate change presents. These challenges include inter alia transitions to renewable energy increasing energy efficiency adapting to widespread drought, heat waves, and rising sea levels and supporting people displaced from their homes and livelihoods. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has noted that limiting global warming to 1.5°C, the target enshrined in the Paris Agreement, requires "rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society."The graduate certificate program serves both early professionals and mid-career students. It offers a grounding in the science of climate change and its effects and training in areas of policy and management that are likely to see increasing demand. The program may be taken as a stand-alone program or concurrently with another WMU graduate program, in which case classes may be counted to fulfill requirements in both programs.

College of Arts and Sciences