Graduate Certificates
SES graduate certificate programs provide knowledge and practical skills for professionals seeking to improve their environmental sustainability credentials and advance their careers. Students learn from outstanding faculty with years of professional experience, and online learning options allow working professionals to fit these programs into their busy schedules. Those interested in earning a graduate degree can apply their certificate credits toward completing the SES master’s degree program in environmental science and sustainability.
Certificate Options
Environmental Law and Policy
This certificate program offers essential knowledge of critical issues in environmental law and policy. Students expand their understanding of the roles of government, industry, nonprofit organizations, and other institutions involved in environmental regulation, advocacy, consulting, and compliance. Learn more.
Learning Outcomes & Courses
Learning Outcomes
- Understand how the legal process works as it relates to environment and health, and how the process creates challenges and benefits to making good decisions
- Learn how the natural environment is controlled, managed and promoted through the US legal system through the key foundations of environmental law principles and how they have been applied and developed over time
- Gain appreciation for how environmental law and policy can impact social justice
ENVS 410 – Introduction to Environmental Law & Policy
This introduction to environmental law introduces the legal process and surveys critical federal environmental statutes, rules, and regulations in the United States and regionally. Students will consider important case law decided under statutes; interaction between federal, state, and local jurisdictions; and impacts on air, land, water, and natural resources. Students learn how the natural environment is controlled, managed, and promoted through the legal system and how those systems impact social justice and the environment. ENVS 410 is strongly recommended as the first course in this sequence.
ENVS 411 - Natural Resources and Land Use Law & Policy
This course focuses on the legal and policy processes used to govern pollution, endangered species, toxic substances, and environmental impact and risk. Students learn how land resources are controlled, managed, promoted and manipulated through the legal system and how land use laws and policy impact social and economic issues.
ENVS 412 - Water Law & Policy
This course looks at how the law and policy allocates and protects one of our most crucial natural resources -- water. The course will look at the political development and regulation of water ownership and use and how those decisions impact current environmental and socio-economic issues. Students will learn how key laws and policies impact protection and use of water in the United States and understand key legal concepts that shape the management of our water resources.
ENVS 413 - Energy Law & Policy
ENVS 413 - Energy Law & Policy
This course looks at the laws that shape traditional energy production and the growing regulation of renewable and sustainable energy.
Sustainability Assessment and Planning
Students in the certificate program in sustainability assessment and planning develop valuable skills to help organizations measure, regulate, and report their natural resource use and environmental impact. Students learn to apply approaches that sustainability professionals in government, industry, nonprofit, and other sectors use to document and improve sustainability practices. Learn more.
Learning Outcomes & Courses
Learning Outcomes
- Understand the foundations of sustainability science and its economic and ethical values.
- Learn common methods for gathering data on an organizations’ baseline environmental footprint (water, energy, food, transportation, landscaping, waste, etc.) and the most effective strategies for improving environmental sustainability.
- Gain experience in these skills by creating a real-world comprehensive sustainability plan.
ENVS 451 – Introduction to Sustainability Concepts & Impacts
Required first course in sequence. This course examines the environmental, economic, social and political impacts of sustainable practices on the general public and global and local organizations. Students will gain an understanding of the importance to corporations and other entities of measuring, monitoring, and reporting resource use to customers and stakeholders. This course teaches students how to interpret the basic concepts of sustainability and how they relate to the operations and goals of institutions and organizations. Students will see how the interaction of social, economic, and ecological systems influence sustainability challenges and solutions.
ENVS 452 - Assessment & Reporting l – Energy, Air, Buildings & Transportation
This course provides the fundamental concepts and methodology of measuring and reporting environmental sustainability impacts in the areas of energy, air, buildings, and transportation. Students will learn to assess and report sustainability metrics related to energy, air, buildings, and transportation. ENVS 451 prerequisite.
ENVS 453 - Assessment & Reporting ll – Water, Land, Food & Waste
This course provides the fundamental concepts and methodology of measuring and reporting environmental sustainability impacts in the areas of water, land, food, and waste. Students will learn about the environmental and social impacts of water use and sources, land use practices, food sourcing and production, and waste production and recovery. Students will learn to assess and report sustainability metrics related to water, land, food, and waste. ENVS 451 prerequisite.
ENVS 454 - Sustainability Plan Development & Reporting
- Using concepts and methodology to create a comprehensive sustainability plan including stakeholder engagement, life cycle analyses, set resource baselines, short- and long-term sustainability goals, budgets and draft sustainability plan for a representative entity.
- Outcomes: Learn best practices to inspire and engage partners and stakeholders to advance environmental sustainability in different types of organizations. Ability to create a comprehensive sustainability plan for organizations and institutions.
Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
Geographic information systems are compilations of sophisticated software and tools used to capture, store, analyze, manage, and present geospatial data. The GIS certificate program provides training in the use of contemporary geographic mapping technology to solve complex geospatial problems commonly encountered in environmental sciences, urban planning, social sciences, public health, business, and engineering. Learn more.
Learning Outcomes & Courses
Learning Outcomes
- Understand the practical, conceptual, and technological application of GIS, including ethical issues germane to GIS; research through the use of GIS data; and use of GIS in community-service projects.
- Understand various spatial relationship concepts and their applications, including identifying methodological challenges and understanding the use of spatial data to make sound arguments in spatial problem solving and planning and policy.
- Understand the fundamental principles of remote sensing theory, including understanding the properties of light and platforms used to analyze it; understanding the concepts of landscape patterns; producing thematic maps; and becoming proficient in using ERDAS Imagine to analyze digital satellite images and scanned aerial photographs.
ENVS 480 – Introduction to Geographic Information Systems
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is a mapping tool that allows users to create interactive searches, analyze spatial information, edit data and maps, and present the results visually. The course includes lecture, laboratory, and project components. Students will learn basic GIS skills and applications and work on projects with community organizations.
ENVS 481 – Advanced GIS Applications
Students in this course will learn tools required to solve complex environmental problems and gain experience with spatial analysis, network analysis, 3-D analysis, GIS modeling, geostatistics, and other ArcGIS extensions. Students will also learn about internet-based mapping for dissemination of spatial data.
ENVS 482 – Remote Sensing
- Science of obtaining information about objects or areas using data from remote sensors on satellites or mounted on aircraft that can detect energy reflected from Earth. Topics include data collection; digital image processing, assessment, evaluation, and enhancement; display alternatives and visualization; electromagnetic radiation principles and radiometric correction; and geometric correction.
- Outcomes: Understand concepts, data, and methods of remotely sensed geographic data. Learn how to obtain and analyze remote sensing data, produce thematic maps, learn landscape patterns, and methods to decipher them.
Admission
While students must have completed a bachelor’s degree, no specific undergraduate degree or professional experience is required for admittance into the SES certificate programs.
To complete the program and earn a certificate, students must complete three or four three-credit courses in no more than three years, with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. A student may not earn more than one C grade.
Requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year college or university
- Undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0
- Statement of purpose (approximately 250-500 words)
- The GRE is not required.
Application Process:
- Use our free online application system to get started.
Please note, you will need to complete the “Biographical Information” section of the application first. Once that section is completed, you will be able to choose your program in the “Application Information” section. - We use a rolling admissions policy and make admissions decisions for each student as soon as the application is submitted. A student may be admitted any time before the start of a course and, depending on the program, start the program when the next course begins. Some programs have a required sequence and students will only be able to start the program at the starting date of the first sequenced course.
Tuition and Financial Aid
The School of Environmental Sustainability strives to help students secure the necessary financial resources to make their graduate education at Loyola more affordable. Partial scholarships, limited external research grants, and work opportunities are offered to SES graduate students. Students are encouraged to seek external funding. Students who wish to be considered for internal partial tuition scholarships must complete applications by March 1. Scholarship decisions will be based on the student’s full file, including statements of research/interest, GPA, and letters of recommendation.
SES graduate certificate programs provide knowledge and practical skills for professionals seeking to improve their environmental sustainability credentials and advance their careers. Students learn from outstanding faculty with years of professional experience, and online learning options allow working professionals to fit these programs into their busy schedules. Those interested in earning a graduate degree can apply their certificate credits toward completing the SES master’s degree program in environmental science and sustainability.
Certificate Options
Environmental Law and Policy
This certificate program offers essential knowledge of critical issues in environmental law and policy. Students expand their understanding of the roles of government, industry, nonprofit organizations, and other institutions involved in environmental regulation, advocacy, consulting, and compliance. Learn more.
Sustainability Assessment and Planning
Students in the certificate program in sustainability assessment and planning develop valuable skills to help organizations measure, regulate, and report their natural resource use and environmental impact. Students learn to apply approaches that sustainability professionals in government, industry, nonprofit, and other sectors use to document and improve sustainability practices. Learn more.
Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
Geographic information systems are compilations of sophisticated software and tools used to capture, store, analyze, manage, and present geospatial data. The GIS certificate program provides training in the use of contemporary geographic mapping technology to solve complex geospatial problems commonly encountered in environmental sciences, urban planning, social sciences, public health, business, and engineering. Learn more.
Admission
While students must have completed a bachelor’s degree, no specific undergraduate degree or professional experience is required for admittance into the SES certificate programs.
To complete the program and earn a certificate, students must complete three or four three-credit courses in no more than three years, with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. A student may not earn more than one C grade.
Requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year college or university
- Undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0
- Statement of purpose (approximately 250-500 words)
- The GRE is not required.
Application Process:
- Use our free online application system to get started.
Please note, you will need to complete the “Biographical Information” section of the application first. Once that section is completed, you will be able to choose your program in the “Application Information” section. - We use a rolling admissions policy and make admissions decisions for each student as soon as the application is submitted. A student may be admitted any time before the start of a course and, depending on the program, start the program when the next course begins. Some programs have a required sequence and students will only be able to start the program at the starting date of the first sequenced course.
Tuition and Financial Aid
The School of Environmental Sustainability strives to help students secure the necessary financial resources to make their graduate education at Loyola more affordable. Partial scholarships, limited external research grants, and work opportunities are offered to SES graduate students. Students are encouraged to seek external funding. Students who wish to be considered for internal partial tuition scholarships must complete applications by March 1. Scholarship decisions will be based on the student’s full file, including statements of research/interest, GPA, and letters of recommendation.