12-01-06

Media Release

OSU to Offer Online Graduate Certificate in Sustainable Natural Resources

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Oregon State University will offer a graduate certificate in sustainable natural resources online starting this winter.

Faculty members in OSU’s College of Forestry have teamed up with five other OSU departments and Extended Campus to offer the distance-delivered certificate beginning January 2007.

The 18-credit graduate certificate provides professionals working in the natural resources field a way to acquire additional education without leaving their jobs or relocating to the Corvallis campus. The cross-disciplinary curriculum is taught by instructors from forestry, sociology, economics, ecology, philosophy and fisheries and wildlife.

Students will complete an integrated course of study in a dynamic learning community. The program consists of 11 courses, assignments and experiences covering a wide range of ecosystems. Collectively, the courses cover the social, economic and environmental sustainability aspects of natural resource management. Upon approval, courses in this program may be transferred to other graduate degree programs at OSU, including the Professional Science Master’s in Environmental Sciences.

In addition to course work, each student will conduct an independent project and work plan directed at solving a sustainability problem in the student's own organization or region.

“Program participants will explore opportunities to develop new approaches to real world sustainability problems in their regions, while networking with innovative practitioners from other regions,” said program director Steve Radosevich.

Classes for the online Graduate Certificate in Sustainable Natural Resources program begin Jan. 8. Registration opens Dec. 2. Courses in the program are offered at least twice per year.

For more information, visit ecampus.oregonstate.edu, or e-mail ecampus@oregonstate.edu or call 800-667-1465. For specific course information, contact Steve Radosevich at steve.radosevich@oregonstate.edu.