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Sustainability & Behavior Change

Specialized Certificate

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About the Sustainability & Behavior Change Program

Solving environmental problems will require behavior change. From issues as diverse as reducing energy and water consumption, to protecting wildlife and ecosystems, achieving a sustainable future will require that people change their behaviors.

The Specialized Certificate in Sustainability and Behavior Change provides unique and advanced educational training in conservation psychology, and behavior change strategies and community engagement tools that are designed to produce results. Explore the psychological factors that lead people to engage in sustainable behavior and gain a clear understanding of the strategies that work (and those that don’t) to motivate people towards behavioral change. Learn how to develop programs and projects that activate behavior change and promote sustainable outcomes and how to develop community engagement projects or programs that foster both awareness and meaningful action. This certificate culminates in a capstone course where students apply the knowledge and skills developed in this certificate to a program or project of interest.


Program Objectives
 
  • Learn how to develop programs and projects that activate behavior change and promote sustainable outcomes
  • Gain insight on psychological principles, theories and methods to understand and solve environmental problems.
  • Identify and prioritize target behaviors related to a specific environmental problem
  • Develop a behavior change program implementation plan and Identify appropriate metrics for evaluating performance
  • Develop a communications strategy that activates behavior change at the community level
  • Understand strategies relevant to community based social marketing and conservation education programs

Additional Reading
 

Instructor Blog: Pathways to Connectedness

  • Network with other professionals in the program
  • Complement your college degree with career‐oriented education
  • Facilitate promotions or career changes
  • Learn how to develop programs and projects that activate behavior change and promote sustainable outcomes
  • Gain insight on psychological principles, theories and methods to understand and solve environmental problems
  • Identify and prioritize target behaviors related to a specific environmental problem
  • Develop a behavior change program implementation plan and Identify appropriate metrics for evaluating performance
  • Develop a communications strategy that activates behavior change at the community level
  • Understand strategies relevant to community based social marketing and conservation education programs
  • Professionals who manage environmental programs and campaigns
  • Government employees working on environmental protection projects or programs
  • Employees and educators at informal education institutions, including zoos and aquaria
  • Community volunteers and activists interested working to promote community engagement and sustainability
  • Business professionals interested in understanding consumer behavior and promoting corporate behavior change
Format: Online

All courses are offered fully online

Estimated Cost: $2,395

Price may vary slightly

Duration: 1 year or less

Work friendly schedule

Contact
Department
Science & Technology
Phone
858-534-8139
Email
unex-environmental@ucsd.edu

Courses

Delivery Method
Show Legend
  • Live Online
  • In-Person
  • Online
  • Hybrid
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Required Courses

Conservation PsychologyENVR-40000

Units: 3.00

$550

Conservation Psychology Programs to conserve water and energy, reduce our auto-dependency, recycle, and adapt to climate change have one thing in common: to be effective, they must consider the human ...

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Upcoming Start Dates:
Typically Offered:

Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer

Community EngagementENVR-40005

Units: 3.00

$550

Community Engagement This course provides practitioners with the strategies, knowledge, and skills needed to develop a communications strategy that activates behavior change at the community level. Pa...

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Upcoming Start Dates:
Typically Offered:

Fall, Spring

Behavior Change Strategies for SustainabilityENVR-40006

Units: 3.00

$550

Behavior Change Strategies for Sustainability This course focuses on the strategies and tools needed to change individual behavior and promote environmental protection. Students will learn how to asse...

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Upcoming Start Dates:
Typically Offered:

Winter, Summer

Behavior Change Capstone ProjectENVR-40007

Units: 3.00

$650

Behavior Change Capstone Project Students will work on an applied behavior change project or program under the supervision of one or more instructors. Potential projects include: conceiving and design...

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Upcoming Start Dates:
Typically Offered:

Winter, Summer

Other Courses of Interest

Introduction to SustainabilityBUSA-40729

Units: 3.00

$495

Get an introduction to the basics of environmental sustainability - energy, transportation, water use, recycling, and natural resource life cycles. Discover ways individuals, organizations, and govern...

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Upcoming Start Dates:
Typically Offered:

Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer

Behavioral EconomicsENVR-40012

Units: 2.00

$550

Behavioral economics is the science of how and why people make the decisions they do. It s the study of what truly motivates us in the choices we make as consumers to the biases that affect our beha...

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Upcoming Start Dates:
Typically Offered:

Fall, Winter, Spring

Co-Designing ConservationENVR-40019

Units: 3.00

$550

Join the growing movement of environmental professionals working with their surrounding community to co-design the conservation programs that will impact them the most! Learn to co-design conservation...

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Upcoming Start Dates:
Typically Offered:

Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer

Contact Information

 Fiona O'Donnell-Lawson at unex-environmental@ucsd.edu

Next Steps Experience


Nature Careers California was launched to deliver a regional resource for scientists to manage and develop their careers with tailored advice, content and opportunities, offering them vital support throughout their working life.

The hub will become the number one destination for scientists to build a community to share information, knowledge and content. It includes job roles, events and seminars, funding opportunities, programs and information across all science disciplines.

Industry Certification

AICP members can earn Certification Maintenance (CM) credits for select courses.  For a list of additional UC San Diego Extension AICP CM Events go to American Planning Association

Advisory Board

Cecile Carson, MA

Vice President, Litter and Affiliate Relations

Keep America Beautiful

James Danoff-Burg, Ph.D.

Chief Operating Officer and Researcher

New Knowledge Organization Ltd.

Ayelet Gneezy, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Behavioral Sciences and Marketing

Rady School of Management, UCSD

Carlos Michelon, BS

Principal Water Resources Specialist

San Diego County Water Authority

Wesley Schultz, Ph.D.

Dean of Graduate Studies & Research and Professor

California State University, San Marcos

Tim Treadwell, MS

Director of Engineering, Research and Analysis

Center for Sustainable Energy

Patricia Winter, Ph.D.

Research Social Scientist

US Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station

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There is no fee when applying to this program. Students will be required to pay a $95 certificate fee upon enrollment into the program after acceptance.

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