University of California, San Diego
EN-12: Continuing Education

Please see uploaded document. 

The UC San Diego Division of Extended Studies offers the following sustainability-focused themed certificate programs: 

CEQA PRACTICE PROGRAM 

The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) is one of California's most significant environmental laws. The law requires state and local agencies to analyze environmental impacts of a proposed project and adopt feasible alternatives and mitigation measures to avoid or substantially reduce significant impacts. 

The CEQA Practice certificate is designed to offer professionals a unique opportunity to gain the knowledge and practical skills vital to their practice. Coursework will offer project-based work as a central focus of training in order for students to develop a portfolio of work that can be shared with potential employers or clients. 

For more information, please visit:    

https://extendedstudies.ucsd.edu/courses-and-programs/ceqa-practice  

SUSTAINABILITY BEHAVIOR & CHANGE 

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, 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. 

For more information, please visit:   

https://extendedstudies.ucsd.edu/courses-and-programs/sustainability-and-behavior-change  

SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS PRACTICES PROGRAM 

Leading organizations are becoming more aware of compliance challenges, regulations in sustainability, and opportunities afforded by public interest in climate change, environmental issues, sustainability, and “green practices.” This creates a need for educated professionals to steer their organizations in the direction of sustainable practices that make sense for their business models and goals. 
 
This program is intended to provide students with the tools needed to help their organization create effective programs, increase efficiency, cut costs, and improve their overall sustainability. Students will learn the core principles behind environmental sustainability, explore the “business case” for sustainability, and learn strategies for measuring sustainable practices. Courses are taught by leading industry practitioners and are focused on developing immediately applicable skills. 

For more information, please visit:   

https://extendedstudies.ucsd.edu/courses-and-programs/sustainable-business-practices  

UC San Diego is constantly updating the list of continuing education offerings, so it is worth noting that this may not be an exhaustive list based on time of reviewing this document. This is a compilation of programs as of Summer 2024.  

OSHER LIFELONG LEARNING INSTITUTE (OLLI):  

In addition to the information provided elsewhere in this credit, the UC San Diego Division of Extended Studies offers the below sustainability-related courses through the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at UC San Diego caters to lifelong learners who want to continue enhancing their lives through education.  

Ethics In Science and Technology   

Presentations on Ethics in Science and Technology address important ethical issues surrounding emerging progress in medical discoveries, scientific research and technological innovations. They explore research dedicated to the goal of creating socially responsible science and policy.  

Scripps Institution of Oceanography  

Presentations regarding the different types of research being done at Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO). Topics range from climate change, the origins of coral, and further related environmental discussions surrounding the work being done at SIO.   

Transgender Identity in Children: Do We Treat, Modify, Prohibit or Ignore?  

Transgender identity in children appears to be on the rise. To many it is unclear how to approach these children. To aid our understanding, this lecture series will provide an overview of the etiology of gender identity as we know it, including biological, social and cultural influences. Biological anomalies will be presented to help inform our understanding. Finally, transgender case studies will be presented for discussion of possible management, directions and predicted or expected outcomes.  

OLLI at UC San Diego also provides video access to lifelong learners with topics spanning the sustainability spectrum (climate change, equality, equity, and the like).   

MASSIVE OPEN ONLINE COURSE (MOOC):  

UC San Diego also offers thousands of MOOC courses and certificates to UC San Diego members through Coursera. Courses are typically hosted by other campuses and institutions worldwide. Several courses are sustainability-related. For example, the Bending the Curve: Climate Change Solutions 3 certificate: “Learn about Local Climate Change Solutions Today. Identify and create a climate action plan applicable to your own local, regional, national and/or international community.” (https://www.coursera.org/specializations/bendingthecurve).    

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METHODOLOGY: 

UC San Diego Staff elected to use data from one academic year (2023 - 2024). Each course was counted just once, regardless of the number of times it was offered. All sustainability courses listed were offered during this timeframe. The course listings do not include practicums, internships, field work, or test preparation courses. 

To populate the information described herein and ensure accuracy, UC San Diego staff maintained communication with the UC San Diego Extended Studies Office over the duration of the research period, which provided us with confirmation of related data and metrics. Beyond this, staff had multiple meetings regarding the accuracy of inventory contents to ensure its accuracy. To develop the initial inventory discussed herein, Staff utilized advanced Python methodologies to autogenerate a working, master inventory of courses offered during the desired timeframe (containing 1,023 courses in total). Python is an open-source programming language used to automate tasks and analyze large datasets. In the context of the research described above, the size of the initial dataset(s) used to develop a working inventory warranted this technique. Broadly, the Python methodology utilized a technique called “web scraping” to obtain the desired information from the Extended Studies online catalogue. The initial inventory was then further manipulated via Python, along with manual screening, utilizing the sustainability keywords provided by AASHE STARS. Each course was then labelled as sustainability-focused or sustainability-inclusive. This resulted in the final inventory presented in this report. Please note, where applicable, "sustainability-related" is a term used in this section to represent all courses defined as either sustainability-focused or sustainability-inclusive. 

Points of contact for credit information: 

• Mike Salisbury, Sustainability Data Analyst, Utilities & Sustainability
• Carrie Metzgar, Campus Sustainability Officer, Utilities & Sustainability