ASG: Distance Learning Programs from World-Class Institutions

Joint Programs

Information about joint programs is listed below.

View upcoming online short programs in sustainability.

Online Certificate Program in Organizational Strategies for Sustainability

Program begins in Autumn 2010

Offered jointly by University of Washington Educational Outreach, Northwestern University School of Continuing Studies, University of British Columbia Continuing Studies, University of California at Irvine, and University of Texas at Austin.

Learn to achieve sustainability goals in your organization by designing and implementing strategies, policies, plans and processes. Identify sustainability principles that can be applied to business decision-making. Discover how to promote economic and social progress while protecting and improving the natural environment, and explore methods of encouraging individual behavior change. Strengthen your leadership and management skills to develop and oversee organizational strategies for sustainability and implement best practices. This program includes five online courses, each provided by a different major university, and is 15 months (i.e. five quarters) in length.

The five courses are:

Introduction to Corporate Social Responsibility: An introduction to how Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Sustainability have exploded into mainstream business decision-making. Topics include the triple bottom line; business case for sustainability; role of government policy; systems thinking; and the state of the current business economy. Presented by the University of California at Irvine
Sustainability Leadership: Provides the frameworks and concepts necessary to lead and transform your organization towards sustainability. It explores the leadership attributes and competencies that make for strategic and transformational leadership. Topics include leadership principles, management responsibilities and employee engagement. Presented by Northwestern University
Change Management for Sustainability: Provides the organizational competencies necessary to shift the strategic direction towards sustainability. Topics include organizational change from a systems perspective; how to align internal operations with sustainability goals and ensuring accountability in both for-profit and nonprofit settings; and the foundation for the continuous process of educating oneself in sustainability. Presented by University of Washington
Implementing Organizational Strategies for Sustainability: Course Information is in development. Presented by University of Texas at Austin
Sustainability Measurement and Reporting: Explores the key drivers for sustainability measurement and reporting as well as leading and emerging non-financial assurance standards. Topics include interpretation of sustainability reports to make informed decisions; best practices for implementing sustainability measurement and reporting initiatives; introduction to basic assurance concepts and approaches; expectation and preparation for sustainability reports and GHG emission assurance and audits; and introduction to the sustainability auditing process. Presented by University of British Colombia

For more information, visit UW Certificate Program in Organizational Strategies for Sustainability.

UBC/UW Summer Institute in Sustainability

July 5-9, 2010 | Vancouver, BC

Offered by the University of British Columbia Continuing Studies in partnership with the UBC Campus Sustainability Office and the University of Washington Continuing & Professional Education

The UBC/UW Summer Institute in Sustainability is a week-long professional development program designed for those taking a leadership role in developing policy, creating plans and implementing projects in sustainability. The program is targeted to sustainability practitioners in business, local and provincial governments, and universities and colleges who are working to integrate sustainability as a core value in their organization.

Delivered over five days in Vancouver, BC, the Institute provides an opportunity to explore sustainability from a triple-bottom-line approach, considering social, ecological and economic perspectives. The program offers thought-provoking presentations by leading academics and industry professionals, applied case studies of real-life sustainability projects, experiential field trips to examine sustainability initiatives first hand, and numerous opportunities for strategic and informal networking. Sessions are designed to be interactive allowing participants to engage speakers with questions and comments.

Session topics include:

Sustainability Literacy
Accelerating Sustainability through Strategic & Transformative Leadership
Developing Strategies and Frameworks
Institutionalizing Change
Life Cycle Management
Urbanized Living: Opportunities & Challenges
Supply Chain Management
The Business Case for Sustainability
Urban Energy Systems
Embedding Sustainability into Organizational Policy
Engaging Stakeholders
Indicators, Reporting, and Accountability

For more information, view cstudies.ubc.ca/sis

Online Certificate Program in Biotech Project Management

Programs begin in Summer 2010 and Spring 2011

Offered jointly by University of Washington Educational Outreach and University of California, San Diego Extension

This four-course, online certificate program is ideal for individuals seeking to move into the biotech industry by learning project management processes for completing and delivering a biotech product within budget and on schedule. Taught by biotech industry professionals who share their on-the-job experience with students, the program is project based and emphasizes practical skills and real-life scenarios. Upon successful completion of all four courses, students receive a UW-UC San Diego joint certificate.

The four courses are:

Project Planning and Organization: Topics include team rules and communications planning; project lifecycle strategy for biotech and requirements management; risk management processes; WBS, project estimating and tasking; project scheduling; contract and procurement management; costing, budgeting, cash flows and lifecycle planning. Presented by University of Washington Educational Outreach
Project Execution, Monitoring and Control: Topics Include project staffing and management; change management; progress reporting; monitoring and control; project closeout and transition planning. Presented by University of Washington Educational Outreach
Project Management within a Scientific Environment: Topics Include timeline and metrics in research; scientific culture, communications and teams; organizational structures to enhance the success of R&D projects; growing knowledge-based assets. Presented by University of California, San Diego Extension
Applying Project Management Principles to Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Product Development: Topics include biomedical and pharmaceutical product development as a project; regulation as a critical project constraint; quality assurance systems; manufacturing; quality audits and monitoring. Presented by University of California, San Diego Extension

For more information, visit these Web sites:
UW Certificate Program in Biotech Project Management
UC San Diego Extension

Online Certificate Program in Web Intelligence

A program collaboration of University of British Columbia Continuing Studies, University of California Irvine Extension, and the Web Analytics Association

University of California Irvine Extension and University of British Columbia Continuing Studies have combined their resources to offer a new online certificate program in Web Intelligence in partnership with the Web Analytics Association. Web intelligence is a combination of Web analytics, which examines how Web site visitors view and interact with a site's pages and features, and business intelligence, which allows a corporation's management to use data on customer purchasing patterns, demographics and demand trends to make effective strategic decisions. Together, the courses that comprise the Web Intelligence program provide students a powerful set of skills and knowledge that companies need for growth and success in the 21st century.

The program is designed for individuals who wish to enter the field of Web analytics, including those whose job functions include marketing, Web site design, corporate branding and product positioning, or other aspects of database-driven marketing. The focus of the program is on using technology to achieve business objectives.

To earn the Web Intelligence certificate, students must complete four required courses plus two electives.

Required courses

These four courses are offered by University British Columbia Continuing Studies; they also fulfill the Award of Achievement in Web Analytics:

Introduction to Web Analytics
Web Analytics for Site Optimization
Measuring Marketing Campaigns Online
Creating and Managing the Analytical Business Culture

Elective courses

Students select two courses offered by University of California Irvine Extension from the following list:

Business Intelligence/Data Warehouse
Designing Dimensional Models
Managing Business Process Improvement Projects
Problem Solving and Decision Making
Management, Leadership and Team Building in the Project and Program Environment

For more information, visit these Web sites:
University of British Columbia Web Intelligence program
University of California Irvine Web Intelligence program

Online Certificate Program in Decision Making for Climate Change

Program begins in Autumn 2010

This four-course, online certificate program is ideal for municipal, regional, state, and federal officials; environmental planners and managers; corporate operations and utility managers; and consultants in the sustainability field. Participants will benefit from the expertise and resources of four North American universities that are leaders in the study of climate change. The program is project based and emphasizes practical skills and real-life scenarios. Upon successful completion of all four courses, participants will receive a joint certificate issued by the four sponsoring universities.

The four courses are:

Strategic Planning for Adaptation to Climate Change: Addresses strategic planning for adapting to and minimizing climate change. Topics include scenario building; mapping climate change to major sectors; understanding the long-term lifecycle planning process; cost analysis; risk assessment; health, safety and equity issues; plan establishment and implementation; and evaluating effectiveness of the adaptation response. Presented by University of Washington
Climate Literacy: Introduction to the factors influencing climate including interactions among the atmosphere, oceans, solid earth, and biosphere. Addresses the causes of global warming; greenhouse gases; physical carbon flows and their measurement; the carbon cycle; climate modeling; and social impacts of climate change. Presented by University of British Columbia
The Business of Mitigating Climate Change: Assessment of the financial, environmental and business aspects of mitigation efforts and creation of a strategic competitive advantage for an organization. Topics include measuring carbon footprints; identifying areas for mitigation including transportation, fuel usage, and facilities and selecting best tactics; the triple bottom line and the cost/benefit carbon analysis; economic incentives for increasing carbon sequestration and substitution; and evaluating the effectiveness of the program. Presented by the University of California, Irvine
Policy Responses and Options: Study of existing government policies such as the Kyoto Accord; the European Union Emission Trading Scheme (ETS); the approaches of less developed nations such as China and India; and local approaches in the U.S. Presents market-based and economy-wide options for reducing carbon in the atmosphere plus use of renewable energy innovations, efficiency standards, and green forest practices. Presented by Northwestern University

To apply to this program, please submit a copy of your résumé listing education and applicable experience and a typed (250-word maximum) letter of application describing your relevant work experience and how you expect the program will help you meet your professional goals.

You may apply online via the University of Washington Extension online application system. Students who are accepted into the program will receive information about registering for courses through the individual universities listed above.