Creating Sustainable Solutions to Complex Environmental and Societal Threats

In this Professional Certificate program, you will learn key project management skills needed for project execution on complex social and environmental issues. You will learn how to work on your project team collaborating to reduce environmental impact and achieve sustainability. You will develop communication competencies necessary to synthesize technical information for non-specialist audiences. You will also learn how to effectively engage with stakeholders, both in person and virtually through the outreach, collaboration and co-production stages of a project. Finally, you will learn leadership skills that will allow you to navigate the complex multi-dimensional issues associated with environmental projects.

Engineers, resource managers, environmental scientists, environmental advocates, environmental project managers, citizen scientists, and junior project managers will benefit from learning how to make smart decisions, manage dynamic teams, work toward deliverables, and develop broad support for environmental projects.

After completing this professional certificate, you will be able to clearly explain data-rich concepts to a wide range of audiences, to effectively engage with stakeholders, collaborate for effective environmental project planning and project execution, and utilize leadership skills for agile project management. Environmental projects are inherently complex, involving multiple societal entities, and spanning a diversity of different disciplines. Environmental project manager jobs are on the rise as we work toward an environment of sustainability. This series of courses will combine project management and environmental science making you feel more comfortable when communicating with stakeholders, regulatory agencies, subcontractors, environmental consultants, or your project team. The need for effective internal and external communication is paramount so that the different sectors involved understand and appreciate the activities and priorities of the various partners. You will develop techniques and a methodology to productively engage with diverse stakeholders using your new communication and environmental presentation template and narrative to effect change in environmental projects. A suite of leadership skills is critical; skills that improve your listening ability and empathy, and skills that improve your ability to manage the project life cycle as you project manage environmental issues, motivate, learn and teach new topics.

This Professional Certificate is being offered through a partnership between two renowned universities in the University System of Maryland involving both engineers and environmental scientists. Engineers from the Clark School of Engineering, University of Maryland and scientists from the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science have developed international reputations as leaders in project management (Project Management Center for Excellence) and environmental science and management (Integration and Application Network).

University of Maryland Clark School of Engineering provides high quality education in project management that encompasses the breadth of the field and prepares under graduates and graduates earning a master’s degree to have competencies in project planning, management and project execution; utilizing agile and traditional project management along with a depth of research to develop future project managers in the fields of engineering project management and a variety of fields where joining information systems and project management is essential.

University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science works every day to harness the power of science to transform the way society understands sustainable development, environmental remediation, and the preservation of our natural resources and environment. By conducting innovative research on today’s most pressing and complex environmental issues, including global climate change and disruption to sustainability. UMCES is developing new ideas to help guide state, region, nation, and the world toward a more environmentally sustainable future protecting our natural resources. UMCES’ commitment to integrating environmentally sustainable thinking in all operations, including all aspects of future planning, is essential to its mission.

Drawing from experiences in the environmental management and remediation of the Chesapeake Bay and many other environmental impact case studies, the engineers and scientists developing course materials have developed a passion and an unparalleled competency in environmental project management.

Upon successful completion of this program, learners can earn up to 30 Professional Development Unit (PDU) credits, 10 PDU credits per course, which are recognized by the Project Management Institute (PMI). PDU credits are essential to those looking to maintain certification as a Project Management Professional (PMP).