The undergraduate certificate in Regional and Community Planning offers both theory and practical skills in land use planning, including hazard mitigation and preparedness, sustainable design principles, energy and resource sustainability, remote sensing, geographic information systems, and environmental impact assessment. You will learn to assess the overall impact that development projects have on the surrounding environment and the quality of life for community inhabitants. This online certificate is intended for undergraduate students who want to expand their knowledge of regional and community planning without committing to a degree program.

Certificate Objectives

Upon successful completion of this certificate, the student will be able to:

• Identify critical issues in landscape level planning and development that affect regional and local environmental planners and assess their implications on the environment and quality of life for the citizenry.
• Assess the resource needs (energy, water resources, sustainability, greenspace, etc.) of a population and develop strategies for meeting them.
• Describe innovative approaches, alternative actions, and strategic planning efforts needed to resolve complex, landscape-level land use planning problems and meet the needs of multiple and varied stakeholders.
• Assess leading trends and challenges in the fields of Local and Regional Planning, Landscape-level Planning, and Environmental Assessment and Impact.
• Describe current and emerging technologies in sustainable land use planning and energy development and discuss appropriate applications.

Certificate Requirements (18 semester hours)