John A. Dutton Institute for Teaching and Learning Excellence

Complete this certificate to acquire the excellent geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) knowledge and critical thinking skills that companies and government organizations seek. The certificate was designed to prepare you to use the knowledge of human and physical geography, problem-solving abilities, and geographic information technologies to confront challenges such as disaster response, emergency management, and military operations.

Careers

The geospatial intelligence analytics graduate certificate can help start or advance your career as a geospatial intelligence analyst, imagery analyst, intelligence image analyst, remote sensing scientist or technician, or remote sensing program manager.

Designed for both novices and professionals, this certificate provides firsthand experience using the most up-to-date tools and techniques available in the field of GIS today. Choose between two tracks: one for current and aspiring geospatial professionals looking to become more skillful users of GIS software and related tools, and the other for certified or licensed professionals looking to bypass introductory courses while selecting others more appropriate for their focuses.

Careers

Penn State’s online certificate in GIS can help you start or advance your career in urban and regional planning, environmental resource management, and surveying and cartography. These fields include architects, engineers, GIS analysts, environmental scientists, surveyors, and cartographers among others.

The master's degree in Renewable Energy and Sustainability Systems (RESS) - Sustainability Management and Policy option was designed to prepare leaders in the renewable energy field, specifically related to sustainability planning and policies that affect renewable energy. Completing this program could help you bolster your knowledge of renewable energy, energy trading, and systems management. 

Careers

Graduates of this program may be prepared for roles in the renewable energy sector such as project manager for sustainability projects, chief sustainability officer, renewable energy manager, sustainability engineer, or sustainability analyst.

If you have a technical mindset and are interested in focusing on the implementation and interpretation of existing sustainability policies, this graduate certificate may be right for you. Learn to create business plans for the adoption and deployment of technologies to address critical economic, environmental, political, and societal challenges.

Careers

The courses in the Sustainability Management and Policy program were designed to prepare you for careers in management that concern issues of sustainability and energy resources, including sustainability coordinators, renewable energy managers, and sustainability engineers.

Prepare yourself to serve as a leader of the emerging green economy through the Renewable Energy and Sustainability Systems (RESS) master's degree program. This online program provides you with the technical depth in areas related to renewable energy. You can also gain a comprehensive understanding of the applications of technology in society, the energy economics, and the project development process.

Careers

This program can benefit you if you are already in the renewable energy and sustainability field and looking to advance in your current position or if you want to move into another segment of this rapidly evolving energy industry.

A master's degree in renewable energy and sustainability systems can prepare you to make an impact in the industry by serving in professional roles, such as sustainability project manager, energy efficiency analyst, energy project manager, environmental risk analyst, renewable energy consultant, and community planner.

Learning innovative forecasting techniques in this online certificate program can help you learn about meteorology, enrich your hobby, supplement your professional career, or build a preparatory foundation for future study or work. This certificate can be fully completed online through Penn State World Campus.

As a student in this program, you will have an opportunity to become a better-informed, critical consumer of weather-related news. Whether you are an amateur weather enthusiast or a weather-related industry professional, enrolling in this 12-credit certificate program can help you refine your skills to more effectively predict the weather.

Careers

Hobbyists, storm chasers, weather forecasters, or other professionals who rely on weather data to perform their job duties successfully can all benefit from this program.

Pursuing a minor in Earth Systems can help you build a better understanding of the global extent and impact of environmental problems. This minor focuses on a large-scale and interdisciplinary approach to questions of global change and the interactions of the physical and human environments. It provides a wider interdisciplinary perspective for majors in the traditional Earth science disciplines (geography, geoscience, and meteorology), and provides an introduction to Earth sciences and a broad exposure to Earth systems/environmental studies for other science and engineering majors. 

The Geography minor can complement most majors in the social sciences, physical sciences, biological sciences, and technical disciplines. The Geography minor is flexible so that students can tailor their course choices to accommodate individual interests. A broadly based approach to selecting minor courses can be appropriate for students whose majors are highly specialized or narrowly focused. Alternatively, students may choose to fulfill Geography minor requirements with a particular content emphasis, such as an interest in environmental issues or urban and regional planning. Looking through course choices and talking with geography staff can make earning the Geography minor an important enhancement to one's academic program.

Offered Online or through Resident Instruction

This minor can be completed either online via Penn State World Campus or through resident instruction.

If you want to know more about the future of energy and the policies that influence the development of sustainable energy, consider enrolling in the online Bachelor of Arts degree in Energy and Sustainability Policy (ESP). In this program, you can gain the knowledge and skills you need to gather, analyze, synthesize, and communicate diverse information about emerging global trends in energy policy, technologies, and economics. 

The ESP program at Penn State is one of the few online programs in the country that focuses specifically on policy within the realm of energy and sustainability. Our program is all-inclusive, covering all forms of energy with policy serving as the program's nexus. In addition to instilling a strong sustainability ethic, we integrate an international perspective into the program, so you can gain knowledge of international, social, cultural, and political dimensions of energy and sustainability considerations on a global scale.

Two Degree Programs

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

With a Bachelor of Arts degree in ESP you can gain the knowledge and skills to research, analyze, and communicate diverse information about emerging global trends in energy policy, technologies, and economics.  In the B.A. program, the focus is expanded to allow students to select a foreign language and take supporting coursework in global culture and humanities.

Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

The Bachelor of Science degree in ESP can prepare you for careers in the rapidly evolving energy and sustainability policy sector, especially where strong science, business, and analytical skills are required.  In the B.S. program, students select additional coursework in areas closely related to the major. 

Careers

The program can prepare you for success in energy careers related to policy analysis, sales and account management, permitting and compliance, and public relations in energy-related organizations -  including government agencies and nongovernmental organizations, public utilities, regulatory bodies, energy trade organizations, and businesses. 

Where Our Graduates Find Jobs

• Commercial firms
• Government agencies
• Energy trade groups
• Government agencies

Solar power is a key piece of the growing "green economy." Rapid growth in the science and practice of solar energy has given rise to the need for advanced understanding in resource assessment, project development, system design, and emerging technologies for both solar thermal and solar electric systems. As employment opportunities continue to expand, organizations will look for professionals who can develop, manage, and improve solar energy systems through project development, system design and analysis, and process improvement.

Careers

The certificate is perfect for current or aspiring professionals seeking the progressive skills needed to advance the solar energy sector. The curriculum was designed to prepare you for work as a solar energy project manager, solar research analyst, or project engineer in solar energy.