Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning

Certificate in Community Environmental Studies

The Certificate in Community Environmental Studies (CES) is designed for citizen advocates promoting sustainable communities, environmental specialists in companies who interact with community leaders, and public agency personnel who have local responsibilities. The program provides professional training for careers in today's rapidly growing and changing environmental and sustainable development fields. The program's curriculum offers a rich and varied selection of environmental courses in planning, policy, economics, sustainable development, engineering, and science complemented by courses in negotiation, law, and nonprofit management.

Program Requirements and Policies

  • Twelve credits are required to obtain the CES certificate.
  • Most courses are three credits, but the UEP department also offers one-credit modules as noted below.
  • Students choose the courses from a combination of CES core courses and CES skills and environmental policy electives.
  • Students must select at least one core course as part of their program of study.

Course Requirements

Select at least one core course from the following:

  • UEP 200 Land Use Planning I: Nonregulatory Tools and Techniques (Fall)
  • UEP 201 Land Use Planning II (Spring)
  • UEP 207 Environmental Law (Spring)
  • UEP 221 Climate Change Policy and Planning (Spring)
  • UEP 223 Fundamentals of U.S. Agriculture (Fall)
  • UEP 279 Water Resources Policy, and Planning, and Watershed Management (Fall)

CES Course Electives

Select up to three skills and environmental policy electives from the following:

  • UEP 161A Writing and Public Communication (Summer)
  • UEP 173-01 Transportation Planning (Fall)
  • UEP 174B Clean Air and Clean Water Policy (Summer)
  • UEP 194AC Cities and Urban Design (Summer)
  • UEP 206 Planning for Low-Impact Development (LID) (Spring)
  • UEP 230 Negotiation, Mediation and Conflict Resolution (Spring and Summer)
  • UEP 232 Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (Fall and Spring)
  • UEP 233 Regional Planning: Tools and Techniques (Spring)
  • UEP 234 Qualitative Analysis for Planning and Public Policy (Fall)
  • UEP 242 International Planning and Urban Policy (Spring)
  • UEP 249-02 Communications and Media (one credit (second half) Spring)
  • UEP 263 Natural Resources Policy and Planning (Spring)
  • UEP 264 Green Urban Design (Fall)
  • UEP 265 Corporate Management of Environmental Issues (Fall)
  • UEP 278 Environmental Justice, Security, and Sustainability (Fall)
  • UEP 281 Toxic Chemicals and Human Ecology (Spring)
  • UEP 284 Developing Sustainable Communities (Spring)
  • UEP 286 Environmental Ethics (Spring)
  • UEP 293 Food Justice: Critical Approaches in Policy and Planning (Fall)
  • UEP 293-03 Retrofitting Suburbs (one credit (Fall))
  • UEP 294-04 Planning and Urban Design (one credit (first half) Spring)
  • UEP 294-16 Public Health and the Built Environment (Spring)
  • UEP 294-22 Advanced GIS (Fall)

Students may substitute other Tufts graduate courses, subject to the approval of the certificate advisor. Course offerings may vary from year to year.

Faculty Contact

For additional information about this certificate, please contact Laurie Goldman.