Duke Environmental Leadership Program

Certificate Programs

DEL offers a Certificate in the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
and
a New Certificate Program in Land Management for Conservation

The Certificate Program in Land Management for Conservation is designed for land management practitioners who want to stay updated on newly developed technical practices. Courses will include training in the latest capabilities in geospatial analysis and geographic information systems and those that focus on long-term monitoring and program evaluation. Conducted on Duke University campus by Duke Faculty and expert instructors from a variety of NGO’s, each course can be applied toward the completion of the Certificate Program, or taken independently for career enrichment.

For more information on the Certificate Program in Land Management for Conservation, click here >

The Certificate in the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), co-sponsored by the Council on Environmental Quality, Executive Office of the President is designed for professionals seeking essential skills in the understanding and implementation of NEPA.
Details on the requirements for this program are available below and in PDF format here >

Certificate in the National Environmental Policy Act

Requirements:
A minimum of 100 hours of NEPA instruction taught by Duke University including “Implementation of the National Environmental Policy Act” course, three elective courses within the categories below and a capstone paper.

Required course: Implementation of the National Environmental Policy Act

Elective courses:

Take TWO of the following courses:

Socioeconomic Impact Analysis under NEPA
Accounting for Cumulative Effects in the NEPA Process
Tribal Consultation
Preparing and Documenting Environmental Impact Analyses

And ONE of the following courses:

Scoping, Public Involvement and Environmental Justice (or Making the NEPA Process More Efficient: Scoping and Public Participation)
Current and Emerging Issues in Environmental Policy
The Law of NEPA

Capstone Paper:
The capstone paper is an original, research-based culminating exercise related to NEPA theory or practice. The paper should be based on what you have learned in the courses and your current or future work in the field; case study examples are encouraged. The rationale of the capstone paper is two-fold: to demonstrate knowledge of the subject, and to make a contribution to the field. Exemplary papers may be incorporated into future course offerings. The final paper is expected to be 10-20 pages or less in length, and will be reviewed by a panel of experts in NEPA. Topics must be approved in advance. To submit a capstone paper proposal, you must have completed at least three required courses and be registered for your fourth, at which time you can send a brief description (250 words or less) of your paper topic to del@nicholas.duke.edu.

If you would like to receive updates about these emerging opportunities or have ideas for future certificate programs, please contact The DEL Program Office at del@nicholas.duke.edu or (919) 613-8082.