DURHAM, N.C. –The new two-year Certificate in Sustainable Systems Analysis (SSA Certificate) program at 91ÉçÇø¸£Àû’s Nicholas School of the Environment is designed to train future generations of sustainability managers and innovators – and give graduates a leg up in today’s job market.

Because of growing worldwide demand for sustainable systems analysis skills, students completing the SSA Certificate are expected to be competitive for positions in the private for-profit sector, including global manufacturing, retailing, engineering, construction, service, and consulting firms, as well as in the public and nonprofit sectors.

Up to 25 first-year graduate students enrolled in the Master of Environmental Management (MEM) or Master of Forestry (MF) 91ÉçÇø¸£Àû programs at the Nicholas School will be accepted into the new program this year.

Students who wish to enroll in the program should notify the faculty director, Jay Golden, associate professor of the practice for sustainable systems analysis, at jay.golden@duke.edu, and complete and submit the enrollment form by October 30, 2011.  The form is available at.

The SSA Certificate provides students with in-depth knowledge of sustainable sciences and sustainable systems theory as applied to global commerce. It also provides theoretical foundations and hands-on training in analytics to measure and report on the sustainability of firms, products and other technologies, and multi-disciplinary project management skills to become organizational and technological innovators for sustainability. 

The program has 12 hours of required courses.  These are: 

  • Fall Year 1– ENVIRON 298.114 Sustainable Systems Theory & Drivers (3 credit hours);
  • Spring Year 1– ENVIRON 298.92 Environmental Life Cycle Assessment (3 credit hours); 
  • Fall Year 2 – Approved elective such as Resource Economics, Social Surveys or Business Law (at least 3 credit hours); and 
  • Spring Year 2 – Capstone Project Class (3 credit hours).

It is expected most or all certificate components can be used to fulfill other graduate 91ÉçÇø¸£Àû requirements.   For more information, go to .