Graduate Certificate in Environmental Justice

Environmental justice encompasses norms, values, regulations, and policies shaping safe, nurturing, and productive environments. Its success lies in eliminating environmental barriers to personal and collective potential, bolstered by factors like fair employment, quality education, housing, healthcare, democratic decision-making, and violence-free communities. Environmental justice fosters respect for diversity and distributive justice.

The Environmental Justice Certificate program at the University of Michigan is a 15-credit-hour program designed to equip students with essential skills and knowledge across various disciplines.

Participants will:

  • Explore the historical, scientific, social, legal, cultural, and political dimensions of human-environment interactions.
  • Investigate how race, class, and gender influence environmental experiences and shape environmental discourses, designing new research to deepen understanding.
  • Master research methodologies to study perspectives on and obstacles to safe, sustainable communities.
  • Engage in advocacy to raise awareness of environmental inequalities and empower communities to address harmful conditions effectively.

Graduates of the program pursue careers in organizations like the Sierra Club, Surdna Andrus, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and others, applying their expertise to advance environmental justice.

Graduate Certificate Program in Environmental Justice Coursework.

If you have any questions about the Environmental Justice Graduate Certificate Program, including application and completion requirements, please email:

Application