Certificates of Undergraduate Study (CUGS)

Geographic Information Systems Foundations. This CUGS in Geographic Information Systems [GIS] Foundations provides an introduction to how information becomes data that can be presented visually in the form of a map, to communicate to an audience, yield new analytical insights, or present patterns and relationships unavailable in other forms. This Certificate of Undergraduate Study (CUGS) in GIS Foundations is intended to expose students in disciplines such as engineering, disaster management and emergency preparedness, public health, business, social sciences, communication, the natural and environmental sciences, and education to key concepts, practices, and techniques in GIS and their application to geospatial/environmental problems. With three required courses, students can demonstrate their competence and familiarity with key spatial data preparation, analysis, and visualization techniques that may complement and enhance preparedness for a wide variety of occupations and disciplines. You can view the requirements for the CUGS here.

Sustainable Urbanism. Two global imperatives make knowledge of sustainable urbanism a critical topic in the 21st century: first, the majority of the world’s population is now urban; and second, the cumulative effects of urban life are generating the most pressing global environmental problems facing humanity. Cities, in short, are both the cause of major environmental problems and the solution. With our population expected to read 9.6 billion by 2050, humanity’s future is hinged upon our ability make cities sustainable: the capacity to meet the needs of the present, without comprising the needs of future generations. To support humanity in the 21st century, we must re-think the processes of urban environments in regards to both their built form and social practices. This Certificate of Undergraduate Study (CUGS) emphasizes the social and place-based dimensions of sustainability, from social issues to the role of communication technologies and aesthetics. Students in disciplines such as business, engineering, political science, psychology, communication, the natural sciences, and education will be exposed to key concepts, practices, and technologies in sustainability and their application to urban environments. This certificate in sustainable urbanism will position students from different disciplines for employment in the burgeoning green economy. 
You can view the requirements for the CUGS here.

Food Systems Planning. The Food Systems Planning CUGS is a way to obtain certification and thorough knowledge in the field of food systems. How we eat determines a large part of how we use the world. With this CUGS you come to understand the social, economic, and environmental benefits of a strong local/regional food system. You will learn where food comes from, how it is cultivated, processed and shipped, and how it interferes with many of the global challenges we are facing on Earth today. While gaining this knowledge you’ll understand the dynamic relationship between food and how it affects ecosystems, health care, power structure, and society as a whole in cities or rural areas. The American Planning Association is now incorporating food systems planning as an important dimension of its advocacy and professional training. This CUGS will provide students with a foundation in community and regional planning concepts along with a specific focus on how food can foster community and individual-level health, local and regional economic development, and food justice. Head here to learn more.
You can view the requirements for the CUGS here.

Regenerative Food Systems. The CUGS in Regenerative Food Systems provides students with a perspective on changes within the food system over time since the green revolution and the introduction of agrochemicals leading to modern food issues and planetary environmental challenges derived from exceeding Earth’s carrying capacity. Topics include US and global food systems driven by ‘big food’ agribusiness, essentials of regenerative and sustainability principles with options to study agricultural practices, food start-ups, or global food issues in order to provide students with opportunities to identify potential solutions. Students will explore the dimensional relationships between actors across food supply chains and how changes, when implemented, have effects on other actors of the supply chain. You can view the requirements for the CUGS here.

Land Development Principles & Tools. The CUGS in Land Development Principles & Tools provides a sequence of courses that combines Planning, Geography, and Engineering topics enabling relevant to students interested in land development. You can view the requirements for the CUGS here.

Environmental Humanities. The CUGS in Environmental Humanities is a program our department shares with Department of English at Rowan, with courses contributed also from History, Philosophy & Religion, and Writing Arts. This introduces students to the methods of the Humanities for interrogating the human contexts of environmental issues, which are crucial for effectively applying STEM findings and developments in complex cultural worlds. Also, this program offers students opportunities to explore how the critical thinking and communication skills they have developed in Humanities courses can be applied to STEM fields and career paths. You can view the requirements for the CUGS here.

Environmental Policy & Economics. The CUGS in Environmental Policy & Economics is a program our department shares with the Department of Political Science and Economics at Rowan. This program provides students with an interdisciplinary approach to create and develop efficient ways to protect and enhance the world's economic and environmental resources. Students will learn how to design and assess the impact of environmental regulations and policies through an interdisciplinary approach using economics, geography, planning, public policy and sociology. Students will demonstrate particular knowledge of cost-benefit analysis, policy formulation and analysis, land use planning and sustainable economic development, and be able to address such questions as "What is the role of government in regulating the environment?"; "What tools exist to estimate the impact of environmental policies?", "How does geography/location determine economic development?", and "Are economic growth and environmental sustainability compatible?" Although this program is available to all students, it is primarily targeted to students in majoring in Economics, Political Science, Geography, Planning, Sociology and Environmental & Sustainability Studies. You can view the requirements for the CUGS here.

Crime Mapping & Crime Analysis. The CUGS in Crime Mapping & Crime Analysis will prepare students for careers as crime analysts by providing them with both hands-on and theoretical content that is relevant to crime analysis work. Geography, Planning, & Sustainability courses ensure that students are provided a background in spatial data, the operation of geographic information systems, and geographic concepts related to analyzing and displaying spatial data and information. Law & Justice courses provide students with experience performing actual crime analysis functions and how to take the results of analyses that are learned and present them in ways that are relevant and practical to police practitioners. You can view the requirements for the CUGS here.

Sustainability Education & Leadership. The CUGS in Sustainability Education & Leadership will empower educators and pre-service teachers to: (a) meet the demands of our changing world; (b) instill sustainability values and competencies in the next generation; and (c) ensure students are equipped with the knowledge and skills to lead climate change and broader sustainability efforts both locally and globally, aligning with essential NJ state educational standards and global commitments while preparing students for meaningful careers and responsible citizenship. You can view the requirements for the CUGS here.

Urban & Community Studies. The CUGS in Urban & Community Studies will train students in a deep understanding and analysis of the political, economic, and social roots of problems arising in urbanization, emphasizing the social phenomena of contemporary cities, the problems, and possible solutions in mass societies, and metropolitan and regional interdependence. With a tripling of the global population over the past 60 years and the drive for mass consumption, urban sociology provides a foundation best suited to address spatial and consumption issues for crowded populations, focusing on the social processes that create challenges and stratification in urban areas, including the pros and cons of urban planning, gentrification, mechanisms of social control, social stratification, socioeconomic stratification, race relations, racial and ethnic residential segregation and stratification, migration of immigrants/refugees/asylum-seekers from diverse religious and cultural backgrounds, contests over sanctuary cities, the ghettoization of immigrant/refugee groups, environmental pollution, lack of affordable housing, food deserts, and the crime arising in cities because of the poverty created by deindustrialization and joblessness. You can view the requirements for the CUGS here.

Writing for the Environment. The CUGS in Writing for the Environment offers the opportunity to combine knowledge about and advocacy for environmental issues with the reading, writing, and communication skills necessary for success in a variety of academic fields and professional careers. It will enable students to forge connections between the sciences, social sciences, humanities, and creative arts and nurture the skills they need to advocate for environmental issues that are important to them and their communities. You can view the requirements for the CUGS here.