Graduate Certificate in Sustainable Technology & Management (CSTM)

Graduate Certificate in Sustainable Technology & Management (CSTM)

Overview

Thank you for your interest in the Graduate Certificate in Sustainable Technology and Management.

The Graduate Certificate in Sustainable Technology & Management (CSTM) is an interdisciplinary program that helps managers, engineers, and organizations meet the business and engineering imperatives of sustainable development in a globalizing and increasingly competitive economy.

Students will be presented with metrics and skill sets that will enhance the development of sustainable technologies, entrepreneurship, and organizational strategy. The net benefit? Reduced risks and costs and increased competitive advantages through strategic alliances, scenario planning, and resource management.

This CSTM Program is a joint effort between three schools:

• School of Sustainability
• Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering
• W.P. Carey School of Business

CSTM is one of five certificate programs that can be taken in conjunction with the joint Evening MBA Program.

Upon successful completion, students receive an academic certificate from ASU and will be able to use the CSTM professional designation.

Learning Outcomes

The certificate provides technologists, scientists, and engineers (and those who manage them) with a new set of skills crucial to addressing the economic, social, and environmental imperatives of an increasingly competitive global economy. They will learn about designing, manufacturing, and managing technology systems under such circumstances, with a focus on the requirements and imperatives of sustainability. This skill set includes providing professionals with an understanding of how rapidly changing sustainability challenges will impact their professions. The program will present these challenges through case studies, text readings, invited international speakers, and group projects that encourage team solutions to complex economic, environmental, social, legal, and ethical issues.

Curriculum

The certificate requires 15 credit hours of coursework (listed below), which includes a 3 credit hour Capstone project class.  For the capstone project, students will work on faculty selected projects solving complex engineering-management problems for sustainability and technologies. This will include detailed business plans, technical evaluations and recommendations, comparative analysis of options and a presentation to the faculty, advisory committee and invited members of the community. Students are expected earn a "B" or better in each course. It is also expected that they complete the program in 3 years, but can finish the program in 1 - 2 years depending on how many courses they take each semester. Not all courses are offered every semester, so students should visit the Schedule of Classes to determine how long it will take them to complete the certificate.

Course Descriptions

SOS/CEE/IEE 598 Industrial Ecology & Sustainable Product Design

This course will introduce the student to conceptual aspects and build skills in the field of industrial ecology. Methodological/tool foundations to be developed include Material Flow Analysis, Life Cycle Assessment, and Ecodesign. Material flow analysis is a tool to understand the consumption of resources and emissions associated with industrial systems. Life cycle assessment deals with estimating the impacts of a product or service from a holistic perspective, including manufacture, use and product end-of-life. Ecodesign uses design strategies and environmental information such as life cycle assessment to design or redesign products and systems with minimized environmental impacts.

CEE 598 Sustainable Transportation Systems

The course will require students to draw on a broad base of existing knowledge and to seek out information from a wide range of sources. Course topics will include the following lecture modules: transportation system overview (infrastructure, goods movement, economics, etc.); externalities overview; transportation and mobility needs; energy consumption, dependence, and alternative energy sources and vehicles; air quality impacts; safety impacts; noise impacts; natural resources consumption (construction, right of way, etc.); economics; global warming (long term climate change).

SOS 598 / IEE 598 Introduction to Sustainability and Organizational Strategies

This is an interactive course focused on introduction of sustainable technology management and strategies that can be used to incorporate the development and deployment of sustainable technologies. Both instructors and students will be making presentations. Topics include: regulatory frameworks, globalization, urbanization, life cycle, sustainable technologies, organizational strategies, resources, supply chain and entrepreneurship. The class is divided in teams with three to four members per team. The teams are given case studies, journal articles and topical projects that reinforce the presentations by the instructors from the text and from invited speakers from major global multinational companies. The teams will prepare and give the presentations.

SOS 598 / IEE 598 / MGT 594 Capstone Project

The Sustainability Capstone course is an opportunity for a student to demonstrate their comprehension of the fundamental aspects that have been introduced in the classroom AND the synthesis of these fundamental aspects into a demonstrable project that can be presented and defended.

SOS 534 / CEE 598 / MAE 598 Sustainable Energy & Material Use

The world is becoming increasingly urbanized, bringing with it a host of problems involving energy, air quality, and the quality of life in general. A new transdisciplinary course is being offered that addresses these issues facing the energy sustainability of modern cities. The class will involve lectures, some by guest speakers, environmental field measurements, and a group project. The topics to be covered include: Sustainable Engineering; Overall urban energy needs & impacts; Basic thermodynamics, heat transfer, and fluid mechanics; Atmospheric Energy Systems; Field investigation; Urban energy systems (current and future).

FSE 598 Introduction to Technology Entrepreneurship

This course will introduce you to entrepreneurship and the processes that are involved in launching and operating a successful venture. Understanding the new venture as a collection of logical decisions and systems will be the focus of this course. Each course participant will be exposed to the process of creating a new venture idea, examining market feasibility, testing financial models, and preparing a go-to-market strategy. This hands-on course will also feature a number of prominent Valley area entrepreneurs as guest speakers. Upon completion of this course, you should be able to: 1) Envision yourself as an entrepreneur or as someone who contributes value to an entrepreneurial venture; 2) Understand the many ways of being involved in entrepreneurial ventures; 3) Think about business opportunities as they pertain to your career path and technical strengths; 4) Understand the basic accounting cycle and cash management; 5) Prepare pro forma financial statements; 6) Understand how to network and negotiate for business advantage; 7) Understand the role of intellectual property in the creation of a technology venture; 8) Identify sources of capital for new ventures in the Valley area; 9) Identify other resources to assist entrepreneurs and new ventures in the Valley area.

SOS 598 / CEE 598 Water Policy & Management

This course will cover water policy and management in Arizona. The course will be useful to anyone looking for a general background on water issues in Arizona or considering a career in water resources and environmental engineering, planning, or public policy. The course is divided into three major sections: the history of water resources development and hydrology of Arizona; water management in Arizona; and an examination of current issues and controversies.

How to apply?

To apply, visit http://asu.edu/gradapp.

APPLICATIONS DEADLINES

Spring semester admission - Nov 1
Fall semester admission - July 1

Applications may be reviewed before or after these dates, but there is no guarantee of a timely decision for applicants not adhering to the application deadlines for the desired semester for admission.

We do not preview applications.  A student must apply to the university before an applicant's admission credentials are evaluated. 

APPLICATION PROCESS

1) Fill out the on-line application at http://www.graduate.asu.edu/.

2) Pay the Application Fee. No application will be reviewed unless the application fee is paid. ASU does not waive application fees.

3) Send all official transcripts to

Arizona State University
Graduate College
Interdisciplinary Building, B-Wing, Room 170
PO Box 871003
Tempe, AZ 85287-1003
USA

If you have already sent transcripts to ASU for an application to a graduate program, you do not need to resend them.

GPA Requirement:
Students must have a bachelor's or master's degree from a regionally accredited institution with a cumulative grade point average of 3.00 or higher, or be currently admitted to a graduate degree program at ASU.  Preference will be given to students with degrees in business, engineering, the sciences, or public policy.

4) Resume/CV.  You can upload a copy of your current resume to your online application at www.graduate.asu.edu

5) Personal Statement.  In your personal statement, please address the following questions: 1) Why are you applying to the Certificate in Sustainable Technology and Management. 2) Why will the CSTM program be valuable to your career?  You can also upload your personal statement in the online application at www.graduate.asu.edu

APPLICATION STATUS

myASU:  After your application has been submitted online; you will receive an email acknowledgement that includes your ASURITE User ID and Activation Code. After you activate your ASURITE account, you may monitor the progress of your application at www.asu.edu/myasu. 

For program information, contact:

Dr. Brad Allenby, Professor
Director of CTSM Program
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Braden.Allenby@asu.edu