In partnership with the Engineering, Sustainability, and Health Master’s Program, the Engineering, Sustainability and Health Certificate program (ESH) supports the development of critical thinking skills and the facilitation of trans-disciplinary and complex systems approaches to problems and processes related to the interconnection of engineering, sustainability and health. Students taking the ESH Certificate will develop an enhanced understanding of the connection between the built and natural environment, social and environmental justice and health outcomes. They will foster an awareness of the unintended outcomes of developments and the need for greater intentionality in the planning, design, and implementation of interventions and projects. This will be facilitated through the enhancement of sustainability awareness, knowledge and capabilities. Courses can be taken individually, or completed in full as a part of the certificate.
To earn the University of San Diego’s Engineering, Health, and Sustainability Certificate, students must complete each of the program’s four courses. In addition to the tuition for each course, there is a one-time $45 certificate fee.
Earn a certificate in engineering for health and sustainability
Once you have enrolled in your course, log in to your account to access the course Welcome Letter, which includes directions on how to access the New Student Orientation and your online course.
Earn a certificate in Engineering, Sustainability, and Health
NOTE: To register for this course you must be enrolled or have successfully completed: ESH-501A, Engineering Health & Sustainability I
Earn a certificate in Engineering, Health, and Sustainability
NOTE: To register for this course you must have successfully completed: ESH-501A Engineering Health & Sustainability I & ESH-X501B Engineering Health & Sustainability II
NOTE: To register for this course you must have successfully completed: ESH-501A Engineering Health & Sustainability I, ESH-501B Engineering Health, & Sustainability II, and Health & the Built Environment I
Courses offer a convenient, yet rigorous style of learning that allows you to structure your education to suit your schedule while keeping you on pace toward achieving your educational.
Online fixed-date courses are delivered virtually but follow a predetermined schedule, requiring students to complete assignments, participate in discussions, and take assessments by specific deadlines—much like a traditional classroom. The key difference is that while traditional courses are conducted in person at set times and locations, online fixed-date courses allow students to engage remotely, offering more flexibility in where they learn while preserving structure and accountability through fixed timelines. (Note: Any scheduled Zoom sessions will be outlined on the class schedule.) These courses have fixed start and finish dates, but as an online student you will have 24/7 online access to your classroom assignments, syllabus and course resources. Instructor feedback is shared along with the graded assignments.
How is the learning structured? Each online fixed-date course is asynchronous, meaning that you can work on your assignments anytime, although you are required to complete the assignments by specific dates. The course is designed with learning modules where all of the content is grouped into weekly assignments. Each module covers one or more topics. Within each of the learning modules, you can expect the following components:
• Module introduction that outlines what you can expect to learn in the module.
• Required readings (textbook, articles, journals, etc.) and presentations (audio and/or video).
• Assignments with due dates (which may include: written assignments, journal entries, research, blogs, etc.) based on the readings and presentations.
• Discussion forum where you answer prompts from the instructor and interact with your classmates.
• Module conclusion to review the topics and what you should have learned.
Typically, there is a final project, paper, or exam due in the last module that culminates all of the topics covered in each of the learning modules. You’ll find that the design of the learning modules has a rhythm to help you manage your time in the course.
The four courses in our program have been thoughtfully crafted to build your knowledge and skills, and position you for success in your career and in the employment market. Each course is seven weeks long. Let’s take a closer look (click on the individual course links for additional details) *Courses can be taken individually or as a part of the certificate.
Engineering for Health & Sustainability I
In this course, students will be introduced to ESH-CERT, and the complex adaptive systems that will be examined over the next few weeks in relation to engineering, health and sustainability. Students will study the key concepts of sustainability, development, social and environmental justice, ecosystems, climate change and planetary health. They will enhance their capability to think critically in order to question assumptions relating to contemporary engineering practices and processes and to consider alternative practices in multiple domains. They will frame the outline of a transdisciplinary case study which critiques one context related to the themes of ESH in depth and considers an approach which aims to mitigate the underlying issues.
Engineering for Health & Sustainability II
In this course students will develop core sustainability knowledge and skills, as well as an awareness of and ability to critically evaluate key sustainability metrics. In addition they will explore climate change indicators and mitigation and adaptation strategies. They will apply these as well as the concepts they have learned in the previous course (ESH-X501A) to a number of case studies related to key areas of engineering impact: water, land, machines and food systems. Finally students will prepare and present a case study which critically reviews one area of practice and offers alternative approaches for the future.
Health & the Built Environment I
Building upon the previous two courses (ESH-X501A and ESH-X501B), this course will critically examine the complex interplay between human interventions that change the built environment (such as engineering and development interventions), and their impacts on community, global, environmental, animal, and planetary health. We will employ transdisciplinary, multilevel, and complex adaptive systems approaches to better understand how changes to the environment can impact health outcomes, and thereby foster an awareness of the unintended outcomes of their practice and the need for intentionality and an accompanying consciousness in planning, design, and implementation of engineering, development, humanitarian, and health projects. This course will also cultivate an understanding of the important, but often overlooked, development of social infrastructure in tandem with the development of physical infrastructure for fostering sustainability.
Health & the Built Environment II
Building upon the previous course, ESH-X502A, this course will critically examine the complex interplay between human interventions that change the built environment (such as engineering and development interventions), and their impacts on community, global, environmental, animal, and planetary health. We will employ transdisciplinary, multilevel, and complex adaptive systems approaches to better understand how changes to the environment can impact health outcomes, and thereby foster an awareness of the unintended outcomes of their practice and the need for intentionality and an accompanying consciousness in planning, design, and implementation of engineering, development, humanitarian, and health projects. This course will also cultivate an understanding of the important, but often overlooked, development of social infrastructure in tandem with the development of physical infrastructure for fostering sustainability.
The ESH certificate is intended as an introduction to the broader themes of the MESH Masters program enabling students to build confidence in their abilities, as well as experiencing the unique pedagogy and goals of the MESH community. It is aimed at those who have an interest in the subject matter but who are not yet ready to commit to the full Masters program, or who prefer to take a shorter course to raise skills and awareness. It can also act as a feeder into MESH as the content area of the certificate replaces that which they would learn in ESH 501 and ESH 502 .
The course is open to students/professionals from any discipline who wish to either change career direction or enhance their own potential career pathway. This can include but it not limited to: Engineering, Environmental Science and Health professionals wishing to change career or take on a different role or challenge within their organization; school teachers wishing to advance their career to administrative roles whilst also taking on a sustainability profile; any professional wishing to move into sustainability management roles; students who have recently graduated looking for direction into future career paths related to sustainability and development.
For those who are interested in advancing into engineering roles in the future, it is important to note that successful completion of this Engineering, Sustainability, & Health Certificate with a grade of B or better in each course can enable you to waive 6 units of the first two courses in the University of San Diego’s Online Engineering, Sustainability, and Health Master’s Program.
Professional development courses offered by the University of San Diego’s Division of Professional & Continuing Education are taught by faculty that possess a depth and breadth of academic and real-world professional experience.
The global need to achieve more sustainable human and economic development has brought significant opportunities to environmental engineering and related fields in sustainability. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found that two of the top three fastest growing occupations from 2019 to 2020 were green jobs. In fact, seven out of the ten fastest-growing occupations concerned areas related to sustainability or health.
The Engineering, Sustainability and Health certificate provides students with the foundational skills needed to excel in the transformation of corporate, non-profit (NPO) and non-governmental organizations (NGO) committed to a balance between technology and the built environment, sustainability and health. The program provides mid-career professionals with the capabilities to move within their own organization or to facilitate career changes into areas concerning energy, water, humanitarian aid, corporate social responsibility, and international/global development. This program is also ideal for parents returning to work after a career break, as they can stay at home with young children whilst studying.
With a focus on critical approaches to problem solving through innovation, ESH graduates are well positioned for leadership and managerial positions. Those who wish to begin their own venture will develop the capabilities and skills needed to create and manage their own equitable organizations. Other graduates will be able to leverage their skills and experience for greater upward mobility in their professions to become value-driven, critical change-making managers, executive officers, consultants, and instructors at colleges and universities.
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Requirements for completing a certificate can be found on the certificate page.
Professional and Continuing Education courses that are transferrable to a USD master degree will be stated on the course or certificate page. If you wish to transfer credit, it is your responsibility to confer with the receiving institution before enrolling, as each individual academic institution decides whether or not to accept USD Professional and Continuing Education credit.
You have five years to complete the certificate.
Click here for complete details regarding our refund, drop and transfer policies
Prospective students can request to be placed on a waitlist. Should a space open up in a course, those on the waitlist will be notified. We encourage you to register early for courses.
The Professional and Continuing Education program nurtures key partnerships on the local, national, and international level. The goal is to better serve working professionals who seek to enhance or build their careers and help achieve their highest value and potential. Contact us today to learn more.
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