Someone needs to raise awareness of the challenges we are currently facing as a planet and figure out how to solve them – this is where a career in sustainability comes in.
When it comes to choosing the best sustainability courses online, there are hundreds to choose from. We’ve decided to help you narrow down your search so that you can get to creating a more eco-friendly planet as soon as possible.
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What to Expect from a Sustainability Course
Online sustainability courses are becoming increasingly popular. As the burning issues of climate change, global warming, and social injustice dominate modern-day discussions, more organizations and universities have started creating online programs that are in line with these topics.
Depending on your area of specialization or interest, you can find plenty of sustainability course options. Some examples include general sustainability courses, business sustainability programs, systems thinking theory, environmental management, sustainability in fashion, agriculture, and more.
Most of today’s sustainability courses include a lot of written material that you will need to read through, but some also include pre-recorded videos from instructors and leading industry experts. You can also expect to work through real-life case studies as you hone your skills. These case studies are generally used as the base for assignments, allowing you to showcase what you have learnt.
Overall, there are a number of different routes you can take in your sustainability career. If you’re interested to learn more about the top-paying positions, take a look at the video below:
8 Best Sustainability Courses Online
After thorough online research, we have created a list of recommended sustainability courses.
All programs except for one (Strategies for Sustainability Program) are sustainability certification courses.
Course 1: Sustainable Business Strategy Course – Harvard Business School
- Cost: $1,400
- Duration: 3 weeks
- Qualification: Certificate of completion
The Sustainable Business Strategy Course by HBX teaches you how to make businesses future-proof all the while solving problems related to climate change, social injustice, and income inequality.
The course consists of online interactive case studies from some of the world’s major companies like Walmart. Students learn what purpose-driven firms do well and how they can implement similar changes starting at an individual level.
The course is divided into modules that include Business Case for Change, Driving Change at Scale, and Purpose Driven Systematic Change. Each module comes with exercises and includes team meetings.
To earn a certificate, students must complete all coursework by the required deadlines and contribute to the HBX learning community.
Course 2: Systems Thinking for Sustainability: Complex Systems Analysis – FutureLearn
- Cost: 7-day free trial, then $39 per month
- Duration: +-12 weeks
- Qualification: Intermediate level, shareable certificate
This FutureLearn course focuses on teaching complex systems analysis and design to guide students towards a more sustainable future.
Even though there are no formal entry requirements, this program is best for those with some background in systems thinking. This comprehensive course provides SiD theory knowledge and shows students how to use it in practice.
This course is part of FutureLearn’s Expert Track program oriented towards mastering new skills through a series of courses you can follow at your own pace. The program consists of online lectures (pre-recorded), tests, and peer-graded assignments. You have to complete all tasks successfully to be eligible for the certificate.
Course 3: An Introduction to Systems Thinking for Sustainability: SiD Theory I – FutureLearn
- Cost: $23.33 per month
- Duration: 4 weeks
- Qualification: Shareable certificate
If you felt a little discouraged reading that the previous course is best for intermediate-level students, then this course may be ideal for you. Oriented towards beginners, this program teaches the Symbiosis in Development (SiD) framework that helps build a more sustainable society.
The course covers topics such as redefining success in sustainability projects, impact mapping, systems dynamics overview, and more. The courses are split into weeks and include activities and steps you can complete at your own pace. There’s also a global discussion panel where you can share ideas and get inspiration for future projects.
Course 4: Introduction to Sustainability – University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign – Coursera
- Cost: Free audit, $49 for the certificate
- Duration: +-24 hours
- Qualification: Shareable certificate
One of Coursera’s most popular sustainability courses introduces the academic approach to sustainability and explains how our societies can withstand resource limitations, ecosystem degradation, and global change.
Basically, if you want to get to know the basics of sustainability, this course is a great introduction. There are only 4 modules that Coursera splits over 4 weeks. In total though, you won’t need more than a day to complete them all.
The modules cover sustainability basics, population dynamics, ecosystems and climate change as well as energy.
Course 5: The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) – A Global, Transdisciplinary Vision for the Future – University of Copenhagen – Coursera
- Cost: Free, $49 for the certificate
- Duration: +-10 hours
- Qualification: Shareable certificate
If you’re a complete beginner in the sustainability field and want to learn more about what the world’s leading institutions are doing to address its issues, this course is for you.
Learn how the SDG framework works, what sets it apart, how we can manage human impacts on the natural world, what Doughnut Economics is, and more.
The course consists of pre-recorded video lessons you can access from your web browser or phone. There are three modules, each containing quizzes to verify your learning progress, as well as reading and writing assignments. In order to get a certificate, you have to complete all activities.
Course 6: Strategies for Sustainability Program – Stanford School of Earth, Energy, and Environmental Sciences
- Cost: $295
- Duration: +-8 hours
- Qualification: None
This course shows how taking a proactive approach to sustainability helps businesses thrive all the while making our world a better place.
The program teaches students how to promote sustainability and resilience in our complex environment, the tools and frameworks required to do so, and how transformative leadership and design thinking can help you become a change agent. The classes consist of pre-recorded video lectures you can watch anytime. Lessons are taught by faculty experts and Silicon Valley’s sustainable leaders.
This course is a two-part program. The second half is taught on-campus but is currently unavailable due to the coronavirus breakout. You can still finish the first program and get valuable knowledge from one of the world’s most renowned universities. The university offers related online courses you can take instead, so feel free to explore those as well.
Course 7: The Age of Sustainable Development – Colombia University in the City of New York – Coursera
- Cost: Free audit, $49 for the certificate
- Duration: +-30 hours
- Qualification: Shareable certificate
This Coursera course teaches key challenges and pathways to sustainable development through economic growth that’s socially inclusive and eco-sustainable.
You’ll get an overview of the challenges our world faces, discuss inequality around the world, go through the history of economic development and inequality, and much more.
It’s easy to follow the course structure divided by modules and consisting of pre-recorded video lessons, reading material, written assignments, and quizzes. The content spreads over 14 weeks, making it one of the most comprehensive courses you can get for free. To obtain a certificate upon completion, you have to turn in all assignments and pay a fee.
Course 8: Environmental Management for Sustainability – University System of Maryland – edX
- Cost: $536
- Duration: 5 months
- Qualification: Professional certificate
This is one of the most comprehensive courses online when it comes to environmental management. This Professional Certificate program guides you towards obtaining literacy in environmental issues, using data of different spatial scales to promote decision-making, and communicating environmental policies across an array of constituencies.
The course explores environmental management evolution, case-studies about managing complex systems and investigates how to transfer the findings from these studies into human and natural systems. The course consists of pre-recorded video lessons, reading and homework assignments, as well as student discussions on the forum.
Conclusion
Sustainability is the only way to go if we want to future-proof our society. That’s why learning about different approaches, tools, and frameworks geared towards making our environment safer is essential.
We made sure to include just enough options for everyone’s budget, needs, interests, and experience levels in this list of the best sustainability courses online.
Coursera’s Age of Sustainable Development course may be the most universal course on the list, while FutureLearn and Harvard Business School programs are more oriented towards specific learning goals.