Bioenergy and Sustainable Technology Certificate

Program Description

The rapidly expanding industry of bioenergy and biobased products requires a well trained workforce. Chemical feedstocks, materials, and fuels derived from biomass have received increasing emphasis nationally and are seen as being very desirable for many reasons. With a rising interest in green chemistry and sustainability, and escalating crude oil prices, private industry now actively recruits individuals with specific training in bioprocessing and biobased materials. SDSU’s Bioenergy and Sustainable Technology Graduate Certificate program is designed to serve the needs of these emerging industries and provide post-baccalaureate educational opportunities for industry practitioners who do not require a full graduate degree program. Students develop an interdisciplinary background and can tailor the program of study to specific interests.

The graduate certificate program in Bioenergy and Sustainable Technology (BST) has been developed to support continuing education needs of the workforce in bio-based industries. The consortium offering the certificate is affiliated with AG IDEA and is governed by its structure. The institutions involved in this effort consist of South Dakota State University, Kansas State University, Oklahoma State University, and the University of Arkansas. The program is also intended to benefit traditional graduate programs through additional course availability in specialized disciplines.

The certificate may be suitable for individuals who are placebound in the target industries and need additional knowledge in their disciplines while requiring distance education options. The certificate itself is composed of 15 credit hours of graduate course work selected from the course options outlined below. Students pursuing the certificate or taking courses to support their graduate degree must be admitted to the graduate college of one of the consortia institutions. Students may take courses without pursuing the certificate to strengthen their plan of study in conventional graduate degree programs.