Certificate Completion Requirements

The NEPA Certificate will be issued by USU. To receive the certificate, a participant must complete the following set of requirements:

  • Apply and be accepted into the NEPA Certificate Program
  • Register for and successfully complete seven graduate level courses taken for grades (4 required courses and 3 elective courses)
  • Undertake an individual capstone experience that involves a negotiated project, internship, or comprehensive examination
  • Maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA for program courses (grades below C will not be accepted)
  • Abide by the Code of Policies and Procedures for Students at Utah State University
  • A participant who successfully completes the curriculum will receive an official USU NEPA Graduate Certificate of completion from the NEPA Certificate Program, and notification of this certificate will appear on the person’s official USU transcript

Course Requirements

Program participants are required to take a total of seven courses, plus a capstone experience:

  • Four required core courses (each one is 2 credits or 3 continuing education units)
  • Three elective courses (each one is 1 credit or 1.5 continuing education units)
  • One capstone experience (1 credit or 1.5 continuing education units)
  • All courses are offered in the short-course format, either in-person or as webinars online

We attempt to schedule courses so one required course and one elective course are scheduled back-to-back in the same week. This allows working professionals to minimize the number of trips needed to complete the certificate program.

Students are not required to enroll in the NEPA Certificate Program to take the NEPA short-courses.  These courses can be taken for University graduate-level academic credit or continuing education units on an individual basis, and students will receive a letter grade.  Course attendance and test scores will determine participants’ grades.  Students' grades will be based on a short-essay take-home exam which is completed after attending a course.  Students will complete the exam in the semester the course is taken.  Exam questions will address information from the lectures and assigned course materials.