The “Applied Sustainability Principles for Technical Managers” Specialization, developed in collaboration with Siemens Digital Industries Software, is intended for working professionals seeking to incorporate sustainable business practices into their current responsibilities and develop the knowledge necessary to become sustainability leaders within their organization.
As the world’s population continues to rise, it is imperative that individuals and businesses evolve to ensure that a high quality of life is possible for all of us. Today’s learners are aware of this. They are highly motivated and have the extraordinary capacity to create a future that provides both economic success and a more enduring, resilient, and sustainable planet.
This specialization supports a learner’s desire to have an impact in three areas: recognizing the sustainability imperative (Course 1), learning about the tools to design and measure the environmental impact of products and services (Course 2), and how businesses integrate sustainability into their decision strategies and formally report their progress (Course 3).
This is a highly practical program for learners with backgrounds in engineering, science and business that want to use their skills to make a difference in the world. After completing this specialization, learners will be empowered with much greater confidence to live a more sustainable lifestyle and become a sustainability leader at their companies.
Applied Learning Project
Learners work on projects throughout the specialization to apply the concepts covered in the courses. These include analyzing a specific UN Sustainable Development Goal of interest, performing a personal plastic packaging inventory, calculating their residential and transportation carbon footprints, and presenting a new sustainability initiative.
“Design for the Circular Economy” microcredential and graduate certificate are developed around the educational goals of providing technical, business, and leadership knowledge and skills that inspire the transformation towards a more circular economy. This includes gaining technical knowledge to apply circular economy principles in product design, minimizing waste and maximizing impact; developing business acumen to implement innovative circular economic models that prioritize sustainability and resilience; and acquiring leadership strategies to communicate effectively and inspire change within an organization.