UMF Environmental Studies Certificate

Discover this 100% online certificate

We believe education in environmental problem solving should be flexible, interdisciplinary, and accessible to learners at every stage of their academic or professional journey. That’s why this University of Maine at Farmington Environmental Studies certificate, powered by YourPace at UMPI, provides a fully online, skills-focused pathway for understanding today’s most urgent environmental challenges. Students can build expertise at a pace that fits their lives while gaining the analytical and communication skills needed to work across scientific, policy, and community contexts.

The Environmental Studies Certificate offers a comprehensive interdisciplinary curriculum grounded in socio-ecological systems thinking. Students examine how physical, biological, and human systems interact to shape environmental conditions at local, regional, and global scales. Through data-informed analysis, students explore the causes and consequences of major environmental challenges, evaluate policy and management solutions, and develop practical, science-based responses. The program also emphasizes professional communication, preparing students to clearly and ethically convey environmental information to diverse audiences, including policymakers, scientists, community partners, and the public.

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To sign up for a Certificate YourPace course, please click the button below and fill out the form to begin the registration process.

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What is Competency-Based Education?

Designed to leverage your previous knowledge, college coursework, and work experience, competency-based education enables you to earn your degree at your pace as you demonstrate mastery of relevant academic content. The University of Maine at Presque Isle has been a leader in delivering competency-based education since 2017.

How YourPace saves you time and money:

  • Prove your knowledge, move ahead—the faster you advance, the more you save
  • Flat tuition rate per 8-week session, no matter how many courses you complete
  • With no weekly deadlines, you control the speed of completion*

*Time to completion varies by student and is based on several factors including prior college coursework, relevant work experience, amount of time dedicated to studying, and the number of courses completed each session.

Upcoming Session Dates

The Dates YourPace Students need to know

There are six opportunities throughout the year to begin our YourPace online program. Find the start date below that works best for you and apply before the application deadline. Please note, application and document deadlines are the same. UMPI must receive all documents including official transcripts by the document deadline to be considered. Transcripts can often take 10 or more business days from the request date to be received by UMPI, please plan accordingly.

TermAPP DEADLINE
(4:00 PM ET)		DOCUMENT DEADLINECONFIRMATION DEADLINE
(4:00 PM ET)		REGISTRATION DEADLINETUITION DEADLINECLASS START DATECLASS END DATETerm Length
Spring 112/15/2512/23/2512/30/2501/06/2601/08/2601/12/2603/06/268 weeks
Spring 202/09/2602/17/2602/24/2603/03/2603/05/2603/09/2605/01/268 weeks
Summer 104/13/2604/21/2604/28/2605/05/2605/07/2605/11/2607/02/268 weeks
Summer 206/08/2606/16/2606/23/2606/30/2607/02/2607/06/2608/28/268 weeks
Fall 108/03/2608/11/2608/18/2608/25/2608/27/2608/31/2610/23/268 weeks
Fall 209/28/2610/06/2610/13/2610/20/2610/22/2610/26/2612/18/268 weeks

Environmental Studies Certificate

This multi-campus competency-based education certificate program takes advantage of expertise at multiple campuses across the University of Maine System to prepare students for further education or careers in environmental studies. The program integrates knowledge of socio-ecological systems, local to global environmental solutions, and skills to analyze and communicate solutions to those problems.

Program Requirements:

*Required

YourPace Tuition

Learn more about our affordable tuition

The YourPace Environmental Studies Certificate program offers an affordable flat tuition rate, ensuring you pay the same amount per session regardless of how many courses you complete. With no hidden fees or additional textbook costs, this flexible competency-based education program allows you to save more the faster you finish. Whether you’re looking to accelerate your degree or complete courses at your own pace, you’ll benefit from transparent pricing and a cost-effective learning experience.

Tuition breakdown:

$1,800 per session

Flat-Rate Tuition

Have questions or need more information about competency-based education?

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Ready to take the next step toward earning your degree online?

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UMPI is ranked as one of the top 10 Regional Colleges in the North for graduates with least debt—UMPI is the top institution in Maine and all of New England to appear on this list. – U.S. News & World Report, 2025.

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Requirements for this Environmental Studies Certificate offering

We’ve made the admission process simple and streamlined so it’s easier for you to get started. Those interested in earning their competency based education certificate in Environmental Studies should have the equivalent of a high school diploma and possess some prior college credit and/or work experience.

Admission Requirements:

No Application Fee

Minimum 1.75 GPA

Admissions Requirements and Guidelines for Undergraduate Programs

  • Applicants must be at least 20 years of age at the time of application, unless they have previously earned a bachelor’s or an associate’s degree from a regionally accredited institution.
  • High school diploma or equivalent (e.g., HiSet, GED)
  • Minimum cumulative college GPA of 1.75 from the most recently attended institution
    • Submission of all official transcripts:Transcripts are only considered official if they are sent directly to UMPI from the granting institution or their electronic ordering service. Student-submitted transcripts are not accepted.
  • Students who do not have any college credits must submit the following:
    • Provide high school transcript, high school equivalency test (HiSet), or GED

Instructions for international students:

  • All international transcripts will only be accepted if the student provides them through an evaluation service. The evaluation agency must be a member of NACES or AICE. We will not accept unofficial copies (e.g., from the student)
  • Canadian schools and universities from a French-only institution (mostly in the province of Quebec) must be evaluated
  • International students are required to demonstrate English proficiency by submitting scores from an English language proficiency test taken no more than two-years prior to date of application

Additional guidelines for international applicants may be found here.

Please Note: Applicants must be at least 20 years of age at the time of application, unless they have previously earned a bachelor’s or an associate’s degree from a regionally accredited institution. We do offer other programs that may meet your needs. If you would like more information about our traditional programs, please visit https://www.umpi.edu/admissions/. You can also reach out to the Admissions Office at umpi-admissions@maine.edu or by calling 207.768.9433.

Institutions and third-party vendors may submit official documents such as official transcripts and English proficiency exam score reports to: edocs@maine.edu

Mailing Address:

Application Processing Center
PO Box 412
Bangor, ME 04402-0412

Key Areas of Environmental Studies

Students completing this certificate will attain four program learning outcomes.

Students will develop an understanding of socio-ecological systems, examining how physical, biological, and human processes interact to shape environmental conditions. Central to this systems-based framework is the scientific analysis of ecosystems, landscapes, and the entire planet, and the human institutions that influence them.

Students will acquire the capacity to articulate the causes and consequences of major environmental challenges at local, regional, and global scales.

Informed by quantitative and qualitative analysis, students will attain an understanding of solutions to environmental problems. They will learn to evaluate alternative management strategies, assess policy interventions, and propose practical actions grounded in scientific reasoning in a community context.

Students will develop strong communication skills, learning to convey environmental information clearly, accurately, and ethically to multiple audiences, including policymakers, scientists, community members, and the general public.

YourPace Partnership Program

This University of Maine at Farmington certificate is powered by YourPace at UMPI. This innovative YourPace partnership program provides adult learners with an incredibly flexible, accessible, and affordable pathway to degree completion and career advancement. UMPI is the first public university in New England to offer accredited CBE degrees and is the only campus in the University of Maine System approved by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) to deliver CBE programming.

NECHE

The University of Maine at Presque Isle and the University of Maine at Farmington are accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE).

University of Maine System

UMPI and UMF are respected members of the University of Maine System.

C-BEN

UMPI is proud to be a member institution in the Competency-Based Education Network (C-BEN).

Next Step: Admissions

We’re so excited that you’re considering this University of Maine at Farmington certificate, powered by YourPace at UMPI! No matter what stage of life you are in, we can help you take the plunge into higher education and put you on YOUR PATH TO SUCCESS!

Send me info Undergraduate Apply

For help with any questions you have:

Email us at umpi-yourpace@maine.edu

Or call (207) 768-9433