Released November 29, 2011

BROOKINGS, S.D. - South Dakota State University is one of four Midwest universities offering an online graduate certificate in bioenergy and sustainability technology. The 15-credit certificate focuses on bioenergy feedstocks, bioprocessing, economics and sustainability.

“The classes provide a broad view of the many issues that must be addressed for successful enterprises in bioenergy,” said Daniel Humburg, bioenergy and sustainable technologies adviser at SDSU. “People already working in bioenergy fields may find earning the certificate useful to help fill in gaps in their education and position themselves for a greater management role.”

Other universities involved with the online courses include Kansas State University, Oklahoma State University and University of Arkansas.

Humburg said the collaboration offers an even more extensive curriculum for graduate students. “SDSU can also benefit by teaching classes within the consortium. As student enrollment grows, the self support for these classes can be a source of enrichment for the teaching departments.”

Students must complete 15 credits to specialize in a content area, such as bioenergy economics and sustainability, biomass feedstock development, and energy conversion technologies. The flexible, online curriculum includes three overview classes and a number of specialized classes specifically designed for a chosen content area through collaboration of the four universities.

“This is a chance to obtain very current training and skills from land grant universities with strong reputations in the bioenergy research and development fields,” said Humburg. “The training is available online, and the course rotations are already scheduled so that working professionals, as well as full time graduate students, can plan ahead to build a curriculum that accommodates their interests and schedules.”

Career opportunities after completing the bioenergy and sustainable technology curriculum program include positions as process plant managers, consulting engineers or technical service providers.

The online certificate is sponsored by AG*IDEA, an organization of land grant universities across the nation that offers courses and programs in agricultural fields. More information is available at http://www.agidea.org/.

Students interested in the SDSU program can contact Humburg at 605-688-5659 or Katie Grayson, GPIDEA coordinator, at 605-688-6988.

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South Dakota State University, http://www.sdstate.edu/news/articles/bioenergy-and-sustainability-certif...

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