Overview
The Watershed Management Certificate addresses the critical and growing need for skilled professionals who can tackle complex water resource challenges facing society and the environment. As watershed management has evolved into an increasingly interdisciplinary field, there is a demand for professionals equipped with comprehensive skills spanning natural science, engineering, economics, planning, and policy.
This 11-12 hour graduate certificate program fills this gap by providing focused, graduate-level training that develops the interdisciplinary competencies essential for effective watershed management practice. The program recognizes that modern water resource challenges require professionals who can integrate scientific understanding with quantitative analysis tools, policy knowledge, and management strategies. By offering flexible delivery options—online, in-person, and hybrid formats—the certificate accommodates working professionals while ensuring they gain the specialized expertise needed to address contemporary watershed management issues in an era of increasing environmental complexity and regulatory requirements.
Certificate Format
-
- 11-12 credit hours, consisting of one course from each of four content areas: Watershed Management, Foundation in Watershed Science, Quantitative Watershed Analysis, and Watershed Policy
- Courses are offered online (asynchronous and streaming) and in-person; with an option for fully online
- Students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher
Admission Requirements
Students can apply for the WSMC as a Virginia Tech degree-seeking or Commonwealth Campus student, or as a visiting student. If you are not currently a VT student, you must apply for graduate admission as a certificate-seeking student through the Virginia Tech Graduate School.
-
- VT students: Complete the Application for Graduate Certificate Program form
- Non-VT students: Complete online Admission Application
Program Contact
To discuss the Watershed Management Certificate, please reach out to Kevin McGuire in the Virginia Water Resources Research Center.
Oversight Committee and Academic Units
-
- Cayelan Carey, BIOL
- Jenn Engelke, LARCH
- W. Cully Hession, BSE
- Erich Hester, CEE
- Kieran Lindsey, CLiGS/CNRE
- Kevin McGuire (coordinator), VWRRC
- Daniel McLaughlin, VWRRC/FREC
- Steve Hankey, UAP
- Madeline Schreiber, GEOS
- Yang Shao, GEOG
- Ryan Stewart, SPES
