Our courses are designed to equip you with the knowledge and skills to help you develop the role you are aiming at in this evolving field. Our core overview courses are designed for everyone – from managers who want to have the big picture to engineers who want to delve into the technical details. We highly recommend our core courses as the foundation for your learning path: Introduction to Carbon Markets, Basics of Organizational GHG Accounting, Basics of Project-Level GHG Accounting. Descriptions of all our courses and programs can be found in the Education section of our website.

Our instructors are internationally renowned experts in the field led by our Dean, Michael Gillenwater. Please go to our Faculty page for a list of instructors and course developers.

The GHG Management Institute currently offers three types of certificates: A Certificate of Participation is awarded to learners who have actively participated in a course. A Certificate of Proficiency is awarded to learners who have successfully passed the exam associated with a course (a separate fee is involved for exams). The Certificate of Training program is a combination of different courses and exams. .

The Certificate of Participation is awarded for actively participating in the class. It involves no evaluation of your learning or expertise in the subject. The Certificate of Proficiency, in contrast, involves an exam that, along with your performance in the class itself, is used to evaluate your competency (i.e., proficiency) in the subject. Only those learners that demonstrate a sufficient level of understanding are awarded a Certificate of Proficiency. Therefore, the main value of the Certificate of Proficiency is that it provides a reliable measure (and market signal) of expertise in the subject.

A learner can only receive either a Certificate of Participation or a Certificate of Proficiency.

The exams associated with our courses have not been designed to be taken separately from the course work. Certificates of Proficiency are issued to learners who have successfully completed the course and passed the exam.

All course materials are available online. No hardcopies of the lessons are provided; however, the online lessons for most courses do have a print/save option.

We have also entered into a licensing agreement with the International Standards Organization to provide all learners at the Institute with one copy of the appropriate part of ISO 14064. All learners can download their copy by simply logging on to their class and clicking the appropriate link. ISO 14064 Part 1 is distributed as part of the Basics of Organizational GHG Accounting, ISO 14064 Part 2 is distributed as part of the Basics of Project-Level GHG Accounting, and ISO 14064 Part 3 is distributed as part of the GHG Verification for Inventories and Projects course.

No. There is an exam that accompanies each course separately. Learners receive a Certificate of Proficiency for each course. After completing all the courses and passing all the exams, a Certificate of Training will be issued.

Completing courses is all dependent on the learners’ availability. The approximate number of working hours to complete one course is 16-20 hours. For example, the GHG Accounting certificate includes 3 courses (each with an expected per course total of 16-20 hours). Therefore, the total working hours to complete the three courses in this program would be in the range of 48-60 hours. This is a general guideline. Some courses may be significantly longer and so the expected total working hours would be greater.

One of the advantages of online learning (or eLearning) is the fact that it is self-paced. We have set a Suggested Study Pace for every course so all learners in the class have a guideline. However, completion dates may vary based on the time a learner is able to devote to the course on a daily basis. The instructor is only available for one month so reviewing the material faster can be advantageous as you have more time to consult with your instructor and have any questions addressed.

Yes, we allow learners to take more than one course at a time. However, we recommend that learners who have other commitments (such as full-time employment) focus on one course at a time, so they can participate in the class discussions, interact with their instructor and review the materials thoroughly.

Exams are reviewed by the Dean of the Institute, and the passing grade is 70%. The Institute gives those who failed in their first attempt a second chance, but the second attempt must be taken within the one month period after being enrolled in the make-up exam module. If the second attempt is unsuccessful, the learner will be issued a Certificate of Participation for the course.

We are often asked if a general course on climate change will become part of the Institute’s curriculum. At one time, we developed material for an Introduction to Climate Change course; however, a lot of excellent basic information is already available on the web for free, and we saw no need to recreate it. Thus, we have chosen to focus on more specific carbon management topics unique in their content and rigor.

For those of you seeking credible information on climate change, we would encourage you to visit the sites below, as a starting point. This list is by no means exhaustive, and an internet search of your own will surely uncover more valuable resources on climate change.

Controlling Climate Change by Dr. Bernie Metz provides an unbiased discussion of what can be done to solve the problem of man-made climate change. It gives an in-depth overview of issues while using a minimum of technical jargon, and is accessible to non-specialised readers as well as those involved in climate change policy. Access the book for free through the author’s website at http://www.controllingclimatechange.info/book-contents/.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides a “Climate 101” video explaining climate change, signs or indicators that the planet is warming, and why it matters. Watch the video at http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/basicinfo.html to learn more about the causes and effects of climate change and practical solutions to reduce carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions. The EPA also offers a comprehensive look at climate change on their website: http://www.epa.gov/gateway/learn/climatechange.html. Learn about greenhouse gases, environmental effects of climate change, and how greater efficiencies and new technologies hold promise for solving this global challenge.

Earthwatch Institute offers an online resource exploring different aspects of climate change: http://www.earthwatch.org/europe/get_involved/involved_learning/learning_resources/resources_climatechange/. The website contains background information, case studies, discussion topics and links to related scientific and popular websites.

CAMEL (Climate, Adaptation, Mitigation, E-Learning) hosts a free, interdisciplinary, multi-media resource covering climate change. The website includes articles, case studies, podcasts, exercises, lectures, videos, and more. Explore causes, consequences, solutions and actions at http://www.camelclimatechange.org/.

The Science & Nature homepage of the BBC website offers a variety of perspectives on climate change through blogs, features, games, and videos. Learn how to tackle climate change by visiting http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/hottopics/climatechange/climate_challenge/.

Try a real-life climate change game online at http://www.logicity.co.uk/. Players must reduce the carbon footprint of residents in a 3-D virtual city. Working their way through the game, they will learn about climate change while experimenting and experiencing the potential effect that individual actions can have on the planet.

National Wildlife Federation (NWF) has partnered with former US Vice-President Al Gore and the makers of An Inconvenient Truth to bring the issue of global warming from the big screen to the classroom. An Inconvenient Truth in the Classroom is built around the Academy Award-winning documentary. Designed to encourage analysis of the science of global warming and its relevance to current events, this resource can be found at http://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Eco-schools/AITInTheClassroom7_08.ashx.