May 15, 2023
Next Start Date
6
Courses Required
$671
Cost Per Credit Hour
18
Total Credit Hours
Program Details
Outdoor recreation can be a major economic driver for communities. Knowledge of sustainable trails has also increased in recent decades. The graduate certificate program in Sustainable Trails Development provides a great synergy with local trail development and programming efforts, including WVU’s 2020 International Mountain Bicycling Association Trail Accelerator Grant. The Mon River Trails were inducted to the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy Rail-Trail Hall of Fame in 2020, and Blue Ridge Outdoors magazine proclaimed WVU the best large college for outdoor adventure in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic. In addition, Morgantown was selected in 2021 as the pilot city for the Youth Cycling Coalition.
The Sustainable Trails Development curriculum covers:
- Advocacy: benefits of trails, funding sources, fundraising, planning for skills progression and shared use;
- Design/build: site-responsive design, sustainability, construction materials/costs;
- Post-build: volunteer/community engagement, interpretation, and ongoing assessment/maintenance.
The extra flexibility of a graduate certificate program allows students to complete the program either on its own, or with a traditional graduate degree, such as the Master’s in Landscape Architecture or PhD in Human and Community Development.
Admission Requirements
- Application
- GPA: 2.75 or higher
- Applicants whose first language is not English must submit TOEFL scores to demonstrate English language proficiency. (Minimum scores: 550 paper; 213 electronic)
- Resume, and statement of purpose
Admissions
Admissions are rolling: most students will begin the certificate program in August. It is possible for students to begin with the online course RESM 440 in the summer.