Non-credit Courses

The MSU Department of Forestry is pleased to offer non-credit course options for individuals interested in online learning. These courses are a great fit for those looking to expand their knowledge on topics of forestry outside of a degree-granting program.

Courses are taught at three levels: introductory (lower division undergraduate), intermediate (upper division undergraduate), and advanced (graduate). All participants that complete a course will receive a “Certificate of Completion." There are no pre-requisites for participation in these courses.

Available Non-credit Courses

Note: for-credit versions of courses listed below are available. Participants interested in earning graduate credit will need to complete an application for a graduate program. This can be part of a larger graduate program or can be completed as a standalone course. The enrollment deadline is the first day of the course. Contact us immediately if you will require a late enrollment.

Business Innovation Toward a Sustainable Bioeconomy

Available: Fall semester: August 26 – December 8

Role of forest bioproducts in developing sustainable communities.
Resource planning and availability for value added bioproducts.
Bioproducts supply-chains analysis and principles of life cycle implementation.
This course is taught at the intermediate undergraduate level by Sandra Lupien, lupiensa@msu.edu, and David DeYoe, deyoedav@msu.edu.
Register

Contemporary Issues in Forests and the Environment

Available: Fall semester: August 26 – December 8

Role of forests in environmental quality and human well-being.
Topics include the role of forests in: mitigating climate change, creating rainfall, promoting human psychological health, and providing the materials for carbon-storing wooden skyscrapers.
This course is taught at the introductory undergraduate level by Richard Kobe, kobe@msu.edu.
Register

Measurement and Monitoring of Forest Carbon

Available: Spring Semester: January 13 – April 27

Skill-based training in forest carbon inventory and carbon accounting methods. National and international monitoring of forest carbon stocks. Applications of remote sensing and geospatial technologies to forest carbon inventory. Required course of the Graduate Certificate in Forest Carbon Science, Policy, and Management.
This course is taught at the graduate level by David Skole, skole@msu.edu.
Register

Forest Carbon Policy, Economics and Finance

Available: Fall Semester: August 26 – December 8

- Policy, economic and financial dimensions of the development and implementation of forest-based climate change mitigation projects, including: the role of forests in international agreements and policy, finance and investment approaches to forest carbon sequestration; emissions trading; biofuels; and valuation of ecosystem services.
- This course is taught at the graduate level by Dr. Runsheng Yin, yin@msu.edu.
  
  Register

Forest Ecosystems, Carbon and Climate Change

Available: Fall semester: August 26 – December 8

Forest ecosystem analysis and measurement, with a focus on policy and science of the global carbon cycle and climate change.
This course is taught at the intermediate undergraduate level by David Skole, skole@msu.edu.
Register

Human Dimensions of Forests

Available: Spring Semester: January 13 – April 27

Social factors underlying human decisions about and conflicts over forest resources. Societal and citizen values, knowledge and behavior with respect to forest resources.
This course is taught at the undergraduate level by Emily Huff, esilver@msu.edu.
Register

Human Dimensions of Forest Carbon Management

Available: Spring Semester: January 13 – April 27

Social dimensions associated with the development and implementation of forest-based climate change mitigation projects, including: valuation of trees and forests by local communities vs. international community; community decision making; public participation; community engagement.
This course is taught at the graduate level by Kylie Clay, kclay@msu.edu.
Register

Michigan's Forests

Available: Fall semester: August 26 – December 8, Spring Semester: January 13 – April 27

- Ecological, social and economic roles of Michigan’s forests in historic and contemporary context.
- Geographic similarities and differences in forest resources.
- This course is taught at the introductory undergraduate level by Jarred Saralecos, saraleco@msu.edu.
  Register

Natural Resource Policy

Available: Spring Semester: January 13 – April 27

Natural resources policy-making in the context of scientific, environmental, social, and legal-institutional factors. Historical evolution of policies and case studies of contemporary policy issues.
This course is taught at the intermediate undergraduate level by Emily Huff, esilver@msu.edu.
Register

Forest Biogeochemistry and Climate Change

Available: Fall semester: August 26 - December 8

- This course will cover biogeochemical cycling of carbon and nutrients within forest ecosystems. Disturbance, harvesting and forest management effects on the exchange of greenhouse gases between forest ecosystems and the atmosphere.
- This course is taught at the graduate-level by Dr. Akihiro Koyama, koyamaak@msu.edu
  
  Register

Available Non-credit Courses with the MSU Forest Carbon and Climate Program

Wildland Fire and Forest Carbon Management (New!)

This comprehensive course blends emerging research and real-world case studies to illuminate the connections between fire, carbon, and climate science. Learners will gain an understanding of the basic drivers of fire, as well as more in-depth information on carbon pools, fluxes, and management.

This self-paced course is estimated to take 8 hours to complete and is offered throughout the year according to this schedule:

January 9–April 9
May 9–August 9
September 9–December 9

This course is led by the MSU Forest Carbon and Climate Program (FCCP) and was co-developed with MSU faculty and partners at the Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science (NIACS).

Note: Foundational knowledge of forestry and/or forest carbon science is strongly recommended. This course is intended to supplement existing Forest Carbon and Climate Program programming. Additional details including discount eligibility details can be found on the course page.

Register

Urban Forests and Climate Change

The Urban Forests and Climate Change intensive course explores the ways in which trees, forests, and wood products can contribute to climate change mitigation and improved community resilience in urban and municipal environments. The course identifies unique themes and addresses the ways in which urban forests can be impacted by climate change as well as how management can be used as a tool to reduce social inequities, improve human health and well-being, and reduce environmental and community vulnerability to climate-induced stressors.

This self-paced course is estimated to take 8 hours to complete and is offered throughout the year according to this schedule:

January 9–April 9
May 9–August 9
September 9–December 9

This course is led by the MSU Forest Carbon and Climate Program (FCCP) and was co-developed with MSU faculty and partners at the Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science (NIACS). Course development was made possible through support from the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), American Forests, and NIACS.

Understanding Forest Carbon Management

This in-depth short course provides a robust overview to the connections between forests, climate, and human decision-making. The course builds confidence in foundational science, unpacks land management specific to carbon (including carbon crediting and other initiatives) and offers action paths for various decisions.

New in 2022: UFCM has been completely refreshed and includes breakout learning opportunities for deeper assessment into key domestic and international contexts. The course is also now available in English and Spanish!

This self-paced course is estimated to take 20 hours to complete and is offered throughout the year according to this schedule:

January 9–April 9
May 9–August 9
September 9–December 9

This course is led by the MSU Forest Carbon and Climate Program (FCCP) and was developed in partnership with the USDA. Additional details including discount eligibility details can be found on the course page.

Forest Certification and Climate Change

Learners will develop a robust understanding of forest land values and ecologic services linking carbon management and climate change mitigation activities with forest certification.

This self-paced course is estimated to take 6.5 hours to complete and is offered throughout the year according to this schedule:

January 9–April 9
May 9–August 9
September 9–December 9

This course is led by the MSU Forest Carbon and Climate Program (FCCP) and was developed in partnership with the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI). Additional details including discount eligibility details can be found on the course page.

US Regions: Forest Carbon and Climate Adaptation

US Regions: Forest Carbon & Climate Adaptation, are short online learning experiences designed to take learners beyond the basics of forest carbon science by providing an in-depth analysis of trends, challenges, and opportunities for a chosen US region: Pacific Northwest US, Northeast US, or Southeast US.

This self-paced course is estimated to take 4-5.5 hours to complete and is offered throughout the year according to this schedule:

January 9–April 9
May 9–August 9
September 9–December 9

During registration, please specify which regional learning module and course period you would like to join.

Note: This course is intended to supplement the FCCP short course, Understanding Forest Carbon Management

This course is led by the MSU Forest Carbon and Climate Program (FCCP) and developed in partnership with the Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science (NIACS). Additional details including discount eligibility details can be found on the course page.

How do I enroll?

Enrollment is a very simple 3 step process:

Step 1 – Purchase the course of interest at our cashnet storefront.
Step 2 – Our online education specialist will create your course access and will share additional details with you via email at the address used to purchase the course.
Step 3 – Login to D2L (Desire 2 Learn) to access your course homepage. Your course will be available on the first date of the academic semester. View academic calendar

Questions?

Any questions can be directed to the online education specialist.

For-credit versions of these courses are available to MSU undergraduate and graduate students. If you are interested in participating in a formal degree-granting program through the Department of Forestry, please visit our undergraduate page or our graduate programs page to learn more.

Course Refunds and Administrative Policies

A course refund is available for participants that withdraw from a short course within a specific timeframe from the date of the course start date. The MSU Department of Forestry non-credit course program follows the University-wide policy regarding course fee and tuition refunds, which can be viewed in full through the MSU Office of the Controller.