Certificate Requirements

To receive the full Environmental Stewardship of Indigenous Lands (ESIL) Certificate, student must complete a course from the STEM Focus Area and then choose any two courses from the topics (Topics 1-5), along with the additional requirements below. Substitutions and/or transferred courses may be used with permission from the student’s ESIL advisor. ​

STEM topics. All students are required to complete one of the following STEM courses.  

  • BIOL 3762 Biostatistics
  • CVEN 3611 Engineering Statistics
  • CVEN 5381 Introduction to Geographic Information Systems
  • GEOG 4080 Introduction to Geographic Information Systems
  • MATH 2830 Introduction to Statistics
  • MATH 4830 Applied Statistics

In collaboration with their ESIL advisor, students will identify 2 courses addressing any of the topics below.  

Topic 1. Tribal Governance and Relations

Topic 2. Cultural Engagement and Participatory Decision-Making

Topic 3. Indigenous Cultural Responsiveness and Positionality

Topic 4. Communication, Mediation, Negotiation, and Conflict Resolution

Topic 5. Tribal Liaison Focus Areas

Additional requirements

ESIL Internship

Contact your ESIL advisor at least a semester prior to the semester (including summer) you want to complete your internship. ESIL internships should combine some aspect of environmental science, policy, or engagement with work with or on behalf of a Native/Indigenous community. Your ESIL advisor will help you identify or codesign your internship. Internships should be time equivalent to 3 credits.

ESIL Workshop and Event Participation

All ESIL students are required to participate in designated ESIL workshops or events. Workshops/events will be available in in-person and online formats and are designed to provide students experiences complementary to ESIL's educational programming.  These monthly workshops/events will require anywhere from 1-3 hours of time. Your participation in the workshops/events will be assessed through written reflection statements submitted at the end of the workshop or event.