Cornell Climate Education and Community Engagement Online Course 2026: Global Certificate Program and Scholarships
Applications are open for a four-week online course offered by the Cornell Civic Ecology Lab designed to connect climate knowledge with practical education and community action. Participants worldwide can register for the program running from September 8 to October 4, 2026.
Overview
The Climate Education and Community Engagement online course is a four-week global program offered by the Cornell Civic Ecology Lab at Cornell University. It is structured to help educators, community leaders, students, NGO professionals, and volunteers link climate knowledge with local experience, public communication, and practical community action.
The program runs primarily asynchronously online from September 8 to October 4, 2026, utilizing edX Edge and Zoom platforms. Learners complete roughly four to five hours of weekly coursework involving videos, readings, discussions, and a final project to receive a Cornell University PDF certificate documenting 25 professional development hours.
Benefits
- Receive a Cornell University PDF certificate documenting 25 professional development hours upon completion of weekly requirements and a final project.
- Access tiered pricing based on country of residence, featuring a standard fee of $90 and a reduced fee of $20.
- Compete for limited, need-based scholarships.
- Gain practical skills in climate literacy, communication, local risk mapping, community engagement, and youth agency.
Eligibility
- Open globally to participants from all countries with no residency restrictions.
- No previous background in climate science, university degree, or formal teaching qualifications is required.
- Applicants must be willing to commit approximately four to five hours per week and complete a final project.
How to Apply
To register or apply for financial assistance, follow these steps:
- Review course details and determine whether the standard or reduced fee applies based on your country of residence.
- If applying for a need-based scholarship, download the scholarship application Word document, complete it, and save it as a PDF before registration.
- Access the online course registration form to submit your personal and professional details, uploading the scholarship PDF if applicable.
- Submit the registration form and await enrollment or scholarship decision instructions.
Deadline
The deadline to submit an application for need-based scholarship support is September 1, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. Scholarship decisions will be announced on September 4, 2026. While a separate general registration deadline is not explicitly published, prospective participants should register early ahead of the course start date on September 8, 2026.