Environmental, Social, and Governance Certificate online

Learn to effectively navigate regulatory demands as you prepare for advanced roles in finance, investing, and corporate responsibility through this flexible academic pathway that features instruction by industry experts.

Apply by: 1/4/26

Start class: 1/26/26

Apply Now

Home / Degrees / Business / Certificates / Environmental, Social, and Governance Certificate

Program Overview

Add compliance expertise to your resume through the ESG Certificate online program

$7,164 Total Tuition

As few as 6 months Duration

12 Credit Hours

The online Environmental, Social, and Governance Certificate program elevates your knowledge of sustainable strategic management practices so you can directly impact corporate decision-making. As a student in this multidisciplinary program, you’ll gain valuable experience with reporting standards and frameworks, impact measurement tools, and sustainable finance models.

Advance your ability to integrate environmental and social benchmarks into business plans through online coursework aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. This accelerated, convenient ESG Certificate online program empowers you to pursue critical roles as a business leader who can effectively drive both positive financial returns and impactful societal outcomes.

What you'll learn in the online ESG certificate:

Applying major sustainability reporting frameworks (e.g., GRI, SASB, ISSB) and evaluate the credibility and usefulness of corporate ESG disclosures in decision-making
Analyzing and evaluating sustainable investment products and strategies, incorporating ESG risk factors and impact measurement tools to support investment decisions
Formulating and assessing business strategies that integrate environmental and social impact goals alongside financial performance, using tools such as stakeholder analysis, circular economy principles, and triple bottom line metrics
Assessing how innovation, leadership, and governance structures contribute to sustainable value creation, and how organizations respond to regulatory and societal pressures in managing ESG challenges

Applying major sustainability reporting frameworks (e.g., GRI, SASB, ISSB) and evaluate the credibility and usefulness of corporate ESG disclosures in decision-making
Analyzing and evaluating sustainable investment products and strategies, incorporating ESG risk factors and impact measurement tools to support investment decisions
Formulating and assessing business strategies that integrate environmental and social impact goals alongside financial performance, using tools such as stakeholder analysis, circular economy principles, and triple bottom line metrics
Assessing how innovation, leadership, and governance structures contribute to sustainable value creation, and how organizations respond to regulatory and societal pressures in managing ESG challenges

Career opportunities:

Sustainability Analyst
ESG Reporting Specialist
Corporate Governance Specialist
Policy Advisor

Sustainability Analyst
ESG Reporting Specialist
Corporate Governance Specialist
Policy Advisor

Also available:

WP Online offers an online MBA – ESG, as well as a diverse range of certificate programs. Explore all our online certificate programs.

$7,164 Total Tuition

As few as 6 months Duration

12* Credit Hours

William Paterson University’s Cotsakos College of Business is accredited by The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International).

Apply Now

Need More Information?

Call 833-960-0139

Tuition

Take advantage of our affordable, pay-by-the-course tuition

Online certificate programs from William Paterson University offer affordable, pay-by-the-course tuition. All fees are included in the total tuition.

Program	Per Credit Hour	Per Program
ESG Certificate	$597	$7,164

Tuition breakdown:

$7,164 Total Tuition

$597 Per Credit Hour

Calendar

Don’t forget these key enrollment dates and deadlines

William Paterson University online programs are delivered in an accelerated format ideal for working professionals, conveniently featuring multiple start dates each year.

View full calendar +

Now enrolling:

1/4/26 Apply Date

1/26/26 Class Starts

Have questions or need more information about our online programs?

Ready to take the rewarding path toward earning your degree online?

Apply Now

Admissions

Submit your application to the career-focused ESG Certificate online program

At William Paterson University, we’ve streamlined the admission process to help you get started quickly and easily. Please read the requirements for the Environmental, Social, and Governance Certificate online program, including what additional materials you need and where you should send them.

The requirements include:

Online application
GPA of 2.75 or higher
Transcripts from all colleges and universities attended

You must meet the following requirements for admission to this online certificate program:

Completed online application and $50 application fee
Bachelor's degree from an accredited university
Minimum GPA of 3.0 or higher OR a minimum GPA of 2.75 or higher plus two years of work experience in a professional supervisory capacity OR a minimum GPA of 2.75 or higher plus a minimum score of 500 on the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) or a minimum score of a 152 verbal and a 152 quantitative on the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE)
Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended
Professional resume detailing educational and professional experience

Official transcripts, tests scores, and other documents should be sent from the granting institutions to:

Email address: [email protected]

Mail address:

Office of Graduate Admissions and Enrollment Services
William Paterson University
Morrison Hall 102
300 Pompton Road
Wayne, NJ 07470

Courses

Explore the curriculum for the online Environmental, Social, Governance Certificate program

For the ESG Certificate online program, you must complete four courses.

Expand All

Required Courses

ACCT 7650: Business Sustainability Reporting and Analysis

Duration: 7 Weeks weeks

Credit Hours: 3

This course provides an in-depth study of current practices in business sustainability reporting and analysis. Topics covered include reporting practices, regulatory requirements, reporting frameworks, reporting standards, rating agencies, investment products, activist investing and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The class format combines lectures, interactive discussions, cases studies and project presentations.

FIN 7900: Sustainable Finance and Investment

Duration: 7 Weeks weeks

Credit Hours: 3

This course introduces MBA students to the dynamic and evolving fields of sustainable finance and impact investing. Students will explore how Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors are integrated into investment strategies and how impact investing can generate both, positive financial returns and positive societal outcomes. Topics will cover public and private market investing, sustainable debt, climate finance, and impact measurement frameworks, with a focus on practical applications through discussions, hands-on learning exercises, and case studies.

MGT 6250: Sustainability Management and Value Creation

Duration: 7 Weeks weeks

Credit Hours: 3

This course emphasizes the importance of sustainability management from a systems perspective. We explore strategies for managers and leaders to pursue environmental, social, and governmental (ESG) goals in their organizations while contributing to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We discuss governance practices including the role of the board of directors, shareholders, and top management team. We also examine main metrics and sustainability reporting standards, the role of key actors in the ESG industry, and the use of emerging technologies in sustainability management. This course addresses how organizations build on sustainability management to create shared value and communicate this value to stakeholders.

MGT 6570: Innovation, Strategy and Corporate Sustainability

Duration: 7 Weeks weeks

Credit Hours: 3

The course studies strategic management from the perspective of environmental sustainability, with an emphasis on the impact of innovation on corporate social responsibility. Sustainable Strategic Management refers to strategic management policies and processes that seek competitive advantages consistent with a core value of environmental sustainability. Firms that pursue sustainable strategic management base the formulation, implementation, and evaluation of their strategies on an analysis of the ecological issues they face, the values they hold that support sustainability, and the ecological interests of their stakeholders

*While some students will be able to complete the certificate within the stated 12 credits, others will need up to 4.5 additional credits if they did not complete coursework that serves as prerequisite for the courses in the certificate program.

nec arcu. Nullam in augue ac erat tristique blandit id facilisis elit. Sed auctor ligula non ex iaculis aliquam. Aliquam id suscipit nisi, at mattis dolor. In mollis mattis posuere. Donec sed sapien vitae sem ornare lobortis. Fusce nibh ligula, vehicula eget ullamcorper id, tristique

Firstname Lastname, Title