Program Dates
Application Deadline
May 31, 2025
Program Orientation
June 9, 2025
Program Dates
June 9 to July 18, 2025
Program Overview
Whether crafting a sustainability report for a corporation, developing a brand strategy for a clean tech startup, or advancing the environmental work of a nonprofit, communicating about climate change is of greater importance than ever. Yet, sustainability and climate initiatives can be difficult to communicate about due to the politicized nature of climate change and the complexity and interconnectedness of the systems that are in crisis.
What are the most effective strategies for telling resonant climate stories that spur positive change? This online, non-credit certificate program is designed to answer that question, to demystify climate and sustainability and climate communications, and to equip participants across sectors with a powerful new skillset.
Participants will learn how to convey sustainability messaging with accuracy and balance, avoiding both greenwashing and misinformation/disinformation, and will showcase these skills through a final project.
Key Concepts
- Understand the science behind climate change and its impacts on the economy, policy, and human behavior
- Leverage climate communication best practices from experts and industry leaders to inform corporate communications
- Identify different forms of climate storytelling across media to effectively apply best practices
- Learn to ethically and responsibly use artificial intelligence in sustainability communication
- Recognize and remediate challenges within sustainability and climate communications such as greenwashing and misinformation/disinformation through case studies
- Learn to critically evaluate and creatively communicate sustainability and climate solutions
Who Will Benefit
This program is for individuals and teams who address or aspire to address sustainability and climate change for a non-specialist audience. Some examples of people who may benefit from this program may include:
- Entrepreneurs and investors
- Corporate communications professionals
- Corporate social responsibility professionals
- Philanthropy professionals
- Public relations and public information professionals
- Leaders of local environmental organizations
- Any aspiring sustainability communication professionals, including recent graduates and early-career professionals working in the environment sector
What you earn
In addition to a digital and printed certificate in Climate Communication from USC Annenberg Center for Climate Journalism and Communication, you will gain:
- A strong understanding of climate change and its impacts, as well as the challenges it poses
- Skills needed to practice climate and sustainability storytelling across different forms of media
- Resources and tools to leverage your communication skills
- Access to a network of experts in various fields related to sustainability and climate change
Schedule
Session 1:
- June 9th to July 18th, 2025 (6 weeks)
Synchronous component: (online sessions)
- Lecture: Tuesdays from 5:30-7pm PT/ 8:30-10pm ET
- Discussion: Thursdays from 5-7pm PT/8-10pm ET
Asynchronous components: (4-6 hours per week)
- Reading material
- Assignments
- Office hours with instructors
Curriculum
The program draws upon the Center for Climate Journalism and Communication’s training modules that have been delivered to hundreds of leading journalists, scientists, and other specialists across the globe to increase frequency and impact of their climate communications.
Five modules:
- Understanding climate change: data, language, and visuals
- Foundations of climate communication: best practices
- Leveraging artificial intelligence for climate communication
- Avoiding greenwashing; misinformation and disinformation
- Climate communication across functions
Why USC Annenberg?
The Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California uses journalism, communication, public diplomacy and public relations to deepen our understanding of complex challenges like climate change, to reinvent how we engage with our communities around these issues, and to advance a more just, equitable and sustainable world.
As an international leader in education and scholarship, USC Annenberg offers graduate and undergraduate degree programs that prepare the most promising minds to inquire, innovate and lead at the global crossroads of media, technology and culture.
Leveraging USC’s academic scholarship, targeted research initiatives and professional training expertise, the USC Center for Climate Journalism and Communication empowers students, scholars and professionals to bolster climate change communication.
In just two years, the Center has trained more than 100 journalists across 50+ markets, both foreign and domestic, 70 experts ranging from architects to scientists, and hundreds of students at USC.
FAQs
Q: Who is eligible for the program?
A: This program is intended for anyone with a high school GED who is proficient in English and is engaged in learning about climate communication.
The ideal participant is someone with a few years of professional experience and is looking to bolster their knowledge about climate and sustainability communication through this program. However, if you don’t meet the criteria and would still like to be a part of the inaugural cohort of the program, please reach out to us at redhot@usc.edu.
Q: How much does the application cost?
A: The application is free for all. A complete application requires links to 2-3 writing samples as well as a short statement of purpose to demonstrate your interest in the program.
Upon submitting the application, you can expect to receive confirmation about your enrollment within a week. To confirm your enrollment, you must submit a $250 non-refundable enrollment fee that will be included within the program fee.
Q: What are the requirements to successfully complete the course?
A: Participants must attend at least 4 out of the 5 synchronous lecture sessions to successfully complete their attendance requirements for the course. Participants must successfully complete the final project requirements for the course to receive the certificate.
Q: What materials and resources will I have access to after completing the course?
A: The instructors will provide a PDF workbook covering all the materials in the course, as well as links and resources shared with participants throughout the course. Participants will have access to all the materials shared during the course until 60 days after the last day of the program.
Q: How do I enroll in this course?
A: Please fill out our application form here and one of our team members will reach out with more details.
Q: Can I use this certificate as credit toward a degree?
A: This non-credit certificate may not be used toward progress for any USC degree and will not appear on any transcript or grade report.
Q: Can my employer pay for my training program?
A: Yes! We offer special packages for group signups. Please contact us at redhot@usc.edu if you are an organization interested in signing up for group training.
Q: Is this training program tax-deductible?
A: As the university is under the nonprofit designation, any donations are considered tax-deductible. Employers can benefit from tax credits if they pay for their employee’s continuing education through this training program.
For individuals paying their own tuition, there are several governmental tax credit programs including the American Opportunity Credit as well as Student Loan Interest Deduction Credits that many taxpayers qualify for. Find out more about those here.
Q: Can I get a refund if I decide to drop out? What is the refund period?
A: You may request a withdrawal with a refund up until 48 hours after the start of your program, minus the $250 nonrefundable enrollment fee.
If you wish to defer your enrollment to a future session, you may be able to do so by requesting a deferral with a refund up to 48 hours after the start of your program. If you cannot finish the program requirements and wish to defer completion to a future term, you can do so but will not be eligible to receive a refund.
How to apply
Fill out our enrollment form here, and a team member will reach out with more details on how to sign up.
You can also email our team directly at redhot@usc.edu for more information about the program and how to enroll.
Process:
- Fill out our application form
- A team member from the Center will reach out to you with a decision on your application
- Submit the non-refundable enrollment fee to confirm your participation in the program
Requirements:
- High school/college diploma
- CV/Resume
- Short statement of purpose (500 words)
- 1-2 writing samples
- If international, proof of English language proficiency
Program fee: $2,250
This includes a $250 non-refundable enrollment fee.
