Pioneering Online Green Design Program Grows

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BOSTON, Mass. -- Boston Architectural College has added new classes and expanded course offerings in its Online Sustainable Design Certificate Program in response to increasing demands for green building education.

Industry and market demands for environmentally friendly, energy efficient structures — and for professionals capable of planning and providing them — are fueling growth in education programs around the country.

At Boston Architectural College, whose Online Sustainable Design Certificate Program was the first in the U.S., the demand has resulted in a program that has more than doubled its size in the past two years.

"Our rate of growth has been pretty intense," Davina Danian, the college's manager for online education, told GreenerBuildings.

This semester the college's online Sustainable Design program, conducted in partnership with BuildingGreen Inc., will offer 30 courses in two eight-week blocks. The continuing education classes range from the introductory to the advanced level and can be taken individually or as part of the certificate program. New offerings include a Sustainable Planner's track and a prep course for the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design accreditation exam.

Some 200 people are now enrolled in the online certificate program, said Danian. U.S. participants predominate among the enrollees, who include people in Canada, Costa Rica, India, Ireland, Japan and Mexico.

The online program began with a handful of courses in 2004. The intent was to address the needs of people who wanted to know more about environmentally responsible design to enhance their professional development, and to help those transitioning into the field from another career, Danian said. Providing the courses online enabled busy professionals living in Boston or elsewhere to attend the college without leaving their office or locale.

The college soon found that it had tapped a great interest for online continuing education in the growing field of eco-friendly design.

"We've been growing really fast ever since," Danian said.

The college also offers a Bachelor of Design Studies degree with a concentration in Sustainable Design.

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