The 2026 Beahrs Environmental Leadership Program (ELP) will take place in-person, with a few online Zoom sessions beforehand. The in-person sessions will take place on the UC Berkeley campus.
The 2026 ELP application is now open! We encourage international applicants to submit their applications as soon as possible to give extra time to secure a visa and external funding. Please review our FAQs and Costs pages for more program information.
2026 Program Dates:
2026 ELP In-Person Dates: July 16 - July 31, 2026.
2026 ELP Online Zoom Sessions: June 30 and July 1, 2026. If needed, we may add July 2, 2026 as additional day for online learning.
Important Deadlines:
First Scholarship Review Deadline: Friday, November 7, 2025
Second Scholarship Review Deadline: Friday, January, 16, 2026
A complete application received before the scholarship review deadlines will receive priority review for scholarship eligibility. Program applications will still be accepted after the deadlines, but scholarships are not guaranteed due to limited funding.
Over the last 25 years (2001-2026), the Beahrs Environmental Leadership Program (Beahrs ELP) has graduated 848 leaders from over 115 countries. Our participants come from a wide range of environmental and sustainable development agencies and organizations, local to global, who share in common the goal to better understand and support sustainable human-environment interactions. We are committed to making this educational opportunity available to professionals from all backgrounds and areas of the world, regardless of their pre-existing resources.
After completing their formal education, professionals often have limited time to stay updated on the latest developments in science, technology, theory, modeling, and other areas beyond their expertise. At Beahrs ELP, mid-career professionals are offered the opportunity to "return to school" and learn from leading professors at UC Berkeley about the most current topics in the broader field of climate and sustainability.
ELP training will benefit environmental professionals from all fields and industries ready to take their careers to the next level through rigorous professional development training and cross-sectoral collaboration. The Beahrs ELP is ideal for people who want intense academic and professional training with world-renowned faculty at UC Berkeley but do not have the time for a full-time 2-year degree.
Applicant Eligibility
A resume that demonstrates strong professional experience and leadership potential (You must use this resume format)
Affiliation with a department or organization concerned with environmental, sustainability, or climate issues
Proficiency in English to allow full participation in course discussions
Benefits
UC Berkeley Certificate in Sustainable Environmental Management
Enhanced capacity to develop and apply solutions that balance environmental, economic, and social equity objectives.
Strengthened skills for communicating ideas, managing conflict, facilitating multi-stakeholder processes, and leading social change.
Lifetime membership in the global Berkeley ELP Alumni Network, eligibility for small grants and a continuing learning relationship with UC Berkeley.
A number of our alumni have partaken in collaborative projects with UC Berkeley faculty through the Buck Kingman Initiative
This UC Berkeley certificate course offers a series of interdisciplinary workshops with a focus on innovation and collaboration. Workshops are led by Berkeley faculty and industry experts. Training methods include lectures, small group exercises, role play simulations, debates, participant case studies, panels and presentations and open space sharing. Our curriculum, including the site visit destinations, is modified slightly each year to meet the changing needs of our participants, and our instructor lineup also changes.
The academic contents of the program are complemented by the leadership development sessions. From conflict resolution to agile project management, these professional development sessions are led by those who actively lead projects in the environmental fields.
The curriculum is enhanced by field visits that showcase California’s groundbreaking responses to diverse agricultural, natural resource and urban environmental challenges. Past field visits include:
Santa Cruz: ocean and coastal management
Point Reyes National Seashore: wildlife habitat restoration and economic development
Muir Woods National Monument: climate change, forest management, and tourism
San Francisco Bay Area: urban development, environmental equity, food security
Silicon Valley: innovations in sustainable business
Environmental Policy and Economics for Decision Making
Climate Change and Global Economy
Nature Based Solutions to Climate Change
REDD+
Carbon Offsets, Net Zero, Climate Disclosure
Corporate Social Responsibility (Business and Environment)
Environment, Society, and Governance
Green Supply Chains
Water Resources Management and Policy
Urban Development
Renewable Energy and Just Climate Transition
Effective Management of Protected Areas and Biodiversity
Biotechnology and Agriculture
Effective Multi Stakeholder Engagement
Communications
Agile Project Management
Collaborative Leadership
Negotiation
Conflict Resolution
Impact Evaluation
Presentations
Marketing