Ohio State’s graduate specialization in ecological restoration and the undergraduate specialization in ecosystem restoration are now aligned with the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER)’s Certified Ecological Restoration Practitioner (CERP) program. It is one of only four certified programs, and one of only two in the US (the other being Virginia Tech).
Both specializations are offered through the School of Environment and Natural Resources (SENR). The school is in the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.
Academic partnerships with the SER CERP alignment program seek to bridge the transition from student to emerging professional and help students launch their careers, a factsheet on the program shows.
The Society for Ecological Restoration is a global community of restoration professionals that are engaged in the ecologically sensitive repair and recovery of degraded ecosystems partnering with government agencies, intergovernmental organizations, NGOs, and the private sector to advance the science of ecological restoration for the benefit of biodiversity, ecosystems and humans.
"Getting our restoration programs aligned with SER's knowledge criteria is a huge step for SENR. It will provide existing and potential students with a guarantee of the quality of our program and, more importantly, ensures that they can quickly and easily pass the first stage of certification as a restoration practitioner, said Matt Davies, an assistant professor of soil and plant community restoration in the SENR.
“This lets employers know that our students have thorough and complete training in the discipline and will make them stand out in a crowded job market,” said Davies.