River Studies and Leadership Certificate

Our River Studies and Leadership Certificate program provides a foundation of knowledge, skills and experience in river-based science, policy, conservation, education and recreation.

Upon completion of river-focused coursework and a river-related professional project, the certificate is awarded by the River Management Society. This signifies successful application of learning in a professional context and distinguishes students in the job market.

You'll develop critical skills and gain a working knowledge of river systems, including:

• Geographical Information Systems (GIS) with potential application to river systems
• The basic physical and biological environment and processes of river systems
• Environmental policies that impact freshwater systems
• River safety and rescue, basic river navigation and travel, including river-based Leave No Trace
• Hands-on experience with river-related projects via an internship, professional employment or independent study
• The ability to share aspects of your river studies with the RMS community through presentation or publication

Program Highlights

VCU is one of the partner universities offering the RSLC program in collaboration with the River Management Society. As the first school east of the Mississippi River to join the consortium, VCU has emerged as a national leader in part due to its unique location and resources. Being situated on the James River in downtown Richmond provides immediate access to a significant river system for study and fieldwork. Resources like the James River Park System offer opportunities for tackling real-world challenges and hands-on experiences, such as water quality monitoring. VCU faculty expertise in areas like fish ecology, freshwater biodiversity and river ecosystem science contributes to the program's depth.

The program is committed to interdisciplinary, river-focused learning and applied experience. Students gain practical skills through courses and professional experiences. For example, students have engaged in fieldwork on the James River and participated in expeditions like Footprints on the James, Scenic Natural Resources, Rio Grande Seminar, Sacred Monkey River Expedition and the River of No Return Expedition. RSLC students gain professional experience through internships or employment with river projects. The connection with RMS provides valuable networking opportunities, access to resources like job listings, and the chance to attend events like the biennial RMS Symposium. VCU students have presented their research at the RMS Symposium, demonstrating their expertise in areas like fish ecology and biodiversity.

Certificate Components

The River Studies and Leadership Certificate is an interdisciplinary program combining coursework and practical experience. It is structured around core courses, emphasis courses, a professional experience requirement and an oral/written presentation requirement.

Students must successfully complete approved courses in each of these four areas:

• Geographic information systems 
• River science
• River policy
• Swiftwater rescue

Students must take at least two approved courses from ONE of the following emphasis areas:

• River science
• River-based policy and management
• River-based recreation, education and tourism

Professional experience requirement: Students must demonstrate real-world application of knowledge and skills through professional experience or an internship with a river project. This requires a minimum of 90 hours of work (or 2 credit hours) which must be reviewed and approved.

Oral/written presentation requirement: Students are required to share their river studies with the RMS community by either presenting at the biennial RMS Symposium or publishing an article in the RMS Journal.