WP Launches Online Certificate Program in Cannabis Studies Open to Both Undergraduates and General Public

The interdisciplinary, five-course program aims to prepare students for work in one of the fastest growing industries in the nation

A new, fully online, interdisciplinary cannabis studies program will be available to undergraduate students at William Paterson University and the general public starting this spring 2023 semester. Completion leads to a certificate in cannabis studies, well-positioning students for employment with regulatory groups, public health departments or organizations, medical bodies, and cannabis firms.

The certificate can be added onto any major for WP students, and is also open to members of the general public who are not enrolled in a degree program at William Paterson University. Throughout the program, participants will be connected to prospective employers in related sectors for internships and job opportunities.

As cannabis has recently been legalized in New Jersey, the cannabis industry is expanding.

Based on a projection analysis by Vangst, a cannabis-industry recruiting platform, nearly 22,000 cannabis jobs will be available in New Jersey by 2025, according to Professor Rahi Abouk, who teaches economics in WP’s Cotsakos College of Business and serves as director of the University’s Cannabis Research Institute

In the cannabis studies certificate program, students must take five, three-credit classes:

  • Introduction to Cannabis
  • Economics of Cannabis
  • Cannabis and Public Health
  • Clinical Implications of Cannabis
  • Chemistry of Cannabis

Through an accelerated offering that will be available in summer 2023, all five required courses can be taken simultaneously, should any student or professional wish to complete the certificate in such a fashion.

**To learn more and apply for the certificate program, click here, and enter “cannabis” in the search bar.

11/16/22