Cal Poly’s Packaging Program will soon offer courses and certificates aimed specifically at packaging industry professionals that will feature interactive coursework on the critical subsets of the packaging value proposition in a global context.

Each nine-unit certificate program will take three to six months to complete, although individual courses can be taken.

Courses for the Packaging for Logistics and Supply Chains Certificate will launch in Fall 2017. The program will explore the impact of commoditization of packaging on its value proposition through global distribution, logistics and supply channel operations.

Packaging Value Chain Certificate courses will be offered in Fall 2017 and Winter 2018. Courses will provide an introduction to the value proposition in the global packaging industry, essential codes of practice as well as marketing and sales concepts.

Packaging Program Director and Professor Jay Singh said classes taken through the certificate program are also transferrable into Cal Poly’s M.S. Packaging Value Chain program, which will launch in the fall of 2018. The master’s program will also be offered exclusively online.

“The dynamic and engaging online curriculum will promote transference of learning to the workplace while providing professionals opportunities to assume leadership roles and advance their careers,” he said. Cal Poly also has plans to offer other specialized certificates in packaging design, analytics and marketing for professionals working across the nation and around the world, Singh said.

Applications for both certificate programs are open to those who have completed a bachelor’s degree in packaging or a related field from an accredited college or university with a 2.5 GPA. Applications also require a résumé, official transcript of coursework and a statement of purpose. The deadline for applications for the certificate programs are two weeks before the first course begins.

For more information on Cal Poly’s packaging certificates and the application process, visit the Orfalea College of Business Graduate Programs website at http://bit.ly/2tbyphU.