This program will be offered beginning fall semester of 2025 through a partnership between the Institute of Cannabis Research and CSU Pueblo Extended Studies. 

The Certificate of Foundational Studies in Cannabis is an online entry-level program primarily for professionals with an interest in cannabis engaging in medicine, public health, agronomy, chemical analysis, research, and research regulations. Some professionals engage cannabis in a variety of spheres and wish to increase basic knowledge of scientifically supported facts which are critical for informing best practices and decision making about cannabis in their fields. This certificate will help bridge that gap. The program will also educate anyone with a lay or personal interest in cannabis for medicinal or other purposes and will help empower consumers to make the best choices. Instruction will address the science that supports cannabis regulation, human physiology related to consumption, the need for product analysis, analytical testing, cannabis agriscience and materials science, and insights into current cannabis research.

This 16 credit certificate is awaiting financial aid eligibility and is fully approved by the Colorado Department of Higher Education and accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.  

Student Learning Outcomes

1. After completing this certificate, student will be able to:
2. Understand that there is a complex regulatory environment that controls legal cannabis research, production, and distribution Colorado and the US.
3. Have a better understanding of the utilization of hemp materials for manufacturing.
4. Understand the basic principles of cannabinoid testing.
5. Understand the basic physiology of cannabis plant growth and phytocannabinoid production.
6. And will understand the health impacts, both negative and potentially positive of cannabis use in its various contexts as medicine or as legalized recreational drug.

Outcomes Assessment Activities

• The proposed certificate will consist of sixteen credit hours in total.
• 5 courses will be developed at 3 credit hours each, and a 1 credit hour course will be developed as well.
• Successful completion of all 6 courses, 16 credit hours, at a grade of C or above will be sufficient for the granting the Foundational Studies in Cannabis certificate.
• Sixteen credits is the minimum program-level offering required for students to seek financial aid to support their enrollment.

Specific Program Requirements

The objective of the program is to provide entry-level educational experience in cannabis science as it relates to cannabis in society so that its graduates:

• Successfully enter, continue practicing and advance as workers engaged in various aspects of the cannabis including in allied health fields, in agronomy, testing, materials manufacturing, and as technical employees in the cannabis industry.
• Are informed about the scientifically founded facts about cannabis in the above stated areas.
• Contribute to various cannabis activities in society as well-informed professionals that will engage the field with an objective, scientifically backed knowledge base.