Courses

From Linear to Circular (designed for young professionals and postgraduate students)

Led by: The Ellen MacArthur Foundation
Level: Intermediate/Advanced
Length: 8-9 weeks Commitment: Online phase: 3 hours per week, Immersive face-to-face workshop: three to four consecutive days.
Course page and further information

The From Linear to Circular programme is an exclusive 8-week global learning experience designed for young professionals and postgraduate students. This programme will increase your knowledge of the circular economy through expert-run sessions and collaborative team-projects. You will expand your professional network and engage with active circular economy practitioners, such as members of our network. The programme consists of an online collaboration phase and an immersive face-to-face workshop.

Completion of this programme will lead you to become an Ellen MacArthur Foundation circular economy pioneer, and you will join our global community of circular economy practitioners. You can register your interest to hear the latest programme announcements.

Freely accessible learning offerings - MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses)

Circular Economy: An Introduction
Led by: Delft University of Technology
Level: Beginner
Length: 7 weeks
Commitment: 3-6 hours per week
Course page and further information.

The MOOC ran for seven weeks on the edX platform and the course is now available again for you to take at your own pace. Through the MOOC, learners are challenged to design a future that rethinks our current 'take-make-waste' economy to focus on circular, innovative products, and business models. In 2015, TU Delft ran the world’s first edX MOOC on the circular economy, in collaboration with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and the Leiden-Delft-Erasmus Centre for Sustainability.

A Circular Economy of Metals: Towards a Sustainable Societal Metabolism
Led by: Leiden University
Level: Beginner
Length: 6 weeks
Commitment: 5-7 hours per week
Course page and further information.

In January 2018, Leiden University in The Netherlands launched the first online course considering a circular economy for metals. The course is taught by Associate Professor Ester van der Voet and focuses on the options for closing the loop on metals to avoid having to mine new ones. It is based on the series of reports on metals by the International Resource Panel, as well as the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - ambitious goals which are used to contextualise the metals challenge and potential solutions to that challenge.

Packaging in a Circular Economy
Led by: Delft University of Technology
Level: Beginner
Length: 6 weeks
Commitment: 3-4 hours per week
Course page and further information.

Other Courses

Circular Economy Masterclass series, Exeter University.
A 6-week distance learning programme designed to improve the engagement of influential decision-makers and leaders

Innovation, Enterprise and Circular Economy (PGCert and MBA), Bradford University.
A 2-4 year part-time distance learning programme

McMaster University, Professional Certificate of Completion in Circular Economy
Led by: McMaster University, W Booth School of Engineering Practice and Technology
Level: Beginner (there are no specific prerequisites for the certificate programme, however, participants should have a broad understanding of engineering or science principles at a college or university level).
Length: 3-day face-to-face, conference-style workshop
Commitment: 20 hours over three days
Course page and further information

In October 2019, McMaster University in Ontario launched Canada's first university-level professional training programme in circular economy. The course is led by Greg Zilberbrant and is delivered in a conference-style format over three days via a variety of presentations and active workshops and focuses on combining foundational knowledge with tools that allow practical application for participants to drive change in their own organisations. The course includes case studies, guest speakers and practical applications such as toolkits and an online learning platform. Modules covered by the course include 'understanding the circular economy', case studies, biomimicry, automating circularity, leadership for a circular economy, circularity metrics, tools and applications.

University of California Berkeley Extension, The Circular Economy

Led by: UC Berkeley Extension, Manuel Maqueda, (Instructor)
Level: Introductory
Length: 12 weeks - online
Commitment: 5-7 hours per week.
Course page and further information Offered in English, Spanish and Portuguese

UC Berkeley Extension (founded 1891) is the continuing education branch of UC Berkeley. The focus of The Circular Economy Course is multidisciplinary and applied, aimed at anyone seeking to kick-start their circular economy journey. Students and alumni include international professionals, business executives and government officials. Throughout the course, participants interact in forums and work together in groups to prepare a final, applied-learning project. Delivery is online, via distance-learning, using interactive materials, live support and live webinars.