CU Boulder and Siemens Digital Industries Software Celebrate ABET Recognition of Design for the Circular Economy Credential
TheUniversity of Colorado Boulder’s Engineering Management Program (EMP), in collaboration withSiemens Digital Industries Software, proudly announces a major milestone for theDesign for the Circular Economy credential—all three learning pathways to achieve the microcredential are now recognized byAccreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), marking the first industry-academic credential of its kind to receive this distinction.
The, offered on the Coursera platform, is a 100% online, asynchronous credential designed to equip students and working professionals with the skills needed to succeed in the rapidly emerging field of sustainability and the circular economy. This field focuses on redesigning products and systems to reduce resource consumption and enable materials to be reused or transformed into new products at the end of their lifecycle. CU Boulder students, faculty, and staff can access non-credit content at no cost via CU on Coursera.
Developed through a collaboration between CU Boulder’s EMP, Siemens Digital Industries Software, and the Academic and Learning Innovation (ALI) team, the credential reflects a shared vision to bridge industry and academia. The program prepares technical professionals to serve as key contributors to sustainability initiatives and to step into leadership roles within the circular economy.
“The Design for the Circular Economy credential represents a new model for industry-academic collaboration,” said Wendy Martin, EMP Interim Director & Lockheed Martin Endowed Professor. “This recognition from ABET underscores the quality, relevance, and impact of the program in preparing professionals to tackle critical global sustainability challenges.”
The 12-course program has already reached more than30,000 course enrollments, reflecting strong global demand for accessible, industry-aligned education in sustainability, engineering, and leadership.
During a recent celebration event, partners from Siemens, ALI, ABET, Coursera, and Boulder’s sustainability community joined faculty, staff, and learners to recognize this achievement. Students participated both in person and virtually, sharing how the program has helped them apply circular economy principles in their careers, organizations, and personal life.
Pull quotes
"Sustainability is one of the defining challenges of our time, and today’s workforce needs the knowledge and skills to meet it head on. Achieving ABET recognition for theDesign for the Circular Economy microcredential tells learners — and employers — that this credential delivers on that promise."— Dora Smith, Senior Director, Siemens Future Workforce Strategy
"Our collaboration with Siemens reflects a shared belief that high-quality sustainability knowledge and skills should be widely available. TheDesign for the Circular Economy microcredential gives learners a focused, credible way to develop expertise in sustainable operations, supply chain, and leadership. Full ABET recognition of all three pathways is a meaningful validation of that work. Additionally, for those learners interested in continuing their education, progress from this microcredential can transfer and be upgraded toward an aligned CU Boulder graduate certificate or master's degree from the Engineering Management Program." —Wendy Martin, EMP Interim Director and Lockheed Martin Endowed Professor, Engineering Management Program, University of Colorado Boulder
"TheDesign for the Circular Economy microcredential, developed by Siemens and the University of Colorado Boulder, has met ABET's standards across all three of its pathways. This is exactly the kind of industry-academic collaboration that helps align education with evolving workforce needs."— Dr. Michael K. J. Milligan, CEO, ABET
“An excellent, full-range introduction to circularity in a variety of industries, institutions, governments, and industrial operations. Additionally, it's great to benefit from the combined efforts of industry and academia teaming up, the way Siemens & Boulder did for this.”— Design for the Circular Economy on Coursera Learner
91Ѽ the partners
University of Colorado Boulder, Engineering Management Programintegrates management skills with technical and engineering knowledge to prepare current and future leaders to advance great opportunities, and launch effective solutions for organizations, societies, and the planet with flexible course offerings. Learn more about theEMP on Coursera here.
For more information about the Design for the Circular Economy courses and graduate certificate,.
Siemens Digital Industries Software helps organizations of all sizes digitally transform using software, hardware and services from the Siemens Xcelerator business platform. Siemens' software and the comprehensive digital twin enable companies to optimize their design, engineering and manufacturing processes to turn today's ideas into the sustainable products of the future. From chips to entire systems, from product to process, across all industries. – Accelerating transformation.
To learn more about Siemens’ credentials for industry and how Siemens is working with academic and commercial partners to develop the workforce of the future, visit.
ABET is a globally recognized quality assurance organization offering services and global partnerships to help equip professionals to confidently face the future.
