Certificate in Lighting Design

If you are driven to make a difference, there's a place for you here. We provide a specialized skill set in lighting design to fill the need the lighting industry has for qualified professionals with formal education in lighting.

The undergraduate certificate in lighting design explores how the proper application of light can shape the understanding of architecture, create visually comfortable spaces, and enhance how people experience the built environment. The certificate is intended to expose students to architectural lighting and daylighting design.

  • Learn about advanced technologies such as LEDs and lighting controls
  • Understand how to formulate lighting concepts that lead to creative, visually enriching, environmentally conscious lighting solutions 
  • Apply principles of daylighting design to interior settings to achieve energy savings and visual comfort
  • Learn how to communicate and validate your ideas graphically and through the use of specialized software

Top 20 public U.S. university for engineering

(U.S. News & World Report, 2020)

Connect with many high-tech companies right here in Boulder, many of which sponsor internships or mentorship programs

Gain hands-on experience with a capstone or design studio course

Be successful.

The certificate in lighting design allows you to enter the workforce with additional skills and knowledge alongside your major area of study.

 

Broaden your employment possibilities with additional knowledge and skills gained from a certificate

 

Be prepared for entry-level jobs in lighting design firms

 

Combining lighting design with architecture, landscape architecture or design studies could also open doors in architecture and interior design firms

Academic Plan & Requirements

To earn the undergraduate certificate in lighting design, students must complete 12 credit hours. The certificate is offered to all undergraduate students at CU Boulder who are not earning a major from the College of Engineering and Applied Science. Students majoring in environmental design and theatre may benefit from this certificate, as students are exposed to the basics of architectural lighting and daylighting design. 

Course topics include:

  • Metrics of light
  • Light sources, luminaires and controls
  • Lighting effects on perception of architecture and architectural design
  • Lighting design tools and techniques
  • Specification of lighting as part of daylight and its interaction with architecture
  • Daylight in interior spaces and Its interaction with electric lighting
  • Capstone experience that encompasses a semesterlong hands-on project 

Community & Involvement

We offer students many opportunities to network with peers and faculty, further their studies, and get the most out of their undergraduate experience.