WPI to launch marijuana business certificate programs

Photo | Grant Welker Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester

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By Laura Finaldi

Worcester Polytechnic Institute will begin offering four certification programs for cannabis professionals – covering business, law and policy, agriculture, and health care – starting Sept. 5 for this fall semester.

WPI partnered with California cannabis education company Green Flower to develop the programs, the firm said in a July 13 press release. Green Flower said WPI is the first Massachusetts institute of higher education to partner with the company, although other local colleges do offer similar programs.

Clark University in Worcester in 2019 started its online program offering a certificate in regulatory affairs for cannabis control, which Clark said at the time was the first certification like it in the nation.

The WPI certification programs, which are open to anyone over the age of 18, are designed to help students gain industry-specific knowledge and experience related to the cannabis industry in Massachusetts, which generated $1.65 billion in cannabis sales last year.

Students who complete the program will receive a digital badge credential issued by The Green Flower Institute and WPI, as well as access to Green Flower’s employer network. Enrollment is open, and the cost is $2,950 per program.