LRC Online Professional Certificate Course in Lighting Design

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June 8, 2020

The Lighting Research Center (LRC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is offering the first-of-its-kind, 12-week, online professional certificate course in lighting design. The course is designed to provide the knowledge and skills needed to help those in professions related to lighting to begin or improve their practice in lighting design. 

Who should take the course?

Professionals from practices related to lighting design, or those who wish to add lighting design to their current work. This includes professionals from the fields of:

  • interior design
  • lighting sales
  • application engineering
  • architecture
  • architectural engineering
  • energy or environmental services
  • building and construction

Course Objectives

Professionals who complete the 12-week course will be able to:

  • Understand the lighting design process and be able to apply it to a variety of residential and commercial applications
  • Establish lighting objectives based upon client needs
  • Evaluate the lighting requirements of interior and exterior spaces, including appropriate siting of lighting equipment; as well as lighting-related occupant/task needs
  • Identify, critically analyze, and apply appropriate lighting guidelines and recommended practices
  • Establish appropriate lighting criteria for efficient space utilization, task performance, and energy utilization
  • Consider multiple lighting techniques and technology to support client needs and design objectives
  • Create renderings, detail drawings, and technical documentation necessary to support the lighting design concept
  • Present appropriate verbal, written, and visual presentations required to convey the lighting design concept
  • Verify if objectives and metrics established for the lighting design are met

Course Description

The course will consist of both weekly, in-person instruction hosted by course faculty and invited lecturers (i.e. weekly, approximately one to two hour live sessions), via an online conferencing system (WebEx), as well as supplemental activities, readings, and group and individual assignments and field exercises, to be completed by course participants throughout the 12-week course period. Course participants will be able to post content and assignments, hold discussions, and collaborate with each other and with course faculty through an interactive, online chat/bulletin board. The course will culminate with a final design project assignment, in which each participant will present their own graphically-compelling lighting designs to course instructors and other participants via WebEx.

Course Certificate

Participants who successfully complete the course will be awarded a certificate in lighting design from the Lighting Research Center.

Course Schedule

The course will begin on September 9, 2020 and will run through December 4, 2020. Classes will meet each Wednesday during this period from 1:00 to 3:00 PM US Eastern Time. No class will be held on Wednesday, November 25, 2020. A detailed schedule of course activities, lectures, and assignments will be provided upon registration for the course.

Cost and Registration

The cost of this 12-week professional certificate course in lighting design is $1,400. A 20% discount is available to employees of LRC Partners and Alliance program members. A discount of 40% is available to residents of New York State, made possible by funding from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). Registration in this course is limited to 15 people.

A deposit of 50% of this registration fee is required at the time of registration. The remainder of the fee is due by August 28, 2020.

Go HERE to register 

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