diff --git a/lms/envs/aws.py b/lms/envs/aws.py
index d828f4d69c..932550d6c2 100644
--- a/lms/envs/aws.py
+++ b/lms/envs/aws.py
@@ -917,6 +917,9 @@ if ENV_TOKENS.get('AUDIT_CERT_CUTOFF_DATE', None):
 
 CREDENTIALS_GENERATION_ROUTING_KEY = ENV_TOKENS.get('CREDENTIALS_GENERATION_ROUTING_KEY', DEFAULT_PRIORITY_QUEUE)
 
+# Queue to use for award program certificates
+PROGRAM_CERTIFICATES_ROUTING_KEY = ENV_TOKENS.get('PROGRAM_CERTIFICATES_ROUTING_KEY', DEFAULT_PRIORITY_QUEUE)
+
 # The extended StudentModule history table
 if FEATURES.get('ENABLE_CSMH_EXTENDED'):
     INSTALLED_APPS.append('coursewarehistoryextended')
diff --git a/lms/envs/common.py b/lms/envs/common.py
index a8d2bb6010..e7b45fda06 100644
--- a/lms/envs/common.py
+++ b/lms/envs/common.py
@@ -3237,6 +3237,9 @@ AUDIT_CERT_CUTOFF_DATE = None
 CREDENTIALS_SERVICE_USERNAME = 'credentials_service_user'
 CREDENTIALS_GENERATION_ROUTING_KEY = DEFAULT_PRIORITY_QUEUE
 
+# Queue to use for award program certificates
+PROGRAM_CERTIFICATES_ROUTING_KEY = DEFAULT_PRIORITY_QUEUE
+
 # Settings for Comprehensive Theming app
 
 # See https://github.com/edx/edx-django-sites-extensions for more info
diff --git a/lms/envs/production.py b/lms/envs/production.py
index ed98d50517..240c57a703 100644
--- a/lms/envs/production.py
+++ b/lms/envs/production.py
@@ -914,6 +914,9 @@ if ENV_TOKENS.get('AUDIT_CERT_CUTOFF_DATE', None):
 
 CREDENTIALS_GENERATION_ROUTING_KEY = ENV_TOKENS.get('CREDENTIALS_GENERATION_ROUTING_KEY', DEFAULT_PRIORITY_QUEUE)
 
+# Queue to use for award program certificates
+PROGRAM_CERTIFICATES_ROUTING_KEY = ENV_TOKENS.get('PROGRAM_CERTIFICATES_ROUTING_KEY', DEFAULT_PRIORITY_QUEUE)
+
 # The extended StudentModule history table
 if FEATURES.get('ENABLE_CSMH_EXTENDED'):
     INSTALLED_APPS.append('coursewarehistoryextended')
diff --git a/openedx/core/djangoapps/programs/tasks/v1/tasks.py b/openedx/core/djangoapps/programs/tasks/v1/tasks.py
index 5b8fb3e7d0..69c492bff4 100644
--- a/openedx/core/djangoapps/programs/tasks/v1/tasks.py
+++ b/openedx/core/djangoapps/programs/tasks/v1/tasks.py
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ from openedx.core.djangoapps.programs.utils import ProgramProgressMeter
 LOGGER = get_task_logger(__name__)
 # Under cms the following setting is not defined, leading to errors during tests.
 ROUTING_KEY = getattr(settings, 'CREDENTIALS_GENERATION_ROUTING_KEY', None)
+PROGRAM_CERTIFICATES_ROUTING_KEY = getattr(settings, 'PROGRAM_CERTIFICATES_ROUTING_KEY', None)
 # Maximum number of retries before giving up on awarding credentials.
 # For reference, 11 retries with exponential backoff yields a maximum waiting
 # time of 2047 seconds (about 30 minutes). Setting this to None could yield
@@ -101,7 +102,7 @@ def award_program_certificate(client, username, program_uuid, visible_date):
     })
 
 
-@task(bind=True, ignore_result=True, routing_key=ROUTING_KEY)
+@task(bind=True, ignore_result=True, routing_key=PROGRAM_CERTIFICATES_ROUTING_KEY)
 def award_program_certificates(self, username):
     """
     This task is designed to be called whenever a student's completion status