Public Policy Administration offers a Graduate Certificate in Local Government Management for students who are current professional staff, elected or non-elected local government officials or who are interested in pursuing a career in the local government sector.
The certificate can be taken by itself or in conjunction with the pursuit of the Master of Public Policy Administration (MPPA), or a graduate degree in another field. Course credits earned in the certificate program can be applied to the MPPA, but a separate application may be required. It is possible for students to complete their MPPA with an emphasis in Local Government Management and receive the graduate certificate without completing additional coursework.
A. The graduate certificate in local government management requires the completion of 18 credit hours. Twelve of these are the following core courses:
- P P Adm 6180 Governmental Budgeting and Financial Control
- P P Adm 6340 Seminar in City Administration OR PPA 6350 Issues in Urban Management
- P P Adm 6490 Human Resources in the Public Sector
- Pol Sci 6470 Proseminar in Urban Politics OR Pol Sci 6471 Seminar in Urban Politics
B. Three hours of electives are to be taken from selected courses in business administration, criminal justice, economics, political science, public policy administration, and sociology. A student may choose among these courses or other courses approved by the program director. Electives will be chosen from the following:
- P P Adm 6300 Leadership and Management of Non-Profit Organizations
- P P Adm 6340 Seminar in City Administration
- P P Adm 6350 Issues in Urban Management
- P P Adm 6400 Proseminar in Public Policy Administration
- P P Adm 6510 Urban and Regional Planning and Public Policy
- P P Adm 6600 Organizational Behavior and Administrative Processes
- CRIMIN 6442 Communities and Crime
- ECON 4160, Geospatial Analysis in the Social Sciences
- ECON 5700 Regional and Urban Economics
- Pol Sci 6470 Proseminar in Urban Politics
- Pol Sci 6471 Seminar in Urban Politics
*Other courses may be added as deemed appropriate for content.
C. Three hours of internship are also required, or graduate students should demonstrate either a professional field experience equivalent to the internship or be required to participate. Any request for an exemption from the internship requirement must be approved by the local government program director after a review of the student’s professional or managerial field experience with appropriate documentation. Students who receive an exemption must take another 3 hours of electives from the selection in area B.
The internship will include learning activities in management and governance processes in local government jurisdictions, as well as a seminar in which students will critically reflect on their field experience with a faculty supervisor.
Admission Requirements:
Requirements for admission to the graduate certificate program include an undergraduate degree and a GPA of 3.0 or better. In addition, two letters of recommendation are required, preferably with at least one letter from an applicant's previous college-level instructor. Applicants must submit a two-page personal statement explaining how the certificate program fits in with the applicant’s educational and professional goals. The letters and the personal statement should be sent directly to the Public Policy Administration Program. For more information go to the Graduate School Application Page