Students come to the CU Denver School of Public Affairs with a lot of different goals for their education and career. Some are looking for an academic degree, and others are interested in a shorter-term commitment with specific learning experiences offered by our certificate and professional development programs. The Colorado Certified Public Manager (CPM) program offers both a nationally recognized certificate and a pathway toward the school's Master of Public Administration degree.

One of the most unique aspects of the Colorado CPM program is that the classroom is both in-person in Denver and simultaneously on Zoom. Instructors facilitate the learning in both arenas and a facilitation and technical support assistant is online with the Zoom participants to help things run smoothly. OWL video technology, funded by a generous donor, provides 360-degree views and audio for the online participants. Depending on the topic, live-virtual participants may use other digital technology like shared documents and digital whiteboards to engage with each other and with the in-person participants. This model is emblematic of SPA’s commitment to creating flexible and online learning opportunities across Colorado.

The Colorado Certified Public Manager program is ideal for people who are working in government and have previous education in a particular field like parks and recreation, community planning, public health, finance, housing, communications, government administration, and more.

More than 100 public servants in Colorado have achieved the Certified Public Manager national certification and another 50 are currently working toward it. CPM alumni can use the certificate to count for 6 elective credits toward SPA’s Master of Public Administration degree.

Applications for the CPM program are accepted on a rolling basis. Start your application.