Total Credit Hours: 12 or 13 credit hours
The Affordable Housing Certificate curriculum is designed to balance foundational information about affordable housing with specialized knowledge that aligns with the range of professional disciplines involved in the housing sector. All certificate students will take a “fundamentals” course and a “development & finance” course. Additionally, all certificate students will complete the certificate with a “culminating experience” -- an independent study or participation in an interdisciplinary project-based course. In between, certificate students will choose either one or two elective courses that align with their interests.
1. Fundamentals course (one of the following)
| Course Number | Course Title | Credit Hours |
| URPL 6401/ HOUS 6401 | Affordable Housing Fundamentals | 3 |
PSCI 5080 | The Housing Crisis: Local Government Responses | 3 |
2. Housing Development and Finance Course
Students interested in focusing on the development and financing aspects of affordable housing can waive this 1-credit course and instead take the 3-credit Real Estate Development & Finance course listed below as one of their two electives.
| Course Number | Course Title | Credit Hours |
| URPL 6402/ HOUS 6402 | Affordable Housing Development Process | 1 |
3. Elective Courses (two* of the following; other courses allowed with permission)
*Students who elect to take Real Estate Development & Finance (6455) to fulfill the Housing Development and Finance requirement will take one additional elective.
| Course Number | Course Title | Credit Hours |
| URPL 6455/ HOUS 6455 | Real Estate Development & Finance (if not selected above) | 3 |
| URPL 6410/ HOUS 6410 | Advanced Affordable Housing Finance | 3 |
| ARCH 6490 | Affordable Housing Design Studies | 3 |
| HOUS 6410 | Methods for Building and Assessing Multi-Sector Housing Partnerships | 3 |
| HOUS 6415 | Governance for Affordable Housing | 3 |
| HOUS 6420 | Innovations in Housing Finance and Policy | 3 |
4. Culminating Experience (one of the following)
| Course Number | Course Title | Credit Hours |
| URPL 6405/ ARCH 6205/ HOUS 6405 | Affordable Housing Workshop | 3 |
| HOUS 6495 | Affordable Housing Independent Study | 3 |
Earning the Graduate Certificate in Affordable Housing requires 12 or 13 credit hours of coursework. Students must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0, with a minimum grade of “B-” (2.7) in each course. The certificate program must be completed within seven years.
Current CU Denver graduate students should work with their Academic Advisor to determine how the certificate credits apply toward their master’s degree requirements. Students in the MURP, MPA, and MPP programs can count up to nine credits of the certificate toward their master’s degrees.