Graduate Certificate in Policy Analysis & Methods
School of Public Affairs
Overview
Degree: Graduate Certificate
Classroom Type: Online and on campus classes
This certificate provides an understanding of the context in which public policies are formulated, implemented and evaluated. You will be trained in policy analysis, cost-benefit analysis, program evaluation, multivariate regression, and other analytical techniques.
Application deadlines
Fall: August 1; Spring: December 1; Summer: May 1
Program Details
Interest Categories: Public Administration & Policy
Campus: CU Denver
The Graduate Certificate in Policy Analysis and Methods provides an understanding of the tools and methods of policy analysis.
Program requirements
- The Graduate Certificate in Policy Analysis and Methods requires 12-15 credit hours of coursework.
- PUAD 5303 is a prerequisite to PUAD 5330. Non-degree students interested in this certificate should contact their graduate academic advisor. Additional coursework may be required.
- Students must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0, with a minimum grade of “B-” (2.7) in each course.
- This program must be completed within 7 years.
Required courses
Note for current students: Please reference your degree audit or talk to your advisor about your program plan. Students are held to the program requirements from their admittance term. Therefore, the below may not be accurate to your situation.
Students must complete the two courses below, for a total of 6 credit hours.
- PUAD 5320: Public Policy Analysis (3 credit hours)
- PUAD 5330: Intermediate Statistical Analysis* (3 credit hours; pre-req PUAD 5003 or 5303)
Elective courses
In addition to the required courses, students must complete two elective courses from the list below, or select unlisted courses that have been approved in advance by the program director, for a total of 6 credit hours.
- PUAD 5007 Qualitative Methods (3 credit hours)
- PUAD 5008 Evidence-Based Decision-Making (3 credit hours)
- PUAD 5350 Program Evaluation (3 credit hours)
- CRJU 5331 Crime Analysis and GIS (3 credit hours)
- CRJU/PUAD 5304 Applied Research II: Quantitative Data and Analysis (3 credit hours)
- ECON 5150 Economic Forecasting (3 credit hours)
- GEOG 5085 GIS Applications for the Urban Environment (3 credit hours)
- MATH 5388 Machine Learning Methods (3 credit hours)
- PSCI 5011 GIS in Political Science (3 credit hours)
Recommended Completion Time:1 Year
Required Credits for Completion:15 Credits
Application Requirements & Steps:
- If pursuing a certificate on its own without a degree you will need to start a Graduate Non Degree application here: Applying to the University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus.
- Create an account and begin to follow the application prompts.
- In “Academic Interest,” select “Certificate” and the program you are interested in. Please note, not all certificates offered can be completed fully online.
- Include required materials:
- Transcripts: Individual transcripts from all higher education institutions attended where 12 or more credits were received. Unofficial can be used for the application but official are required within the first semester.
- Resume: Include a complete and up to date resume on your application.
- Submit your application once everything is complete!
- Pay the application fee. We never want the application fee to be a barrier. If you would like to request an application fee waiver, please reach out to [email protected]. Request the fee waiver before self-paying the app fee; the fee cannot be reimbursed.
- $50 for domestic applicants
- $75 for international applicants
- Await review! Applications are rolling admissions, you will hear back within 1-2 weeks.
Program Cost:
Certificates are calculated at a per-graduate credit cost. Please reference the Bursar's Page for the most up to date academic year’s cost of attendance and graduate credit rates. https://www.ucdenver.edu/student-finances/tuition-fees/graduate/
Please note: Non-degree admission to complete a certificate may not allow for federal financial aid. Please contact the Financial Aid Office.
General Certificate Policies:
Double-Dipping:
Students pursuing graduate degrees and/or certificates may apply certain courses toward multiple programs’ requirements. Graduate students may count a single course only twice across graduate programs (e.g., 1 degree and 1 certificate; 2 degrees; 2 certificates). For example, a student may opt to take PUAD 5655: Principles of Emergency Management and count it toward their MPA elective requirement and the Disasters, Hazards, and Emergency Certificate, but could not also count that course toward the Emergency and Homeland Security Certificate. Or for example a student pursuing a Dual Degree could potentially add in a certificate, but this would most likely require additional courses to the program plan as a course can only count towards two credentials, not three.
Transfer Credits:
Non-degree-seeking students: students may not transfer credits from other institutions toward SPA graduate certificates for non-degree-seeking students.
Degree-seeking graduate students: SPA students may transfer up to nine credit hours of coursework toward their graduate degree program with approval from the Program Director. These transfer hours may be applied toward SPA certificate coursework, so long as the coursework from the previous institution(s) did not apply to a previously earned credential. University of Colorado graduate students who are degree-seeking but not a SPA major may apply 1 course from their degree program to a SPA graduate certificate. The program director must approve this substitution / double-dipping.
Please contact your graduate advisor regarding transfer of credit; they will work with the program director for review and approval of transfer credits.
Residency (credits taken in SPA):
MPA students: all SPA certificate coursework (PUAD, CRJU, and HOUS) may be counted towards degree requirements
MPP students: all SPA certificate coursework (PUAD, CRJU, and HOUS) may be counted towards MPP degree requirements
MCJ students: up to nine credit hours of non-CRJU coursework may be counted towards MCJ degree requirements