Graduate Certificate in Local Government
School of Public Affairs
Overview
Degree: Graduate Certificate
Classroom Type: Online and on campus classes
This certificate prepares students to become well-versed in the forces that shape the agendas of the public sector, including those of municipalities, counties, regional authorities and councils of government. Additionally, students gain an understanding of government management and policy making.
Application deadlines
Fall: August 1; Spring: December 1; Summer: May 1
Program Details
Interest Categories: Criminology & Law Public Administration & Policy
Campus: CU Denver
Local governments are integral to providing and producing a range of public goods and services to residents including public works, education, parks and recreation, housing, emergency medical services, broadband, local courts, vital records, and transportation. Local government officials are also crucial for assisting higher-level governments in designing, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating public policy, thereby helping to achieve broader social outcomes. The local government certificate prepares students to become well-versed in the forces that shape the agendas of local governments and the organizations they interact with in order to gain a richer understanding of governance and policy making.
Program requirements
- The Graduate Local Government Certificate requires 12 credit hours of coursework.
- 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 course below, for a total of 3 credit hours.
- PUAD 5503: Public Budgeting & Finance (3 credit hours)
In addition, students must complete at least one of the three courses below, for a total of 3 credit hours.
- PUAD 5625: Local Government Management (3 credit hours)
- PUAD 5626: Local Government Politics & Policy (3 credit hours)
Elective courses
In addition to the required courses, students must complete two PUAD graduate elective courses from the list below or that have been approved by their advisor, for a total of 6 credit hours.
- PUAD 5130: Collaboration Across Sectors (3 credit hours)
- PUAD 5170: Strategic Management for Nonprofit & Public Managers (3 credit hours)
- PUAD 5220: Human Resource & Talent Management (3 credit hours)
- PUAD 5250: Intergovernmental Management (3 credit hours)
- PUAD 5260: Managing for Social Equity (3 credit hours)
- PUAD 5271: Managing Organizational Change (3 credit hours)
- PUAD 5380: Public Participation, Political Equity & Government (3 credit hours)
- PUAD 5410: Administrative Law (3 credit hours)
- PUAD 5440: Negotiation & Conflict Resolution (3 credit hours)
- PUAD 5460: Political Advocacy (3 credit hours)
- PUAD 5628: Social Problems and Policies (3 credit hours)
- PUAD 5632: Seminar in Environmental Management (3 credit hours)
- PUAD 5650: Security Policies, Strategies, and Operations (3 credit hours)
- PUAD 6410: Methods for Building and Assessing Multi-Sector Housing Partnerships (3 credit hours)
- PUAD 6415: Governance for Affordable Housing (3 credit hours)
- PUAD 6420: Innovations in Housing Finance and Policy (3 credit hours)
Recommended Completion Time:1 Year
Max Transfer Credits:0
Max Credits Per Year:In most cases, students wishing to take more than 18 credit hours per semester (12 in the summer session) must have the overload approved by the dean.
Required Credits for Completion:12 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