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Graduate Certificate in Environmental Policy and Management
School of Public Affairs
Overview
Degree: Graduate Certificate
Classroom Type: Online and on campus classes
This certificate provides you with an understanding of how our natural environment is governed and affected by relationships between various entities, including legislatures, administrative agencies, courts, governments, nonprofits, the private sector and the public.
Application deadlines
Fall: August 1; Spring: December 1; Summer: May 1
Program Details
Interest Categories: Criminology & Law Public Administration & Policy
Campus: CU Denver
The Graduate Certificate in Environmental Policy and Management provides an understanding of how our natural environment is governed and affected by relationships between various public organizations at all levels of government; courts; nonprofit and private sectors; community groups and the public, and the range of policy tools and management approaches targeting environmental issues.
Program requirements
- The Graduate Environmental Policy and Management 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.
View course descriptions.
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 required courses below, for a total of 6 credit hours.
- PUAD 5631: Seminar in Environmental Politics and Policy (3 credit hours)
- PUAD 5632: Seminar in Environmental Management (3 credit hours)
Elective courses
In addition to the two required courses, students must complete two elective courses from the list below, for a total of 6 credit hours.
- CRJU 5710 Environmental Crime and Justice (3 credit hours)
- CVEN 5403 Environmental Regulations and Management Systems (3 credit hours)
- CVEN 5460/URPL 6399 Introduction to Sustainable Urban Infrastructure (3 credit hours)
- CVEN 5464 Sustainability and Climate Change (3 credit hours)
- ECON 5540 Environmental Economics (3 credit hours)
- GEOG 5265 Sustainability in Resources Management (3 credit hours)
- GEOG 5335 Climate Change & Society (3 credit hours)
- GEOG 5420 The Politics of Nature (3 credit hours)
- GEOG 5440 Science, Policy and the Environment (3 credit hours)
- PUAD 5130 Collaboration Across Sectors (3 credit hours)
- PUAD 5410 Administrative Law (3 credit hours)
- PUAD 5420 Law and Public Policy (3 credit hours)
- PUAD 5440 Negotiation and Conflict Resolution (3 credit hours)
- PUAD 5628 Social Problems and Policies (3 credit hours)
- CRJU / PUAD 5650 Security Policies, Strategies, and Operations (3 credit hours)
- URPL 5040 Urban Sustainability (3 credit hours)
- URPL 6200 Land Development Regulations (3 credit hours)
- URPL 6235 Environmental Justice (3 credit hours)
- URPL 6250 GIS for Urban Planning (3 credit hours)
- URPL 6510 Energy and Natural Resource Planning (3 credit hours)
- URPL 6549/GEOG5220 Environmental Impact Assessment (3 credit hours)
- URPL 6555 Transportation, Land Use, and the Environment (3 credit hours)
- URPL 6599/CVEN 5633 Sustainable Transportation Systems (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