Today's public managers lead in turbulent times. The landscape has been described as complex, volatile, dynamic and unpredictable. The Graduate Certificate in Public Management provides not only the skills and expertise needed to manage in the public sector, but the capacity to use these tools strategically. The Graduate Certificate in Public Management program is designed to provide employees and potential employees of public organizations the opportunity to improve their managerial skills as well as their knowledge of the general field of public administration. This certificate, awarded to students interested in public sector management, focuses on the key areas of expertise required of public administrators.


  Graduate Certificate in Public Management Brochure

A Graduate Certificate in Public Management consists of four required classes. For descriptions of courses see UCCS Academic Catalog

Required courses include:
P AD 5001 Introduction to Public Administration and Public Service
P AD 5002 Organizational Management and Change
P AD 5004 Economics and Public Finance OR PAD 5005 The Policy Process and Democracy
P AD 5220 Managing People in Public and Nonprofit Organizations OR PAD 5625 Local Government Management  OR PAD 5626 Local Government Politics and Policy

Courses may be offered in the classroom or online. Students are not required to apply to a degree program to take these courses, but must have a bachelor's degree from an accredited university. Students must earn grades of B- or better in each course counted toward a certificate. Current Master of Public Administration (MPA) students may take these courses and earn the certificate in addition to the MPA as part of their degree plan. Students who complete the certificate only may apply these courses to the MPA degree if admitted within three years of taking the certificate courses.  

These courses also may be used as electives toward the Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree at UCCS School of Public Affairs. 

To enroll in the certificate program, all students must:
•submit a one-page certificate application and official transcripts to the School of Public Affairs

Students not currently admitted to the MPA or MCJ degree program must also: 
•submit a brief application and a $25 processing fee to the UCCS admissions office to be admitted as a nondegree student 
•submit official transcripts to the School of Public Affairs

Gainful Employment Disclosures:
The U.S. Department of Education requires us to provide the following information about each of our certificates.

Program Costs:
The total investment in the Graduate Certificate program will vary depending on a student's residency status (Colorado resident vs. non-resident) and delivery mode (on campus vs. online). Tuition and fees for the Graduate Certificate program are the same as listed here.

In general the total tuition and fees for a four (4) course certificate will be between $6898 and $12,592. Textbooks required for the certificate program typically cost between $100-$150 per course or $400-$600 for the program.

Related Occupations:
Related occupations for each certificate are listed below. Click the links below to view occupational profiles.

Management:
Chief Executives
General and Operations Managers
Legislators

Operations Specialties Managers:
Compensation and Benefits Managers
Human Resource Managers

On-Time Completion & Median Loan Debt:

As these are newly-approved programs the on-time completion rates and median student loan debt of program graduates are not yet available.