Civic Engagement & Public Service Certificate

Connect your major to work for social change.

The Civic Engagement & Public Service (CEPS) certificate is an interdisciplinary program of study that prepares students for a life of community engagement for political and social change. CEPS combines theory and practical experiences in a coherent framework for students from any major. Students take six courses from a wide variety of choices from several departments. These courses explore distinct content areas: Social Justice, Political Theory, Public Policy, Organizing, and Diversity. Through CEPS courses, students explore the complex ideas inherent in civic engagement and public service in an effort to build a more just and peaceful world.

Click HERE for a comprehensive & up-to-date CEPS Certificate Spring 2025 Course List

Contact:

Chloe Spurr

CEPS Certificate Coordinator

cspurr@umass.edu

Outcomes:

Connect your education/major to work in community settings that advocates for a more just society
Get hands-on experience connecting ideas and action
Explore a path to a career in the civic sphere, nonprofit sector, or politics
Receive academic credit and official recognition for public service done while at UMass

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How To Apply

Apply Now

Who Can Apply?

We strongly encourage first-year students or sophomores from any major to apply. Juniors and seniors with an interest in the certificate should meet with the CEPS advisor to determine if they are eligible.

Important Application dates or deadlines:

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

Application requirements:

Applications are welcome from ANY student from ANY major. Students are expected to have an interest in and/or curiosity about social justice, service-learning, community engagement—and connecting your learning to off-campus community organizations. We encourage first-year students and sophomores to apply, as juniors and seniors may not have enough time left at the university to complete the requirements, but it is best to meet with the CEPS advisor to determine your eligibility.

Additional details & information :

How to Apply

Click the Apply Now button. The application will open in your browser.
Fill out the application as best you can, using the CEPS Approved Courses lists on the Certificate webpage.
Save As "CEPS Application Last name First name". This is an important step because you are now saving the file.
Email it to: Chloe Spurr, CEPS Certificate Advisor, cspurr@umass.edu. Chloe will get back to you with confirmation and next steps.

More Details

Requirements to complete the program:

At UMass, a certificate is similar to a minor. While most minors are usually in a single department, our certificate explores a complex topic using courses from several departments. CEPS is inherently interdisciplinary and allows students to choose electives that meet CEPS requirements, but which are also meaningful for their education and connected to their interests. One way to think of CEPS is as an interdisciplinary minor—with a focus on civic engagement.

Earning the CEPS Certificate involves successful completion of the six required CEPS courses, including a foundations class, a minimum of two required service-learning classes, and capstone.

To fulfill the requirements of the CEPS certificate, students assemble six classes with the assistance of a CEPS advisor. Applicants must attain at least a 2.0 average in the program courses with no more than one of these courses having a grade of less than 2.0 (C).

Fall 2024 Advising Hours:

Chloe Spurr: Email to schedule (cspurr@umass.edu)

Lanelle Garcia: Monday & Wednesday, 9:00 - 3:30

Charlotte Gilson: Thursday & Friday, 12:30 - 4:30

Kriti Dhiman: Monday, 11:00 - 12:00; Wednesday, 9:00 - 11:00; Friday, 10:30 - 11:30

Bartlett Hall, Room Number 262

Content Areas

You are required to earn 18 credits for CEPS through at least six courses, each three credits or more. You must take at least one course in the five required content areas. These are:

1. Issues of Social Justice (ISJ): Courses that offer an introduction to the root causes and theoretical understanding for different kinds of oppression in contemporary society and the theory and practice associated with creating a just society.

2. Civic and Political Theory (CPT): Courses that engage students in thinking theoretically about the dynamics of power and governance and prepare students to use theory to inform the practice of citizenship in a democratic society.

3. Public Policy (PP): Courses that provide an understanding of how public policy gets made through social movements and governmental processes; how it affects our lives; and how citizens can work to create, influence, and change policy.

4. Community/Political Organizing (C/PO): Courses that introduce students to how citizens mobilize to use their collective power and to make change.

5. Diverse Publics (DP): Courses that help students develop a complex understanding of "the public" by offering an in-depth exploration of different constituencies within contemporary American society or societies worldwide.

And a sixth course in a content area of your own choosing.

Additional requirements for the program include:

Foundations Course: This course introduces students to fundamental CEPS issues and ideas and provides a critical framework for civic engagement and the CEPS certificate.
Service-Learning Courses: Single and multisemester, community-based courses offered across departments.
Capstone Experience: Culminating experience through capstone course, project, or thesis.

Note: While one course cannot count as two content areas, some courses can be counted as a content area as well as foundations, capstone, and/or service-learning.

CEPS Tracks

Students may fulfill all of the requirements individually from the approved courses or through a service-learning program that fulfills a number of the requirements. CEPS tracks include:

General Pathway: If you participate in the General Pathway, you will choose at least six courses that fulfill all of the following requirements: one from each of the five content areas, one foundations, and one capstone course. In addition, you must include two CESL-designated service-learning courses.

CSP Pathway: If you participate in the Citizen Scholars Program, your four courses will fulfill four of the six course requirements, four of the five content areas, the foundations and capstone requirements, and all of the service-learning requirements. You will still need a course from the issues of social justice OR diverse publics content area and one additional course from any of the content areas.

Boltwood Pathway: If you participate in the Boltwood Project, students who have been in SRVCLRNG 220 for 3 or more semesters will have completed one content area and the Foundations requirement. Students who are a supervisor for at least one academic year will have completed two content areas, the Foundations requirement, and both Service-Learning requirements.

Student Bridges Pathway: If you participate in Student Bridges, your two courses will fulfill the requirements for the issues of social justice and diverse publics content areas, the foundations and capstone requirements, and all of the service-learning requirement. You will still need one additional course from each of the other three content areas and a fourth course from any content area.

IMPACT Pathway: If you participate in the IMPACT RAP, your two courses will fulfill two of the content areas (issues of social justice and diverse publics), the foundations requirement, and all of the service-learning requirement. You will still need one additional course from each of the other three content areas and a fourth course from any content area.

UACT Facilitator Pathway: Several of the courses taken to fulfill the role of a UACT (UMass Alliance for Community Transformation) facilitator count toward the certificate. Review your courses with the CEPS advisor to determine which courses will count toward the certificate.

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