Our online graduate certificate allow students to gain a range of knowledge and skills without committing to a full master’s degree. Coursework will expose students to the policymaking process, economics for public policy, public budgeting and management, and a variety of other topics central to careers in the public and non-profit sector.
Course Requirements
The 3-course (9 credit hour) online certificate can consist of the courses below:
1 SPP Core Class: 3 credits
+
2 SPP Core OR Elective Classes (600 level or higher): 6 credits
=
3 Classes, 9 total credits
Use the Public Policy and Management Certificate Requirements Form to track completion of certificate requirements.
Certificate Core Courses
Choose at least one of the following courses:
SPP 601: Politics and the Policy Process. Examination of the influence of political factors, including institutions and interests, on the initiation, formulation, and implementation of public policy. Examines the role of information and expertise in politics.
SPP 602: Public Management.
SPP 603: Public Policy Analysis.
SPP 605: Economics and Public Policy. Introduction to microeconomic theory and policy analysis. Examines economic rationales for and against government policy and the economic consequences of public policy.
SPP 611: Comparative Public Policy. This course introduces policy-making with explicit cross-national focus. Focus is on how values, institutions, and choices shape outcomes.
Example Elective Courses
Please note - any elective used toward the Online Certificate in Public Policy and Management must be 600-level or higher.
SPP 607: Public Policy Methods. Introduction to methodologies for analyzing, implementing, and evaluating public policy. Topics include research methods, participant observation survey research and questionnaire construction, research design, measurement theory and practice, and framing categories.
SPP 613: Public Policy Seminar. Theories of policy-formation are applied to several timely issues of US and global policy. Issues are grouped around a broad theme, such as environmental policy or security. Relevant experts/policymakers will help students complete policy simulations on our issues.
SPP 690STP: The Future of Government. This course invites students to discover, discuss, debate and reflect on the benefits and negative consequences of increasingly digitized governance. We will focus on strategy, management, and operations. Course topics cover a broad and emerging terrain including public engagement and participation, open government and open data, visualization and mapping, multi-stakeholder collaboration, cross-boundary networks, design thinking, agile development, smart cities and the future of work.
SPP 632: Public Budgeting and Finance. This is an advanced seminar focusing on public budgeting. The central purpose is to develop an understanding of the institutions, issues, and processes involved in budgeting as well as related analytical skills that will give you the ability to function in careers in financial analysis and budgeting.
SPP 690F: Financial Management for Nonprofits and for State and Local Government. This course will strengthen and develop the following knowledge, skills and abilities: Knowledge of the basics of financial accounting; Financial statement analysis skills; Financial condition analysis skills; Cost accounting skills; Knowledge of control functions; Knowledge and application of the time value of money; Knowledge and application of appropriate software packages for financial information management; Knowledge of cash management techniques and instruments; Municipal bond markets and financial intermediation; Investment analysis techniques; Investment management.