The Department offers four graduate-level certificates: Public Policy, Public Administration, Nonprofit Administration and Law, Public Policy and Public Administration. The courses required for these certificates are the same courses used for the MPA program. The courses in each of these certificate programs can fully be applied to the Master of Public Administration Program if a student decides to do this. A student must contact the MPA Director in their final semester of their certificate program to make this change.

Please review the respective criteria to apply and details for each of these programs.

Certificate in Law, Policy and Public Administration

The Certificate in Law, Policy, and Public Administration offers public employees the fundamental skills through a series of core courses important for the profession of public administration, policy, and law. These classes provide basic knowledge and skills that enhance the level of professionalism in public administration and law. Many public employees have bachelor and graduate degrees in many technical fields but lack the basic managerial areas of public administration. Additionally, many current graduate students on campus do not have the time and financial support to complete a joint degree. The Certificate in Law, Policy, and Public Administration is a first-of-its kind for the Montana University System, leveraging curriculum and expertise from the School of Law.

Requirements

You must complete 12 credits as follows:

Certificate in Poverty Policy

The Certificate in Poverty Policy offers current in-career professionals and public sector employees a focused education on poverty policy essential to provide the skills necessary to tackle large-scale societal issues such as poverty. This certificate ensures awareness of marginalized populations and provides you with the opportunity to devise solutions and pathways forward.

Requirements

You must complete 12 credits as follows:

Certificate in Public Administration

The Certificate in Public Administration offers public employees the fundamental skills through a series of core courses important for the profession of public administration. These classes provide basic knowledge and skills that enhance the level of professionalism in public service.

Many public employees have bachelor’s and graduate degrees in technical fields but lack the basic managerial areas of public administration. The certificate in Public Administration provides a bridge for public service employees to gain skills, knowledge and training by completing a short set of classes such as public administration, human resource management, budgeting and organization theory. These classes are critical for understanding public organizations and enhance the performance of public workers and the valuable services government agencies perform for our society.

Requirements

You must complete 12 credits as follows:

Certificate in Public Policy

The Certificate in Public Administration offers public employees the fundamental skills through a series of core courses important for the profession of public administration. These classes provide basic knowledge and skills that enhance the level of professionalism in public service. Many public employees have bachelor's and graduate degrees in technical fields but lack the basic managerial areas of public administration. The Certificate in Public Administration provides a bridge for public service employees to gain skills, knowledge and training critical for understanding public organizations,

Requirements

You must complete the following:

Certificate in Nonprofit Administration

The Certificate in Nonprofit Administration is designed for students wishing to develop professional competencies relating to nonprofit management. This is a graduate level, professional certificate. The classes are $500 per class (for any in- or out-of-state student). Find information on how to apply on our Apply page here and submit at least three weeks prior to a given semester start date. A list of classes are below. For course offering periodicity, please see the nonprofit administration course schedule. 

Requirements

You must complete a minimum of 16 credits as follows:

Note: Effective Fall 2020, all classes will be taught at the 500 level. If you are an undergraduate finishing the certificate, please contact the associate dean, Dr. Sara Rinfret.

Internship

4 credits of NPAD 598 Internship. (Syllabus PDF) Contact Ben Hamman, internship coordinator, for requirements and registration. See our department internship page for the syllabus and requirements.

All courses taken in pursuit of the certificate must be taken for graded credit, and a grade of C or above must be achieved in order to receive credit for any course. Nonprofit certificate credits can be applied to the Master of Public Administration (discuss with Department chair the process).