Best National Security Policy Studies graduate certificate programs - Updated 2020

The Woodrow Wilson School offers a certificate in Urban Policy (UP), primarily for its own master students, but graduate students from other Princeton departments are eligible to earn the certificate. The UP certificate emphasizes the social, economic and political dimensions of urban problems and is designed to prepare students for careers in urban policy analysis and economic development in national, state and local governments, nonprofit organizations, think tanks and international organizations. The certificate does not appear on the official transcript. The UP certificate requires two core courses: WWS 537, Social Organization of Cities and WWS 538, Urban Economics. UP certificate students (in WWS) are encouraged to take WWS 539, Urban Politics and Policymaking. If a WWS student takes a policy workshop with significant urban content, it can be counted as an elective toward the certificate. Students who wish to count one non-WWS course toward the certificate requirements must seek advance permission from the UP certificate chair.

Certificate of Study in Communication and Media Policy. The Annenberg School for Communication offers a Certificate in Communication and Media Policy to be taken in conjunction with other graduate programs offered by the University of Pennsylvania. The certificate program aims to give students a concentrated feel for the intellectual excitement of that environment and field of study. The application therefore requires that students interested in the certificate consider what communication and media policy means to them and how they believe the five courses they want to take toward the certificate will help them grapple with particular issues that emerge from that understanding. To qualify for the certificate, a student must successfully complete five courses in the general area of communication and media policy, earning a GPA of at least 3.5 in those courses Students select three media policy courses to be taken at the Annenberg School and the remaining two can be taken at any Penn graduate school. An application to the certificate program must be submitted before enrolling in the classes. Approval for certificate-related courses Students must obtain approval for the two courses from outside Annenberg by submitting each syllabus to Annenberg’s Assistant Dean for Graduate Studies. If the petition takes place after the initial application for the certificate, the student must explain how those replacement courses relate individually and collectively (as part of the five-course cluster) to the area of communication and media policy.

Online Certificate of Graduate Study in Healthcare Management and Policy. UVM’s online Certificate of Graduate Study in Healthcare Management Policy introduces students to a range of policy, finance, and management issues impacting healthcare and public health in today’s changing and challenging environment. The Certificate of Graduate Study in Healthcare Management and Policy is an 18-credit, online program that requires four core courses and two electives.

The Certificate in Assessment, Evaluation, and Policy provides the skills and knowledge to design, develop, implement, and analyze a broad range of assessment systems evaluate teaching, learning and educational programming and develop multiple strategies to synthesize, share, and use data for decision­-making purposes. The intended audience of this certificate includes professionals in education and related fields (e.g., psychology, social work, family studies, and nonprofit management) such as teachers, administrators, district office staff, museum educators, policymakers, consultants, among others. This post­-baccalaureate certificate can be completed in roughly one and a half years through completion of five four­-credit courses.

Post-Baccalaureate Certificates (PBCs) are academic offerings that are earned after a student has already completed a recognized baccalaureate degree. The department in which the certificate curriculum resides may set reasonable admission requirements above those of the University with the approval of the University Curriculum Committee and the Academic Advisory Council. Graduate Certificates (GCs) provide specialized coursework in a focused course of study and are designed to supplement previous academic work. The Graduate Certificate is a graduate level academic offering that is earned after a student has already completed a recognized baccalaureate degree. Post Master’s Certificates (PMCs) are academic offerings that are earned after a student has completed a recognized master’s degree. A PMC usually is related to additional licensure or certification. The department in which the certificate curriculum resides may set reasonable admission requirements above those of the Graduate School with the approval of the Graduate Council and the dean of the Graduate School.