O'Neill School Of Public and Environmental Affairs
Graduate
Certificate Programs
Policy Analysis
The Graduate Certificate in Policy Analysis is a 15 credit hour program of study. The certificate is designed to provide graduates with the skills necessary to provide technical support for decision-makers at all levels of government and to support organizations that provide policy information to the public more broadly.
The certificate prepares students to work in the public, private, or nonprofit sectors in a range of specialties, including healthcare, the criminal justice system, social policy, and budgets and finance.
Admission Eligibility
The student must have a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university to apply.
Application
An online application and information may be obtained here. Application deadlines for the certificate programs are May 15 for the fall semester, September 15 for the spring semester, and March 15 for summer sessions. Students must pay a nonrefundable application fee.
Program Restrictions
- Students admitted to a O'Neill graduate degree program are not eligible for admission nor awarding of a certificate in the same concentration of their graduate degree.
- Transfer credit, course substitutions, or course waivers are not accepted for fulfilling the certificate requirements.
- Students enrolled in a certificate program can only confer the certificate with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 (B) in all required coursework.
- A student may be dismissed if, after 9 credit hours of coursework, the GPA is below a 3.0.
- Admission to or successful completion of a certificate program does not guarantee subsequent admission to an O'Neill graduate degree program.
- Students enrolled in a certificate program who apply to an O'Neill graduate degree programs must meet all existing admission requirements, or may request a waiver if they complete at least three classes towards the certificate with a 3.5 GPA or higher.
Certificate Requirements (15 credit hours)
Required Courses (12 credit hours)
FOUR of the following courses:
- SPEA-V 502 Public Management
- SPEA-V 507 Data Analysis and Modeling for Public Affairs
- SPEA-V 512 Public Policy Process
- SPEA-V 517 Public Management Economics
- SPEA-V 541 Benefit-Cost Analysis of Public and Environmental Policies
- SPEA-V 560 Public Finance and Budgeting
- SPEA-V 663 Policy Analysis
Elective (3 credit hours)
ONE additional O'Neill graduate public affairs course from the following list:
- SPEA-V 511 Collaborative Governance
- SPEA-V 519 Seminar in Environmental Policy and Sustainability
- SPEA-V 532 Urban Planning and Placemaking
- SPEA-E 529 Application of Geographic Information Systems
Student Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this certificate program, students shall:
- synthesize different sources and types of information to make recommendations
- present original ideas and engage in dialogue with experts and peers
- provide actionable and measurable recommendations to community organizations
