Graduate Certificate in Public, Non-Profit & Community Leadership Certificate

Previously 15 credits, Starting Fall of 2025 12听credit hours (4听classes)

The Public, Non-Profit & Community Leadership Certificate is a valuable academic credential that reflects the participant's scholarly achievement in听courses related to public policy, local politics and/or community leadership. The program听offers participants simultaneously seeking a master's听degree, or those pursuing this听certificate without a degree, the opportunity to develop听knowledge, skills and political acumen to听lead more听effectively within your听organization, jurisdiction or community. Starting in the fall term of 2025,听certificate requirements will be adjusted to require four听courses representing 12听semester hours of credit.听

This certificate is administered by the Center for New Directions in Politics and Policy. The required course and some electives will be delivered through the New Directions weekend intensive (three weekend) format taught by practitioners. Other electives are offered by Political Science faculty through traditional, weekly courses offered in-person or remotely over the course of a full term.

A certificate is an excellent way to explore whether you'd like to pursue a full Master's degree. For students who enroll as non-degree seeking, up to all 12 of your听non-degree certificate credits could听be transferred听into a full Political Science or applied听Political Science New Directions Master's Degree program, upon departmental approval and acceptance into the graduate program.

Accreditation Information for Graduate Certificate in Public, Non-Profit and Community Leadership

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Public, Non-Profit and Community Graduate Leadership Certificate

Outcomes Assessment Plan

Updated November 2024 Based on听Forthcoming Fall听2025 Catalog Requirements

Certificate鈥檚 Educational Goals: This credit-bearing graduate certificate engages students in a locally focused program that spans state or听local听government,听community organizing and community development.听The听curriculum is anchored in practices听of local civic engagement and deepening understanding of politics and the intersections and听impacts of local government decisions and community movements for听traditionally marginalized communities.听 Certificate courses听provide real-life case studies and build skills听for students currently engaged in or seeking careers in local governent or听community-based organizations, as well as for students who simply seek听to be more actively engaged as local leaders. Students may pursue this certificate while earning a听degee in Political Science or another field to enhance听careers in local government, social work, sociology, education, public elected office, policy analysis,听research, as a program director or executive director or more. Students also may pursue this听certificate without a degree.

Certificate Learning Outcomes:听 Graduates of the Public, Non-Profit and Community Leadership Certificate program will:

Analyze structural roots of community problems and sources of community strength
Critique public, non-profit and community organizing and/or leadership strategies, depending on issue or community context
Apply critical thinking skills to solve collective problems in a manner that improves the public good
For students without relevant work experience, opportunities to deepen involvement with diverse communities and real-world challenges through an internship听that听allows students to reflect on the relationship between theory, political practice and potential career paths.
Effectively communicate findings and recommendations to specific audiences

Curriculum and Assessment Map: The Public, Non-Profit and Community Leadership certificate requires students to complete four graduate-level courses.听 One听course听is听required:听 PSCI 5914 (Community Organizing and Development) and PSCI 5959听 (Individually Structured Internship).听 Two courses are electives, and must be drawn from the following list:

PSCI 5009听听听听听Politics of the Budgetary Process听
PSCI 5024听听听听听State Politics: Focus on 黑料网官网
PSCI 5025听听听听听听听听 Local Governance and Globalization听
PSCI 5075听听听听听Gentrification and Social Equity
PSCI 5084听听听听听Local Government and Administration
PSCI 5094听听听听听听听听 Urban Politics, Planning and Development
PSCI 5124听听听听听听听听 Denver Politics听
PSCI 5206听听听听听听听听 Social Movements, Democracy and Global Politics
PSCI 5265听听听听听听听听 Social Justice and Globalization听
PSCI 5274听听听听听听听听 Conflict Resolution and Public Consent Building听
PSCI 5324听听听听听听听听 Politics, Public Policy, and Leadership听
PSCI 5414听听听听听听听听 Non-Profits and Social Change听
PSCI 5424听听听听听The Social Economy and Sustainable Development
PSCI 5434听听听听听The Cooperative Movement: Politics and Policy
PSCI 5548听听听听听Labor Law and Collective Bargaining
PSCI 5008听听听听听听听听 Topics Courses鈥擶hen Relevant and Approved by Program Advisor
PSCI 5840听听听听听听听听 Independent Study鈥擶hen Relevant and Approved by Program Advisor
PSCI 5959听听听听听Individually Structured Internship

The table below maps the learning objectives to the required course, and provides examples of typical assessments with respect to each learning objective.

Learning Objective	PSCI 5914
Analyze Structural Roots of Community Problems and Strengths	Short Papers & Final Project
Critique Public, Non-Profit and Community Leadership Strategies	Class Papers & Final Project
Apply Critical Thinking Skills to Improve Public Good	Possible:听 Final Community- Based Action Research Project
Deepen Involvement with Diverse Communities	Possible:听 Final Community- Based Action Research Project
Effectively Communicate Findings	Class Papers and Oral Presentation OR Community-Based Presentation

Assessment Data Collection and Analysis:听 Assessment for each learning objective will be undertaken at the time of conclusion for any of the required courses, using the rubrics below. Assessments will be conducted by reviewing relevant course records, and in consultation with relevant instructors.听 Assessment of achievement of learning outcomes for all students in the course will be conducted, providing evidence of the extent to which the opportunity to master learning objectives was provided to certificate student who might have been in the courses.

Learning Outcome 1: Analyze structural roots of community problems and sources of community strength

Category	Percentage of Students	Rubric
Exceeds Expectations	听	Demonstrates a broad and sophisticated understanding of the structural roots of community problems and sources of community strength.听听 Shows strong ability to link local dynamics to broader political, economic, historic, cultural or global forces that shape local life.
Meets Expectations	听	Demonstrates a solid understanding of the structural roots of community problems and sources of community strength.听听 Shows some ability to link local dynamics to broader political, economic, historic, cultural or global forces that shape local life鈥攂ut may demonstrate lack of depth in grasping either broader structural forces or in describing local manifestations.
Below Expectations	听	Demonstrates a limited understanding of the structural roots of community problems and sources of community strength.听听 Shows only limited ability to link local dynamics to broader political, economic, historic, cultural or global forces that shape local life.

Learning Outcome 2. Critique public, non-profit and community organizing and/or leadership strategies, depending on issue or community context.

Category	Percentage of Students	Rubric
Exceeds Expectations	听	Demonstrates a sophisticated understanding of effective public, non-profit and community organizing and/or leadership strategies, depending on issue or community context.听 In field work, student demonstrates an ability to identify relevant challenges to effective leadership in a given context, and to identify/evaluate promising responses to those leadership challenges.
Meets Expectations	听	Demonstrates a solid understanding of different public, non-profit and community organizing and/or leadership strategies, depending on issue or community context. 听In field work, student might struggle to identify/evaluate multiple promising responses to specific leadership challenges in a given context.
Below Expectations	听	Demonstrates a limited understanding of different public, non-profit and community organizing and/or leadership strategies, depending on issue or community context.听 In field work, Student struggles to identify a promising response to specific leadership challenge in a given context.

Learning Outcome 3: Apply Critical Thinking Skills to Improve Public Good

Category	Percentage of Students	Rubric
Exceeds Expectations	听	Community-based action research project and/or student鈥檚 performance in field internship demonstrates nuanced and sophisticated understanding of specific community challenges/opportunities, and impressively creative approach to addressing those challenges/opportunities. 听
Meets Expectations	听	Community-based action research project and/or student鈥檚 performance in field internship demonstrates solid understanding of specific community challenges/opportunities, and student demonstrates diligence and commitment in addressing those challenges/opportunities.
Below Expectations	听	Community-based action research project and/or student鈥檚 performance in field internship demonstrates only rudimentary understanding of specific community challenges/opportunities, and/or student lacks diligence and commitment in addressing those challenges/opportunities.

Category

Percentage of Students

Rubric

Exceeds Expectations

听

Community-based action research project and/or student鈥檚 performance in field internship demonstrates nuanced and sophisticated understanding of specific community challenges/opportunities, and impressively creative approach to addressing those challenges/opportunities.

听

Meets Expectations

听

Community-based action research project and/or student鈥檚 performance in field internship demonstrates solid understanding of specific community challenges/opportunities, and student demonstrates diligence and commitment in addressing those challenges/opportunities.

Below Expectations

听

Community-based action research project and/or student鈥檚 performance in field internship demonstrates only rudimentary understanding of specific community challenges/opportunities, and/or student lacks diligence and commitment in addressing those challenges/opportunities.

听

Learning Outcome 4:听 For students without relevant work experience, opportunities to deepen involvement with diverse communities and real-world challenges through an internship听that听allows students to reflect on the relationship between theory, political practice and potential career paths.

Category	Percentage of Students	Rubric
Exceeds Expectations	听	Student demonstrates serious commitment to building connections between university resources and community needs and interests and a creative approach to the practical application of academic skills.
Meets Expectations	听	Student participates in relevant university-community partnership opportunities, but may not demonstrate a unique personal commitment to this work.听听 Student is capable, but does not stand out, in pursuing a practical application of their academic skills. 听
Below Expectations	听	Student is disinterested or undependable in completing relevant university-community partnership opportunities.听听 Student demonstrates rudimentary effort to pursuing a practical application of their academic skills.听

Learning Outcome 5:听 Effectively communicate findings and recommendations to specific audiences

Category	Percentage	Rubric
Exceeds Expectations	听	Demonstrates a sophisticated ability to conceive of and execute well-organized, polished, and exceptionally effective written and oral presentations.听听听Presentations are mostly free of grammar and style errors, demonstrate evidence of careful review and practice before submission or delivery, and are properly aimed at the audience in question for any given presentation.
Meets Expectations	听	Demonstrates a solid ability to conceive of and execute organized, polished, and effective written and oral presentations.听听听 Presentations are generally free of grammar and style errors, but there may be enough errors to undermine the professional appearance of the product.听 Though final product is solid, there is evidence that more careful review and practice of final product before submission/presentation would have substantially improved product.听听 Though well-written or delivered, class products may not be well-tailored to the audience in question (whether academic, professional, or community-based).
Below Expectations	听	Struggles to conceive or execute organized and polished presentations, whether written or oral.听听听 Presentations may suffer from multiple grammar and style errors.听 Final products may lack evidence of careful review or practice before submission/delivery.听 Class products may not be poorly tailored to the audience in question (whether academic, professional, or community-based).

Schedule for Learning Outcomes Assessment

Achievement of learning outcomes for each student will be assessed at the time of each course鈥檚 conclusion.听听 Data will be reported upon the completion of the certificate by five or more students. Managing the assessment process will be the responsibility of the department certificate coordinator and/or Department Chair.听

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