public administration students listening at group table

Public Administration Certificate

Enhance your management skills and take your career to the next level.

Understand and act upon policy and management issues facing organizations in the public, nonprofit and private sectors. Build your credentials in UND's fully online Public Administration graduate certificate program while continuing with your current job.

Program type:
Certificate - Graduate
Format:
On Campus or Online
Est. time to complete:
1-2 years
Credit hours:
9

Why earn a public administration certificate?

Graduate Application Deadlines
Fall:
May 15* | Aug. 1
Spring:
Oct. 15* | Dec. 1
Summer:
March 15* | May 1

*Priority deadline

The Public Administration graduate certificate provides the management core needed by professionals who have risen to positions of authority in the public and not-for-profit sector without benefit of formal management training. The certificate focuses on enhancing your management and administrative skills in human resources management, budgeting and financial administration, administration law, and ethics.

In this program, you'll also explore:

  • Basic conceptions and trends in public administration.
  • Professional ethics and personal standards of conduct.
  • The fundamental nature of public personnel administration.
  • Applying budget theories in the fiscal management of the public or non-profit sectors.
  • The legal dimension of public administration, including rule-making and personnel law.

Public Administration Certificate Online or On-Campus

  • Provides formal management training for those in positions of authority in the public or non-profit fields.

  • Designed for working professionals who are unable to complete a full-time, on-campus program.

  • Available 100% online with "live" Web classes held in the evenings (typically one evening per week for three hours). You are not required to come to campus at any time.

  • Allows you to apply your Public Administration graduate certificate coursework to UND's on-campus or online Master of Public Administration.

What can you do with a certificate in public administration?

With a Public Administration graduate certificate, you can develop advanced management skills that will benefit your career in public service, including the public and non-profit sectors. If you currently work in the field, the certificate is an ideal way for you to strengthen your skills, confidence and credentials.

The online or on-campus program provides you with the knowledge necessary to meet the challenges of today's administrative positions. UND's program will help you to:

  • Understand the public policy-making process.
  • Use critical thinking and analysis to aid in decision-making.
  • Communicate at high levels in written and oral correspondence.
  • Comprehend and adapt to changing political, economic and social environments.
  • Recognize the importance of integrity and dedication in carrying out the public trust.

A Public Administration certificate gives you the strategic skills you need, including:

  • Strategic Planning
  • Event Planning
  • Fundraising
  • Project Management
  • Public Relations

Public Administration alumni have gone on to a variety of successful careers with:

  • City Police Departments
  • Sanford Health
  • Aptargroup, Inc.
  • Best Buy Co., Inc.
  • City Government Offices

Public Administration Graduate Certificate Courses

POLS 531. Foundations of Public Administration. 3 Credits.

An extensive overview of Public Administration stressing the basic concepts and trends in the discipline as well as the classic scholars. F.

POLS 533. Administrative Ethics in the Public Sector. 3 Credits.

This course examines the challenges faced by public administrators in establishing personal standards of conduct in the administrative environment. Issues such as moral versus political accountability, social justice and whistle blowing are among the topics that will be explored in this course.

POLS 535. Public Organizations. 3 Credits.

This course focuses on understanding the distinctive purposes, characteristics, and responsibilities of public organizations and how to facilitate successful outcomes within them. Special emphasis will be placed on comprehending the systemic and organizational environment for effective governance and leadership; determining how to plan, prioritize, and allocate organizational resources; and developing the practical knowledge, skills, abilities, and attitudes to manage and lead public agencies or similar organizations in the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors. F,S.

POLS 536. Public Personnel Administration. 3 Credits.

This course is designed to help managers in all positions of an organization to understand the fundamental nature of public personnel administration, also known as human resource management. Topics to be covered include basic functions such as position classification, wage and salary administration, and performance appraisal. Attention will be given to contemporary issues such as sexual harassment, affirmative action, privacy, and unionization.

POLS 538. Public Budgeting and Financial Administration. 3 Credits.

This course will encompass the normative and descriptive budgetary questions in public administration. Orthodox, prevailing, and alternative budget theories are presented in generalized and applied settings.

POLS 539. Administrative Law. 3 Credits.

Study of the legal dimension of public administration. Study of requirements for rule making and adjudication and of judicial review of administrative decisions.

Explore More Options

Connect with faculty you'll work with at UND or discover similar graduate certificates.

Department Contact
Kevin Dunn
Graduate Adm Officer & Advisor
P 701.777.2975
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