Certificate Programs
The School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences offers
seven graduate certificate programs for both degree and non-degree seeking
students. Certificate programs are a valuable component of the School’s
educational mission and can be an important resource for both mid-career
professionals and others seeking to advance their knowledge and expertise. The
Certificates are offered in: Crime and Justice Analysis, Economic and
Demographic Data Analysis, Evaluation Research, Financial Economics.,
Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Local Government Management, and
Non-profit Management.
Graduate Certificate in City Planning
The Graduate Certificate in City Planning is a 15 credit
hour Master’s level certificate. The 15 hours earned in the Certificate program
will count toward the Master of Public Affairs (MPA) degree if the student
decides to pursue the MPA. The academic focus of the proposed certificate
is the basic elements of the body of knowledge of the field of city planning.
These elements include the theory and legal elements of planning, developing
and implementing plans, land use management, land use law and regulation, and
functional topics such as transportation and housing.
The
The Certificate is intended for professionals already
working in city planning in the public sector, those employed in private
for-profit or governmental settings who work with planning and development projects, and students without professional experience who
seek to prepare themselves for careers in city planning or local government.
The 15 hours of course offerings noted below incorporate the
essential knowledge base of city planning. Students may petition the
program coordinator to include other graduate courses offered by the
PA 6324 - Community Planning
PA 6330 – Basics of Development
PA 6331 – Land Use Law and Development Regulation
PA 6354- Transportation Planning
and either
SOC 6381 – Geographic Information Systems Fundamentals
or
PA 6341 – Urban Development
or
PA 6342 – Local Economic Development
Graduate
Certificate in Economic and Demographic Data Analysis
The
Certificate in Economic and Demographic Data Analysis may be acquired by
graduate degree-seeking and non-degree-seeking students. For the certificate,
students must complete 15 graduate hours (5 courses). Students are required to
take (A) EPPS 7313 Descriptive and Inferential Statistics and EPPS 7316
Advanced Regression Analysis. (B) Students must choose at least one of the
following courses: ECO 6306 Applied Econometrics or EPPS 7318 Structural
Equation Modeling or EPPS 7344 Categorical and Limited Dependent Variables. (C)
In addition, two other empirically oriented courses must be completed. Students
should check with the Director of the Certificate Program or the program office
for details as to the list of acceptable courses.
Students seeking the certificate who do not plan to seek a
degree should (1) submit an application and (2) an undergraduate transcript. No
GRE score is required. Note: (a) up to 15 hours of coursework taken as a
non-degree seeking student can be applied later to a graduate degree (b)
currently enrolled students may use up to 9 hours of courses required for their
degree for the certificate. Non degree seeking students interested in
continuing their graduate education must formally apply to the university and
their program of interest to be considered for admission.
Graduate Certificate in Evaluation Research
A graduate-level certificate program in Evaluation Research
is offered jointly by the Schools of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences
and Behavioral and Brain Sciences. Students who complete this program will have
an opportunity to gain competencies in the design and implementation of program
evaluations in fields such as education, health care, human services, criminal
justice, and economic development. The Certificate in Evaluation Research
program may be incorporated into graduate degree programs in the Schools of
Economic, Political and Policy Sciences or Behavioral and Brain Sciences, or
may be taken on its own by non-degree seeking students. Students in the
Evaluation Research certificate program are normally expected to have completed
undergraduate courses in social statistics and research design; students
lacking appropriate preparation may be asked to take needed courses prior to
admission to the program.
In order to receive the certificate, students must
successfully complete three required courses and a two-semester long evaluation
research project that culminates in a final report. The courses in the School
of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences leading to the Certificate in
Evaluation Research are EPPS 6313 Descriptive and Inferential Statistics for
the Economic, Political and Policy Sciences, EPPS 6352 Evaluation Research
Methods in the Economic, Political and Policy Sciences, an elective course
approved by the Evaluation Research certificate program coordinator, and POEC
6V91 Evaluation Research (six credit hours) for a total of 15 semester credit
hours. With permission of the Evaluation Research program coordinator, students
may substitute appropriate courses from the
Students interested in applying for admission to the
Certificate in Evaluation Research program should consult the graduate advising
office in the
Graduate
Certificate in Geographic Information Science (GIScience)
The School of
Economic, Political and Policy Sciences offers a certificate in Geographic
Information Systems for both novice and experienced GIScience
professionals. The certificate is available to both graduate degree-seeking and
non-degree-seeking students. The certificate requires 15 graduate hours (5
classes).
Students seeking
the GIS certificate must have completed an undergraduate degree in some area
relevant to GIS. Primary admissions requirements are: (1) an application to
UT Dallas, and (2) an undergraduate transcript. Applicants for the
certificate program do not need a GRE (Graduate Record Examination) score. They
should apply as "non-degree-seeking" students to the Geospatial Information
Sciences program. Admissions requirements are the same for students who would
simply like to take one or more of the related courses without pursuing
certification.
The Graduate
Certificate in Geographic Information Science requires the following three
courses. Students must earn an average
grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 across these classes.
GISC 6381 Geographic Information
Systems Fundamentals
GISC 6382 Applied GIS
GISC 6387 Geographic Information
Systems Workshop
In addition,
students must take two courses from the following list:
GISC 6301 Geospatial Data Analysis
Fundamentals
GISC 6317 Computer Programming for GIS
GISC 6325/GEOS 5325 Introduction to
Remote Sensing
GISC 6383 GIS Management and
Implementation
GISC 6384 Spatial Analysis and
Modeling
GISC 6388 GIS Application Software
Development
GISC 7310 Regression Analysis with
Spatial Applications
GISC 7360 GIS Pattern Analysis
GISC 7361 Spatial Statistics
GISC 7363 Internet Mapping and
Information Processing
GISC 7365/GEOS 5326 Remote Sensing
Digital Image Processing
GISC 7366 Applied Remote Sensing
GEOS 5322 Global Positioning System
Satellite Surveying Techniques
GEOS 5324 3D Data Capture and Ground Lidar
Other courses in
Geosciences, Computer Science, Management, or Economic, Political and Policy
Sciences may be applied to the certificate at the discretion of the Director of
the Certificate Program. All courses applied to the Certificate must have
been taken within the three year period prior to the award of the Certificate.
No more than two courses can be transferred from another institution.
Graduate
Certificate in Homeland Security
The
graduate Certificate in Homeland Security is a 15-semester credit hour Master’s
level certificate. The fifteen (15) semester credit hours in Homeland Security
can be applied toward the Master of Public Affairs, the Master’s in Criminology
or the Master’s in International Political Economy degree. Students must
complete all requirements for full admission as a graduate student to apply
these courses to a Master’s degree.
Strengthening
the preparedness of the U.S requires a body of trained professionals in
homeland security. The relative novelty of homeland security as a field of
practice and study further strengthens the need for expanding the training and
educational needs of both current homeland security professionals and other
professionals with an interest in moving in to a career in homeland security.
The certificate is directed to homeland security professionals and those
aspiring to such employment in both government and business.
The certificate in Homeland Security emphasizes the
strategic dynamics of prevention and response with a special emphasis on
intelligence-led policing. This approach requires increased collaboration and
information sharing across organizations and jurisdictions. This approach also
requires information sharing across both public and private entities to move
intelligence to end-user and responders in a rapid manner. Finally,
intelligence led policing requires strong analytical tools and effective
planning to effect successful security of the nation.
Requirements for admission to the certificate program are
the same as for a non-degree seeking graduate student.
Students receiving the certificate may choose to sit for the
International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) Certificate in Emergency
Management. The Homeland Security Certificate is housed in the Public Affairs
program within the
The five course (15 hour) Homeland
Security Certificate requires completion of the following courses.
PA 6353 Introduction to Homeland
Security
PA 6371 Pre-emptive Strategies and Tactics
PA 7307 Information Sharing and Communication
PA 7308 Social Networks and Intelligence-Led Policing
PA 7309 Protecting Critical Resources and Infrastructure
Graduate
Certificate in Local Government Management
The
Local
government managers operate in a complex legal and political environment.
They are responsible for the provision of varied services directly to citizens,
such as land use planning, law enforcement, water and sewer services, and
recreation. Both the method and quality of service delivery are greatly
influenced by managers who are hired by elected officials. The management
of cities and counties has become increasingly professional over the past
several decades. How the professional staff delivers services to the
public within the political environment in which it works is the topic of many
of the courses in this program.
Requirements for admission to the certificate program are
the same as for a non-degree seeking graduate student. Completion of
fifteen (15) semester credit hours is required to attain the Graduate
Certificate in Local Government Management and those hours may count toward a
degree if the student completes all requirements for full admission as a graduate
student. Required courses in the certificate program are PA 6353 Human Resource
Management, PA 6321 Government Financial Management and Budgeting, and PA 6344
Local Government Management. The other two courses may be selected from
among courses that pertain to local government offered in the graduate programs
of the
Graduate Certificate in Non-profit Management
Non-profit
organizations constitute an increasingly significant sector of the American
economy as well as an essential element in American civic life. Non-profits are
found in such diverse fields as health care, education, human services, and
criminal justice, as well as in cultural and civic activities. Faced with
resource constraints and rising demands for accountability, non-profit
organizations require professional managers with an understanding of both
administrative principles and techniques and of the distinctive legal,
economic, and social environment within which non-profits operate.
The
Certificate in Non-profit Management is designed to provide an overview of the
nature and context of non-profit organizations combined with skill-based
courses to develop the competencies needed by non-profit managers. The
Certificate is intended for professionals already working in the non-profit
sector, those working in private for-profit or governmental settings who would
like to work or volunteer in the non-profit sector, and students without
professional experience who seek to prepare themselves for non-profit careers.
Completion of fifteen (15) semester credit hours are required to attain the Certificate
in Non-profit Management. Requirements include three core courses and two
guided electives from the list below. Students may petition the program
coordinator to include other graduate courses offered by the
Core
Courses – Nine (9) Hours
PA 6316 Leadership in Public and
Non-profit Organizations
PA 6380 Non-profit Organizations
PA 6390 Non-profit Management
Guided
Electives – Six (6) Hours from the following:
PA
6311 Public Management
PA 6321 Government Financial Management and Budgeting
PA 6333 Marketing and Communications for Non-profit Organizations
PA 6335 Resource Development for Non-profit Organizations
PA 6374 Financial Management for Non-profit Organizations
PA 6375 History and Theories of the American Philanthropic Sector
PA 6376 Assessment and Outcomes for Non-profit Organizations
Graduate
Certificate in Remote Sensing
The
Remote Sensing Certificate is administered jointly by the
Students seeking the Remote Sensing Certificate
must have completed an undergraduate degree in some relevant area. Primary
admissions requirements are: (1) an application to UT Dallas, and (2) an
undergraduate transcript. Applicants for the certificate program do not need a
GRE (Graduate Record Examination) score. They should apply as
"non-degree-seeking" students to the Geospatial Information Sciences program.
Admissions requirements are the same for students who would simply like to take
one or more of the related courses without pursuing certification.
The
Graduate Certificate in Remote Sensing requires 15 credits earned through the
following courses:
GISC
6325/GEOS 5325 Introduction to Remote Sensing
GISC
6381 Introduction to GIS
GISC
7365/GEOS 5326 Remote Sensing Digital Image Processing
GISC 7366
Applied Remote Sensing
GISC 7367/GEOS 7327 Remote Sensing Workshop