The Bloustein School has added two new post-baccalaureate certificates for the fall of 2020, allowing non-matriculated students who have completed a degree from a nationally or internationally accredited undergraduate program to enhance their knowledge in a specific area before committing to a full master’s program.
Certificates are groupings of specific courses that indicate that the student has developed cross-disciplinary expertise in a particular subject area.
With the application of quantitative data techniques dramatically increasing, the Certificate in Public and Urban Informatics enhances data analysis and programming skills to the application of planning and public policy topics. The Certificate in Public Policy focuses on extending students’ understanding of the forces that influence public debates, stimulate policy change, and build the public good and is designed for students who are interested in applied, policy-related work.
Professionals who are starting their careers or are transitioning into a new field may pursue either certificate to strengthen their skills and explore pursuing a Bloustein School’s master’s degree in public informatics or public policy. Mid-career professionals may find a certificate of interest in order to upgrade and advance quantitative skills and capabilities.
Non-matriculated students that successfully complete the 12-credit curriculum for a certificate would be eligible to apply for the related master’s degree program. Students completing the Certificate in Public and Urban Informatics would apply to the 36-credit Master of Public Informatics and, if admitted, use their credits as part of their degree requirements. Students completing the Certificate in Public Policy would apply to the Master of Public Policy (48-credit program) or to the Master of Public Affairs and Politics (30-credit program) and, if admitted, use their credits as part of their degree requirements.