Certificates

Graduate Certificate in Applied Sustainability

The Graduate Certificate in Applied Sustainability is a unique interdisciplinary look at what it takes to make urban and economic development compatible with the natural environment. Taught by Metropolitan College faculty from the departments of Applied Social Sciences, Administrative Sciences, and Computer Science, coursework guides students through the foundations of ecology; current theories of sustainability; methods for optimizing energy and land use; building management techniques; the politics, law, and economics of the global green movement; and the relationship between IT and the consumption of resources.

This certificate is appropriate for individuals currently in roles as sustainability professionals as well as those seeking to enter this expanding and exciting field. Experienced architects, facilities managers, city planners, and IT experts can become familiar with the latest developments, while those just beginning careers in these and related fields will gain the foundation to make green thinking central to their work from the outset.

Graduate Certificate in Urban Policy & Planning

The Graduate Certificate in Urban Policy & Planning provides an in-depth, multidisciplinary perspective on complex twenty-first century urban issues, including housing and community development, public health, economic and infrastructural management, and environmental sustainability. Students in the program study policy analysis and formulation; urban public financing; comparative planning and development; urban spatial analysis; the political, legal, social, and economic dimensions of urban development; and the relationship between urban land use and the environment. The Urban Policy & Planning graduate certificate program is ideal for mid-career professionals and recent graduates who seek to advance their careers as urban managers, policy analysts, city planners, researchers, and consultants in the public, private, or nonprofit sectors.

Coursework will provide students with the expertise to analyze a range of information in order to cultivate successful urban policies, identify community needs and resources, and administer effective service-delivery programs. Graduates will be equipped to develop policy and planning solutions with various urban stakeholders; work with public and private leaders at the city, state, and federal levels to overcome conflicting goals; and evaluate how to better incorporate and prioritize equitable and sustainable urban strategies.

Graduate Certificate in Applied Urban Informatics

Available currently on campus (online coming soon!), the Graduate Certificate in Applied Urban Informatics is concerned with studying urban issues using existing and emerging forms of data, along with analytical and computational techniques. The certificate will provide analytic and computational tools and will focus on skills needed to work with varied data sources to inform policy decisions in a range of government, nonprofit, and private organizations.

All credits earned toward the Graduate Certificate in Applied Sustainability, the Graduate Certificate in Urban Policy & Planning and the Graduate Certificate in Applied Urban Informatics certificate programs may be applied to the Master of Urban Affairs or the Master of City Planning degrees. With the corresponding department approval, students pursuing or planning to pursue master’s degrees in Computer Science or Administrative Studies may apply certificate credits toward their degree.

For more information please visit the Metropolitan College website.