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Graduate Degrees

Graduate Certificate Programs

Certificate in Transportation Systems

The graduate certificate in transportation systems is an interdisciplinary program administered by the Department of Civil Engineering. The certificate program allows students to specialize in transportation applications, while simultaneously receiving a degree in their home department. The certificate in transportation systems combines elements of transportation engineering with transportation policy, planning and project management. The program is especially appropriate for students intending to pursue careers as developers of transportation technologies or as implementors of technologies within government agencies.

Students electing the certificate program apply to the Department of Civil Engineering.

Course prerequisites for the program are:

  1. one course in statistics or uncertainty, equivalent to CE 408, ISE 225 or PPD 404x;
  2. one course in engineering economy, equivalent to ISE 460;
  3. one course in microeconomics, equivalent to ECON 203; and
  4. one course in a high level programming language, such as C or Fortran.

These prerequisites may be satisfied after enrollment in the certificate program by taking the indicated courses or their equivalent. Graduate students cannot receive credit for courses numbered below 400. Detailed admissions requirements are published by the Department of Civil Engineering.

Requirements for Completion
The curriculum consists of five graduate courses for a total of 17 units.

Required coursesUnits
CE 519Transportation Engineering3
CE 585Traffic Engineering and Control3
ISE 515Engineering Project Management3
PPD 633Urban Transportation Planning and Management4
PPD 634Institutional and Policy Issues in Transportation4

Qualified students holding a bachelor's degree also have the option of enrolling in the certificate program without receiving a separate graduate degree.

Certificate in Nonprofit Management and Policy

This graduate certificate program provides students with a foundation in nonprofit management and policy. The certificate develops nonprofit management skills and provides students the knowledge needed to understand the increasing importance of nonprofits in society and their role in forming and influencing public policy.

Applicants for the Certificate in Nonprofit Management and Policy who are currently enrolled in a graduate program at USC and are in good standing with a 3.0 GPA only need to submit the appropriate paperwork for adding the certificate program, which may be obtained from the student services advisor.

Applicants for the Certificate in Nonprofit Management and Policy who have not matriculated at USC must make a formal application for admission to the certificate program, provide transcripts of all college work, a resume and one letter of recommendation.

The certificate in nonprofit management and policy consists of 16 units of graduate course work.

Required courses (16 units)
core Courses (12 Units)Units
PPD 675Nonprofit Management and Leadership 4
PPD 687Strategic Management in the Nonprofit Sector 4
PPD 689The Voluntary Nonprofit Sector and Public Policy 4

Elective Course
Students select 4 elective units. The elective course(s) may be taken from within the School of Policy, Planning, and Development course offerings or other USC units. The elective selection must be approved by the faculty advisor for the certificate program.

Up to 10 units of the certificate may be applied to both the certificate and the core requirements or electives in the Master of Public Administration program. Up to 12 units may be applied toward both the certificate and the core or electives in the Master of Public Policy program.

The Master of Public Administration director will provide advisement.

Certificate Programs in Public Financial Management

Students enrolled in the public financial management certificate program are required to take 52 graduate units of course work (53 for pre-service students). Fourteen of these units are M.P.A. core courses (PPD 500, PPD 501ab, PPD 540 and PPD 546); and 12 units of management competencies (PPD 541, PPD 542 or PPD 557 or PPD 666, and PPD 545). In addition, students must take 16 units of course work in finance and related subjects (PPD 516x, PPD 554* or PPD 555, PPD 647 and PPD 661 or PPD 662 or PPD 669). Ten units of approved electives will be selected from among: PPD 510b, PPD 542, PPD 652, PPD 660, PPD 661, PPD 662, PPD 669, PPD 679 and PPD 688. Pre-service students must also serve an internship and be enrolled in PPD 543.

Students may receive this certificate with a specialization in intergovernmental management provided they complete the three course sequence (PPD 661, PPD 662, PPD 669). Students may satisfy this requirement if they apply two of these courses toward the 10-unit elective requirement and apply the third course toward the 16-unit finance and related subjects requirement.

*Students who select PPD 554 (rather than PPD 555) must select an additional 2-unit elective.

Certificate Programs in Health Services Administration

The Health Services Administration Program of the School of Policy, Planning, and Development offers certificate programs in specialized areas of health care administration. The certificates are designed to provide practitioners with means for improving or updating their knowledge and experience in a challenging and professionally relevant course of study. Certificates are offered in Administration of Long Term Care Programs and Management of Ambulatory Care Systems. Applicants for the Health Services Administration certificate programs must make formal application for admission to the certificate program, provide transcripts of all college work, supplemented by three letters of recommendation, including one from a former instructor, a resume and a personal statement describing their career goals and the relationship of the certificate to those ends.

It is expected that applicants to the certificate programs should have graduated from a recognized college with an approximate grade point average of B in the last 60 units of college work. Non-graduates may be admitted if the director believes that there is evidence to suggest that the applicant is capable of graduate level work.

Successful completion of the certificate will not be a deciding factor in the admission decision for the degrees offered by the Health Services Administration Program or the School of Policy, Planning, and Development.

Each program requires 20 units of graduate credit including a 16-unit core and a four-unit specialized seminar in the area of the certificate concentration. Core courses (16 units) are: PPD 509; PPD 510a or PPD 516x; PPD 545 or PPD 557; one elective. One specialized seminar as follows (four units): PPD 600, PPD 601 or GERO 550.

Completing a certificate program does not constitute completion of or admission to the Master of Health Administration (M.H.A.) degree program nor will it be a deciding factor in the admission decision to the M.H.A. degree program. Students in the M.H.A. program, however, may qualify for award of these certificates if they complete the applicable course requirements.

Certificate in Public Management

This program provides students with a solid foundation of training and skills in management. Individuals who need training in public administration but who are unable to enroll for the Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) degree may find this certificate program of particular interest. Key to the program's success is the close integration of the academic curriculum and the application of skills and theory to managerial work assignments. Students may enroll at any time throughout the year.

The program consists of four courses: PPD 540, PPD 542, PPD 545, and one elective selected from any 500-level offering in the PPD curriculum.

Certificate in Public Policy

This graduate certificate program provides students with a foundation in public policy analysis. It is designed to provide expertise in public policy to individuals who do not want to pursue the Master of Public Policy degree. Potential students include those who are pursuing another degree and want to complement that work with a specialization in public policy, as well as qualified students holding a bachelor's degree who have not matriculated at USC. The certificate develops policy analytic skills and their integration with a policy issue area of interest to the student.

Applicants for the Certificate in Public Policy who have not matriculated at USC must make a formal application for admission to the certificate program, provide transcripts of all college work, a resume and one letter of recommendation.

The program consists of 16 units of graduate course work.

Required courses (16 units)
core Courses (8 Units)Units
PPD 500Intersectoral Leadership2
PPD 554Foundations of Public Policy Analysis2
PPD 555Public Policy Formulation and Implementation4

Choose 4 units from:
PPD 501abEconomics for Policy, Planning and Development2-2
PPD 557Modeling and Operations Research4
PPD 558Multivariate Statistical Analysis4
PPD 560Methods for Policy Analysis4

Choose one course from a policy area. There are many policy issues courses from which to choose (e.g., health, nonprofit, transportation, environment, housing). 4

The Master of Public Policy director will provide advisement.

Certificate in Sustainable Cities

The Sustainable Cities Graduate Certificate program is a multidisciplinary certificate program open to USC students pursuing graduate degrees in many disciplines including anthropology, architecture, biology, chemistry, communication, earth sciences, economics, education, engineering, geography, international relations, political science, public policy, sociology, urban planning and others. See Sustainable Cities in the Interdisciplinary Programs section for course requirements.

Certificate in Health Systems Operations

This 17-unit graduate certificate is jointly sponsored by the Epstein Industrial and Systems Engineering Department and the School of Policy, Planning, and Development (Master of Health Administration program), and administered by the Epstein Industrial and Systems Engineering Department. See the Industrial Systems and Engineering Department for course requirements.

Non-Credit Programs Offered by the Center for International Training and Development

Management Effectiveness Program
This is a four-week intensive training program in the art and science of management. The program is designed to enhance leadership effectiveness and the development of a management generalist perspective.

International Executive Development Laboratory
This five-week laboratory focuses on issues in executive leadership, strategic management, environmental analysis, international finance and economics, computer-based project planning, and implementation of planned change strategies.