Environmental Policy Graduate Certificate

The Environmental Policy Graduate Certificate seeks to impart some knowledge of the context, content, and methods required for meaningful policy analysis in the area of environmental policy.

Professionals and researchers working on environmental challenges often must work closely with policymakers or the policy process. Because of this, various public and private employers often seek scientists and researchers with some familiarity with the policy-making process.

To meet this need, the Department of Political Science offers a graduate certificate in Environmental Policy to current Purdue graudate students who wish to add an interdisciplinary credential in environmental policy to their degree. Students in the certificate program gain a basic understanding of the environmental policy process as part of their graduate study.

This certificate is offered at the graduate level only, not the post-baccalaureate level.

Admission Criteria

Currently enrolled as a Graduate Student at Purdue West Lafayette.

Minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0/4.0 with the possibility of conditional admission for applicants who do not meet this requirement.

International applicants whose native language is not English are required to provide proof of English proficiency for admission as explained here.

Courses

Students will take four required courses in three areas for a total number of 12 required credits. Course offerings are subject to change. Specific course requirements are as follows:

Required Course on the Policy Process

Students must complete the following course:

• POL 62000 – Proseminar in Public Policy and Processes, or an approved substitute

Required Course in Policy Analysis Tools

Students must complete one of the following courses:

• STAT 50200 – Experimental Statistics II
• STAT 51200 – Applied Regression Analysis
• STAT 51300 – Statistical Quality Control
• POL 60500 – Research Design and Methods
• POL 60600 – Advanced Quantitative Techniques in Political Science
• POL 69300 – Dynamics of Social, Ecological, and Technological Systems
• SOC 58100 – Methods of Social Research II
• SOC 68000 – Advanced Social Research Methods

Substantive Courses

Students must complete two of the following courses or approved substitutes:

• POL 52300 – Environmental Politics and Public Policy
• POL 62300 – Research Seminar in Environmental Policy
• AGEC 52500 – Environmental Policy Analysis
• AGEC 60200 – Preparation and Procedures for Policy Analysis

How to apply

• • Create an application (instructions on how to apply)
  • Complete/update the background section
  • Select the Purdue West Lafayette (PWL) campus
  • Your Selected Graduate Major: Political Science
  • Your degree objective “Environmental Policy Graduate Certificate” 
  • Select the term you’d like to enroll
  • Select “Online” as the primary course delivery method
  • In the “additional information” section, check “I am a Current or Past Purdue Student”
  • Applicants must provide a current Purdue transcript OR indicate “YES” on the application where it says “I consent and authorize Purdue University faculty and/or staff to access my Purdue University academic record for university business.” 
  • Sign and submit!
  • Students from outside of Political Science must also provide a completed G.S. Form 18, Dual Graduate Program Request, signed by the applicant and the Head of the applicant’s home department. To receive a copy of Form 18, please contact the Graduate Coordinator, polgradcoordinator@purdue.edu.
    
    

To Receive Your Certificate

Register as CAND991 during the semester in which you plan to receive your certificate.

Application fee

$60 for domestic students

$75 for international students

Deadlines for submission

All application materials must be received by: August 1 (for Fall admission) and December 1 (for Spring admission). We will process applications shortly after these deadlines.

While we encourage students to apply early, you may apply at any time prior to, during, or after completion of the requirements listed below. If a student has already completed all of the requirements and wishes to obtain a December certificate they must apply no later than August 1; the deadline is December 1 to qualify for a May certificate.