Graduate Certificates

Students explore agriculture, environmental sustainability, and policy development to gain a comprehensive understanding of the policy frameworks that shape sustainable practices in the agricultural and environmental sectors. Through case studies and policy analysis, students acquire the skills needed to navigate the complexities of policymaking related to environmentally responsible agricultural policies.

Required Courses

HBS 503 Administrative Law and Regulatory Policymaking – Legal foundations of the administrative state. Agency implementation of legislation through rulemaking, enforcement, and adjudication. Legislative oversight, executive control, and judicial review of agency actions.

AREC 530 Agricultural Policy – Evaluation of public policy as related to agricultural industry and rural areas.

HBS 541 Environmental Policy – Overview of contemporary environmental policy and its evolution. Examines the roles of values in the environmental arena. Provides a framework for policy analysis and analytical tools for selection and choosing among policy options.

Select One Course

HBS 545 Sustainable Development – Creation and implementation of sustainable development approaches and strategies for local communities.

LAW 866 Environmental Law – Study, through methods of public policy analysis, of responses of legal system to environmental problems: environmental regulation and its alternatives; Clean Air Act; Clean Water Act; National Environmental Policy Act; Endangered Species Act; Superfund; and selected regulatory issues.

The Economic and Community Development Certificate provides students with the tools to evaluate decisions by local, state, and federal governments in managing economic growth and in providing public goods and services. Students are well-equipped to work at the intersection of public policy and economic development, helping make public policy more effective and communities more successful.

Required Courses

HBS 503 Administrative Law and Regulatory Policymaking – Legal foundations of the administrative state. Agency implementation of legislation through rulemaking, enforcement, and adjudication. Legislative oversight, executive control, and judicial review of agency actions.

HBS 544 Planning and Land Use – Regional planning within a legal, regulatory, social and political context. Environmental and sustainable development. Role for public, private and nonprofit entities in affecting regional performance. Project evaluation, economic impact analysis, economic development incentives, including tax-increment financing and development impact fees and taxes. Community engagement. Land use regulation and zoning.

Select One Course

HBS 534: Public Organization, Theory, and Behavior – Examination of organizational theory and behavior with emphasis on implications for public management. Includes theories of decision-making, leadership, communications, and group dynamics.

HBS 545 Sustainable Development – Creation and implementation of sustainable development approaches and strategies for local communities.

The Emergency Management Certificate focuses on equipping students with the knowledge and skills in preventing, planning and preparing for, responding to, and recovering from disasters and emergent events. Students will take courses such as hazard analysis and management, collaboration and communication for disasters, and preparedness and risk mitigation.

Required Courses

HBS 503 Administrative Law and Regulatory Policymaking –  Legal foundations of the administrative state. Agency implementation of legislation through rulemaking, enforcement, and adjudication. Legislative oversight, executive control, and judicial review of agency actions.

HBS 535 Emergency Management – Existing policies and agencies in the area of emergency preparedness and response at the federal, state, and local levels. Emphasis on case studies of past incidents, emergencies, disasters, and catastrophes.

HBS 534 Public Organization, Theory, and Behavior – Examination of organizational theory and behavior with emphasis on implications for public management. Includes theories of decision-making, leadership, communications, and group dynamics.

HBS 537 Leading Across Difference – Leading and managing diverse teams to achieve collective goals.

The Energy Policy Certificate prepares students to evaluate the strategies and tradeoffs in energy policy decisions and to understand their impacts. Students are grounded in Baker core coursework on government, economics, and public policy, while the concentration combines the technologies, markets, economics, and real-world considerations of energy policy decisions. Students are prepared to assess how energy policies will impact the environment, energy reliability, energy costs, and various stakeholders in the policy process.

Required Courses

HBS 503 – Administrative Law and Regulatory Policymaking

HBS 524 – Energy Markets and Economics

HBS 542 – Energy Policy

Select one course:

HBS 541 – Environmental Policy

HBS 543 – Energy Transitions

HBS 545 – Sustainable Development

LAW 990 – Issues in the Law (special topic:  Energy, Regulation, and Sustainability)

The National Security Certificate focuses on policy decisions surrounding U.S. national security and foreign policy. Students examine the role of the United States in the world through various lenses and can evaluate the impact of national security policy decisions and strategies on domestic priorities and global affairs.

Required Courses

HBS 503 Administrative Law and Regulatory Policymaking –  Legal foundations of the administrative state. Agency implementation of legislation through rulemaking, enforcement, and adjudication. Legislative oversight, executive control, and judicial review of agency actions.

HBS 551 Foundations of U.S. Foreign Policy – Survey of foreign policy process and decision making, diplomacy, international crisis management, foreign economic policy, and public opinion about foreign affairs. Overview of great power politics and intersection of domestic and international politics. Emphasis on U.S. foreign policy since 1945.

HBS 552 U.S. National Security – Overview of national and international security issues and corresponding U.S. national security policies and strategies. Focus on grand strategy, civil-military relations, conflict management, military interventions, conventional and non-conventional warfare, termination of conflict, and peacekeeping.

A fourth course will complete the certificate.

The Nonprofit Management Certificate is designed to provide students with an understanding of the unique challenges and strategies involved in leading and operating nonprofit organizations. Students explore topics such as strategic management and leadership of nonprofits, social entrepreneurship, fundraising, volunteerism, data analytics for social impact, and board structure and governance.

Required Courses

HBS 503 Administrative Law and Regulatory Policymaking – Legal foundations of the administrative state. Agency implementation of legislation through rulemaking, enforcement, and adjudication. Legislative oversight, executive control, and judicial review of agency actions.

HBS 536 Nonprofit Management – An overview of the history, scope, and management of not-for-profit organizations.

HBS 534 Public Organization, Theory, and Behavior – Examination of organizational theory and behavior with emphasis on implications for public management. Includes theories of decision-making, leadership, communications, and group dynamics.

Select One Course

HBS 537 Leading Across Difference – Leading and managing diverse teams to achieve collective goals.

ALEC 520 Leadership Development in Organizations and Community Nonprofit – Application of concepts related to developing leaders for organizing and maintaining extension and community nonprofit organizations. The foundation of this course is grounded in traditional and contemporary leadership philosophies and practices but emphasizes leadership in agricultural professions.

The Nuclear Security Certificate is designed to equip students with the knowledge necessary to address the unique challenges associated with the security and management of nuclear weapons, materials, and facilities. Students are engaged in topics such as U.S. nuclear security policies, deterrence strategy, nuclear proliferation, arms control, export control, safeguards, and potential threats.

Required Courses (9 credit hours)

HBS 554 – Nuclear Security

HBS 556 – Nuclear Deterrence

HBS 558 – Nuclear Nonproliferation and Safeguards

Select One Course (3 credit hours)

HBS 552 – U.S. National Security Policy

NE 530 – Nuclear Security Science and Analysis

NE 531 – Global Nuclear Security Culture

NE 536 – Export Control and Nonproliferation

NE 597 – Special Topics in Nuclear Engineering

LAW 990 – Issues in the Law

Students learn how to use data to provide insights and solutions to public problems. With intense additional training in economics, data analysis and visualization, students are prepared to analyze public policy problems using cutting edge techniques and to communicate their insights to a broad audience.

Required Courses

HBS 503 Administrative Law and Regulatory Policymaking – Legal foundations of the administrative state. Agency implementation of legislation through rulemaking, enforcement, and adjudication. Legislative oversight, executive control and judicial review of agency actions.

HBS 512 Research Design and Data Acquisition – Methods for planning and executing research from experiments to case studies. Development of research questions and hypotheses, measurement issues, and validity of inferences. Basic assumptions and techniques of research in public policy including measurement, analysis, acquiring, and reporting data.

HBS 513 Data Driven Decisions – Methods and analytic tools used to translate data into models and forecasts to support public decision making. Emphasis on econometrics and simulation approaches including linear regression and maximum likelihood methods.

HBS 514 Policy Communication and Data Visualization – Approaches to communicating complex scientific and policy information to varied audiences, media training, as well as data visualization strategies and techniques.

The Public Management certificate is designed to provide students with knowledge and skills in managing public resources and agencies and creating public values in a complex governance system. Students explore topics such as public finance and budgeting, public human resource management, public management, and nonprofit management.

Required Courses

HBS 503 Administrative Law and Regulatory Policymaking – Legal foundations of the administrative state. Agency implementation of legislation through rulemaking, enforcement, and adjudication. Legislative oversight, executive control and judicial review of agency actions.

HBS 531 Public Management – Interpersonal and leadership skills, techniques and methods for planning, decision making, and implementation of management strategies in the public sector

HBS 532 Public Financial Administration – Principles and techniques of public finance at state and local levels: budget preparation, execution and audit, risk management, capital planning, major tax structures, economic forecasting, cash management, and debt administration.

HBS 533 HR Management in Public Organizations – Contemporary issues, challenges, methods, and strategies related to effective management of human resources in the public sector.