Graduate Certificate Programs
Graduate Certificate Programs
The Baker School’s Graduate Certificates will be available as add-on for currently enrolled students and stand-alone credentials for students at other institutions or who already have a degree, pending SACSCOC approval. Certificates require 9 to 12 credit hours for completion. Several of the University’s colleges are partnering on certificate options.
About the Certificate Programs
The aim of the program is to prepare leaders, practitioners, researchers, and educators from public administration, public policy, public affairs, and other disciplines to be active in various policymaking activities. Course experiences will foster the examination and application of current policy research and the development of skills related to policy analysis, research, program evaluation, and advocacy.
Admissions Standards and Procedures
- Must be currently admitted to a UT Knoxville graduate program and be in good academic standing OR hold a Master’s degree or higher.
- Must submit an application to be formally admitted to the Certificate through the Office of Graduate Admissions.
Credit Hours Required
Minimum of 12 graduate hours. Total credit hours may very based on the student’s academic record, experiences, and objectives. Students must complete a minimum of 12 graduate credit hours. Other courses for the specializations may be accepted upon approval by the Director of Graduate Studies.
Non-Course Requirements
To receive the certificate, students must:
- Complete the Graduate Certificate Course Verification Form (located on the Graduate School webpage under Forms Central tab) and
- through MyUTK, apply to graduate from the certificate program.
Certificates Programs
Agricultural and Environmental Policy Certificate
Required Courses
HBS 503 Administrative Law and Regulatory Policymaking
3 Credit Hours | 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
3 Credit Hours | Evaluation of public policy as related to agricultural industry and rural areas.
HBS 541 Environmental Policy
3 Credit Hours | 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
3 Credit Hours | Creation and implementation of sustainable development approaches and strategies for local communities.
LAW 866 Environmental Law
3 Credit Hours | 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.
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.
Economic and Community Development Certificate
Required Courses
HBS 503 Administrative Law and Regulatory Policymaking
3 Credit Hours | 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 523 Regional Economics (with UTIA/AREC)
3 Credit Hours | Sources of regional economic growth and development and the spatial distribution of people (including migration) and business. Effects of policy on regional economic activity, urban/rural land use and the role of public infrastructure. Regional spillovers and policy coordination. Prerequisite HBS 521 or equivalent.
HBS 544 Planning and Land Use
3 Credit Hours | 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:
IAC 502 The Art of the Possible
3 Credit Hours | Conflict, communication, consensus building, and compromise in public policymaking. Emphasis on case studies.
HBS 545 Sustainable Development
3 Credit Hours | Creation and implementation of sustainable development approaches and strategies for local communities.
A partnership with the Department of Economics, 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.
Emergency Management Certificate
Required Courses
HBS 503 Administrative Law and Regulatory Policymaking
3 Credit Hours | 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
3 Credit Hours | 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
3 Credit Hours | 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
3 Credit Hours | Leading and managing diverse teams to achieve collective goals.
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.
Energy Policy Certificate
Required Courses
HBS 503 Administrative Law and Regulatory Policymaking
3 Credit Hours | 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 524 Energy Markets and Economics
3 Credit Hours | Theoretical and empirical perspectives on individual and industrial demand for energy, energy supply, energy markets, and public policies affecting energy markets.
HBS 542 Energy Policy
3 Credit Hours | Analysis of current policy problems involving production, distribution, consumption and conservation of energy.
Select one course:
HBS 543 Energy Transitions
3 Credit Hours | Energy technology and policy solutions for a growing population, increasingly industrialized world, expanding quality of life, limits of fossil fuel energy sources, and the increasing realization that renewable energy must be integrated into an energy system built around fossil fuels.
HBS 541 Environmental Policy
3 Credit Hours | 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.
HBS 545 Sustainable Development
3 Credit Hours | Creation and implementation of sustainable development approaches and strategies for local communities.
LAW 990 Special Topics: Energy, Regulation, and Sustainability
3 Credit Hours
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.
National Security Certificate
Required Courses
HBS 503 Administrative Law and Regulatory Policymaking
3 Credit Hours | 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
3 Credit Hours | 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
3 Credit Hours | 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.
HBS 553 Grey Zone Warfare and Cybersecurity
3 Credit Hours | Explores use of disruptive technologies from the digital realm used by governments, militaries, and non-state actors as non-conventional threats. Includes disinformation and propaganda campaigns, use of artificial intelligence, gray zone tactics, cyber warfare, and artificial intelligence, and autonomous technologies impacting national security and military strategy.
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.
Non-Profit Management Certificate
Required Courses
HBS 503 Administrative Law and Regulatory Policymaking
3 Credit Hours | 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 Non-Profit Management
3 Credit Hours | An overview of the history, scope, and management of not-for-profit organizations.
HBS 534 Public Organization, Theory, and Behavior
3 Credit Hours | 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
3 Credit Hours | Leading and managing diverse teams to achieve collective goals.
ALEC 520 Leadership Development in Organizations and Community Nonprofit
3 Credit Hours | 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 Non-Profit 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.
Nuclear Security Certificate
Required Courses
HBS 503 Administrative Law and Regulatory Policymaking
3 Credit Hours | 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 552 U.S. National Security Policy
3 Credit Hours | 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.
HBS 554 Nuclear Security in an Age of Emerging Technologies
3 Credit Hours | Nuclear proliferation, nuclear capabilities, nuclear deterrence strategy, treaties and international organizations managing nuclear weapons, threats of non-state actors acquiring nuclear and radiological material, and best practices for safeguarding and securing nuclear material.
Select one course:
NE 530 Nuclear Security Science and Analysis
3 Credit Hours | Understanding nuclear threats and the evolution of nuclear threats to present day. Issues and strategies in detecting nuclear threats. Issues and approaches for nuclear security concerns, both state-level (e.g., nonproliferation and deterrence) and asymmetric concerns (e.g., nuclear smuggling and nuclear terrorism). Exercises in applied nuclear security scenarios.
LAW 990 Nuclear Law
3 Credit Hours
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.
Policy Analytics Certificate
Required Courses
HBS 503 Administrative Law and Regulatory Policymaking
3 Credit Hours | 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
3 Credit Hours | 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
3 Credit Hours | Methods and analytic tools used to translate data into models and forecasts to support public decision making. Emphasis on econometric and simulation approaches including linear regression and maximum likelihood methods.
HBS 514 Policy Communication and Data Visualization
3 Credit Hours | Approaches to communicating complex scientific and policy information to varied audiences, media training, as well as data visualization strategies and techniques.
Policy Analytics 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.
Public Management Certificate
Required Courses
HBS 503 Administrative Law and Regulatory Policymaking
3 Credit Hours | 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
3 Credit Hours | 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
3 Credit Hours | 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
3 Credit Hours | Contemporary issues, challenges, methods, and strategies related to effective management of human resources in the public sector.
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.