Undergraduate Certificates
The Baker School’s Undergraduate Certificates will be available as add-on or stand-alone credentials for currently enrolled students, pending SACSCOC approval. Certificates consists of 12 credit hours of course work.
Admissions Process
Admission occurs on a rolling basis. Students at all levels are encouraged to consider whether the certificate fits with their career goals and academic plans. Students who want to learn more or wish to be considered for admission should start by filling out the interest form. We will reach out to set up an initial meeting and share application instructions.
Academic Standards
Students must complete all courses from the list with a 2.5 GPA or higher for the specific certificate.
Non-Course Requirements
Students may pursue a Undergraduate Certificate on a full-time or part-time basis. They must earn all hours of this program at the University of Tennessee.
Certificates Programs
American Civics Certificate (9 Credit Hours)
Required Courses
IAC 101 Engaging Civically
3 Credit Hours | Rights and duties of citizenship; modes of citizen engagement in public affairs; the role of civil discourse in democratic debate.
IAC 102 Visions of America
3 Credit Hours | Exploring differing perspectives on core American ideals and values, including liberty, equality, justice, and democracy.
IAC 201 Construction and Reconstruction of the American Republic
3 Credit Hours | An examination of the philosophical, legal, cultural, and historical foundations of the American Revolution, the framing of the Constitution, the establishment of the new republic, the Civil War, and Reconstruction.
Prerequisites
Students who are currently degree-seeking undergraduates must have completed IAC 101 with a C grade or better, and have a minimum of 2.5 GPA to enter the certificate program. Students who have earned their bachelor degree or who are currently enrolled at another accredited four-year institution are recommended to have completed at least an introductory course in American Government with a C grade or better.
Constitutional Studies Certificate (12 Credit Hours)
Required Courses
IAC 203 Constitutional Foundations
3 Credit Hours | Examination of how policy challenges are addressed through the American constitutional framework. Emphasis on case studies.
IAC 302 American Legal System
3 Credit Hours | An overview of the structure of the legal system and the functions of key institutions and actors within that system.
IAC 303 Legal Research and Writing
3 Credit Hours | An introduction to the methodology of legal research and the practice of writing legal briefs and memoranda.
IAC 406 Constitutional Interpretation
3 Credit Hours | Exploring ways in which the Constitution can be understood and applied to contemporary issues. Perspectives examined will include originalism, textualism, pragmatism, and “living constitutionalism.”
Prerequisites
Students who are currently degree-seeking undergraduates must have completed IAC 203 wit a C grade or better, and have a minimum of 2.5 GPA to enter the certificate program. Students who have earned their bachelor degree or who are currently enrolled at another accredited four-year institution are recommended to have completed at least an introductory course in American Government with a C grade or better.
Energy Policy Certificate (12 Credit Hours)
Required Courses
AREC 270 Economic Perspectives on Natural Resource and Environmental Issues
3 Credit Hours | Exploration of the economic causes of natural resource depletion and environmental degradation, employing the concepts of externalities, public goods, and market failure. Use of economic logic and analysis to assess the relative effectiveness of alternative policy approaches for addressing such problems. Application to issues of air quality, climate change, water quality, water quantity, energy use, fisheries management, endangered species protection, and waste recycling.
AREC 345 Climate Change and Renewable Energy Economics
3 Credit Hours | Overview of climate change economics and policy and avenues for addressing climate change, including renewable energy. Assessment of the economic, environmental, and policy forces that are shaping the policy debate surrounding climate change policy. Exploration of methods for evaluating the economic costs and benefits of climate policy and investment in renewable energy.
HBS 424 Energy Market 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 443 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.
Prerequisites
Students who are currently degree-seeking undergraduates must have a minimum of 2.5 GPA to enter the certificate program. Students are recommended to have taken HBS 101* (Solving Public Problems). Students who have earned their bachelor degree or who are currently enrolled at another accredited four-year institution are recommended to have completed at least an introductory course in American Government with a C grade or better.
National Security Certificate (12 Credit Hours)
Required Courses
HBS 452 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.
Select three of the following:
IAC 413 The Military in American Democracy
3 Credit Hours | Constitutional and statutory underpinnings of the military establishment, civilian control of the military, the role of military leadership in policy making, changing roles for the military, policies regarding military service, interagency cooperation, military effectiveness, and operational challenges.
HBS 454 Nuclear Security in an Age of Emerging Technologies
3 Credit Hours
HBS 456 Nuclear Policy and Deterrence
3 Credit Hours
HBS 459 Hybrid Warfare
3 Credit Hours
Prerequisites
Students who are currently degree-seeking undergraduates must have a minimum of 2.5 GPA to enter the certificate program. Students who have earned their bachelor degree or who are currently enrolled at another accredited four-year institution are recommended to have completed at least an introductory course in American Government with a C grade or better.
Nuclear Policy Certificate (12 Credit Hours)
Required Course
HBS 452 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 454 Nuclear Security in an Age of Emerging Technologies
3 Credit Hours
HBS 455 Nuclear Weapons
3 Credit Hours
HBS 456 Nuclear Policy and Deterrence
3 Credit Hours
Prerequisites
Students who are currently degree-seeking undergraduates must have a minimum of 2.5 GPA to enter the certificate program. Students who have earned their bachelor degree or who are currently enrolled at another accredited four-year institution are recommended to have completed at least an introductory course in American Government with a C grade or better.
Public Policy Challenges Certificate (12 Credit Hours)
Required Courses
HBS 101 Solving Public Problems
3 Credit Hours | Development of the knowledge and skills required to solve public problems, including an overview of the foundational characteristics of public policy.
IAC 301 Acting Democratically
3 Credit Hours | Examination of how public policy is made in an advanced democratic system.
HBS 303 National Challenges
3 Credit Hours | Exploration of national challenges and public policy solutions.
HBS 304 State and Local Challenges
3 Credit Hours | Exploration of state and local challenges and public policy solutions.
This certificate is for non-Public Affairs majors. Public Affairs majors are not eligible for this certificate.
Prerequisites
Students who are currently degree-seeking undergraduates must have completed HBS 101 with a C grade or better, and have a minimum of 2.5 GPA to enter the certificate program. Students who have earned their bachelor degree or who are currently enrolled at another accredited four-year institution are recommended to have completed at least an introductory course in American Government with a C grade or better.