Public Administration Certificate

The online Public Administration Graduate Certificate prepares individuals to strengthen organizations and communities by collaborating to solve complex problems and deliver public value. Regardless of whether you come from the federal, military, private, non-profit or local government sector, you’ll develop or enhance skills for engaging diverse stakeholders in implementing public policy and improving quality of life in a rapidly changing world.  

Image

With course content emphasizing intergovernmental and cross-sector networks and evidence-informed service innovation, you’ll expand your ability to see beyond your role, develop collaborative solutions and solve issues facing your broader community. Core courses build the knowledge you'll need to guide effective decision making, planning and design thinking, policy analysis, organizational improvement and budgeting to advance your career and help strengthen public service.  

Our online format allows you to build relationships with peers working in local, state, and federal government in addition to nonprofit organizations. You'll grow your educational qualifications and experience while expanding your network and understanding the broader picture of how roles and organizations are interconnected.

Key Takeaways:

• 15 graduate credits / 5 courses can be completed in two to three semesters, or you can take up to three years to complete
• Online, flexible program with learning conducted primarily on your schedule, with structured timelines for learning and assignments
• Appropriate for employees working in public or nonprofit organizations, career changers and pre-career students interested in entering the public or nonprofit sectors
• Gain a critical understanding of public administration within the government and democratic context, including managing stakeholder needs
• Improve skills in areas of communications, project management and leadership while you gain confidence in analyzing complex problems
   

Career Highlights

Historically, jobs aligned with the government sector have been among the most resilient, and the current industry is experiencing exciting growth. Individuals in the Public Administration field typically enjoy stable careers and the opportunity to give back and make an impact in their communities. 

Individuals who complete the Public Administration certificate are prepared for more advanced roles in their industry.

SCPS Advantages:

• Flexible programming: with core courses offered regularly, you can stay on your desired learning journey.
• One tuition rate: you’ll pay the same tuition whether you reside in Virginia or out-of-state.
• Expert Faculty: in their industries and in teaching. They understand the demands adult learners need to juggle and structure courses so you can balance your personal and professional life while learning.
• Synchronous learning opportunities: you’ll join online classes and can ask questions, dig deeper and learn from instructors and classmates.

Tuition & Fees

• Estimated cost: $649 per credit hour or $9,914 for the entire program.* Students pay per course, per semester.
• Pay the same tuition rate whether you are in-state or out-of-state.
• This program is not eligible for financial aid but may be covered by your employer’s education benefits program.
• You may take advantage of an optional, interest-free semester-based payment plan offered by the University to help spread the cost of eligible charges over monthly payment.
• Additional fees may apply, including course materials. 

* 2026-2027, rates are subject to change by the Board of Visitors

See tuition details

Scholarships

Enslaved Ancestors College Access Scholarship Program

New and returning students in certificate or degree programs in the School of Continuing and Professional Studies are eligible to apply for the Enslaved Ancestors College Access Scholarship Program. 

SCPS Certificate Scholarships

UVA’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies offers scholarships for certificate students. As scholarship applications become available, students are notified by email. For questions about scholarship opportunities, please contact our financial aid team: Scps-scholarships@virginia.edu. 

Admission Requirements & Deadlines

Deadline Information

• To begin in the fall (August): application must be submitted by July 1
• To begin in the spring (January): application must be submitted by November 1
• To begin in the summer (May): application must be submitted by April 1 

Application Information

Applicants must have a bachelor’s or graduate degree from a regionally accredited higher education institution. College seniors who have met entry requirements are also eligible to apply.

To apply:

1. Complete an online application, including:
   1. Submit your unofficial transcripts. Offers of admission are not binding until official transcripts are received and verified.
   2. Application for Virginia In-State Education Privileges to establish residency.

START YOUR APPLICATION

Required Courses (4)

Current and prospective students may contact scpsinquiry@virginia.edu with questions related to their journey and course schedule. 

PSPA 5000 - Introduction to Public Administration

Explores theories and practices of public administration. Examines U.S. administrative systems, government processes, and intergovernmental and cross-sector relationships designed to deliver public value. Topics include history of public administration, roles and responsibilities, social equity, accountability, and organizational capacity. Offers students a chance to apply practical knowledge via cases and explore ways to advance public service. 

PSPA 5010 - Public Policy Analysis

Introduces traditional and alternative approaches to policy analysis while exploring public policy theory. Develops knowledge necessary to identify contemporary public issues, assess policy alternatives, and analyze strategic impact. Covers policy stages from stakeholder engagement and agenda setting through policy formulation, adoption, and evaluation. Examines how politics can influence policy making across levels of government. 

PSPA 5020 - Public Organization Management

Explores theories of organizational behavior applied to public sector agencies and cross-sector initiatives focused on delivering public value. Introduces theories, skills, and tools to analyze organizational dilemmas and identify promising practices to help individuals and teams achieve collective goals. Covers organizational planning and decision-making, process improvement, evaluation, accountability, leadership, and stakeholder communication. 

PSPA 5030 - Public Budgeting & Financial Management

Provides a basic understanding of the financial activities of U.S. governments at all levels. Explores the purposes, characteristics, processes, and operations of financial management systems and focuses on financial operations analysis, coordination across relevant public entities, and effective public resource management. Topics include budgeting theory and practice, debt management, treasury and cash management, and revenue/tax administration. 

Elective Courses (1)

Cybersecurity Management Electives

BUS 5010 - Cybersecurity Management

Provides managers with the essential framework needed to design and develop an effective cybersecurity program.  Explores methods used to raise general security awareness, review current industry practices, and develop expertise needed to adapt policies to achieve confidentiality, integrity, and availability of organizational assets and data. 

Health Sciences Management Electives

PSHM 5080 - Legal and Ethical Decision-Making in Healthcare

Focuses on principles & theories of law related to healthcare delivery, management & administration. Examines the application of laws on healthcare liability prevention & the risks managers face. Explores legal & ethical issues in healthcare systems; and investigates the healthcare administrator as decision-maker, leader and moral agent. Evaluates situations with potential ethical/legal implications.

PSHM 5300 - Population Health: Programs, Policies, and Epidemiology

Focuses on the unique integration of public health and healthcare systems. Provides students with key knowledge and skills to effectively promote health and prevent disease, while navigating public health and healthcare challenges. Emphasizes the identification of populations at risk; evidence-based care, care coordination, patient and community engagement, and reporting of outcomes. 

PSHM 5650 - American Healthcare: Challenges and Opportunities

Provides foundational overview of the structure/function of US healthcare system including challenges and opportunities to develop competence in healthcare management, promotes critical discussion of history and current status of healthcare delivery systems. Examines challenges facing providers, patients and policy makers, and uses current events to explore healthcare controversies. 

PSHM 5700 - Economics and Finance of Healthcare

Provides basic overview of economic and financial management concepts in healthcare. Introduces important economic concepts and issues in healthcare, including market factors, production, costs, labor issues, and economic evaluation. Provides an overview of basic financial management principles, capital planning and financing, financial statements, and budgeting in healthcare organizations. 

Human Resources Management Electives

HR 5020 - Staffing and Career Management

Examines the processes and techniques that establish and govern the flow of interrelated organizational staffing activities. Includes case studies covering the latest staffing models and systems, economic conditions that impact staffing, laws and regulations, strategy and planning, measurement, job analysis, internal and external recruiting, and decision making. 

HR 5030 - Strategic Compensation

Explores strategic choices in managing compensation through a pay model that is based upon the foundational policy decisions of the compensation system, the means of compensation, and the objectives of the compensation. Includes strategic perspectives, internal consistency, external competitiveness, employee contributions, and administration of the pay system efficiently, equitably, and in compliance with the law.

HR 5040 - Organizational Performance Management

Examines the influence of human performance elements (such as quality of work-life, rewards and recognition, job design, teambuilding, and participative management) on organizational performance.

HR 5050 - Organizational Change and Development

Enables the student to understand the behavioral concepts and theories that form the foundation of organizational development, the process of change management, and the organizational development techniques and interventions designed to improve organization effectiveness. Explores such concepts and processes as power and influence, conflict, inter-group behavior, decision-making, and communication.

HR 5115 - Workforce Inclusion, Equity and Belonging

Focuses on issues, challenges, and subtle dynamics that operate in cross-cultural organizations for which students learn to build functional and effective workplace relationships. Participants will learn to manage diversity as an asset to sustainable competitive advantage to achieve the strategic goals of the organization. A framework for the strategic management of diversity, equity, and inclusion will also be developed and discussed. 

Leadership Electives

PSLP 5300 - Foundations of Leadership

Introduces students to various styles and theories of leadership. Through self-assessment and guided inquiry, students examine and create their own unique style of leadership. Students will develop approaches to adapt and modify leadership styles to various situations and individual personalities to influence organizational outcomes. 

PSLP 5320 - Organizational Leadership

Focuses on the challenging role of leaders in today's complex organizations.  Identifies ways to adapt the organizational structures, policies, and management workforce to enhance competitive advantage.  Topics include change management, organizational dynamics, and crisis management.  Upon completion of the course students will be able to assess risk, perform root cause analysis, and employ effective decision-making processes.

PSLP 5330 - Communications and Team Development

Prepares today’s leaders for success in communication skills with diverse audiences as well as effective team building and management. Communication topics address technical and non-technical audiences using presentations, interpersonal skills, and writing skills. Team development instruction focuses on managing teams, identifying and understanding the leadership role, the importance of shared leadership, and team decision making. 

PSLP 5340 - Financial Management for Leaders

Examines how value is measured, created, and maximized. Beginning with an introduction to accounting, instruction covers the fundamentals of measuring and reporting revenue, costs, cash flow, assets, liabilities, and equity. Explores the financial decisions that management must make, including break-even analysis, budgeting, investment in assets, and funding with debt equity.

PSLP 5500 - Contemporary Issues in Leadership

Provides a multidisciplinary perspective on cross-sector societal, technological, economic, and/or global trends, possibilities, and/or disruptions. Students analyze real-world challenges and implications for leadership in the context of their own career and/or study area, particularly within public administration, human resources, project management, procurement and contracts management, cybersecurity management, public safety, and/or others.

Procurement & Contracts Electives

PC 5010 - Procurement Policy and Practices

Covers all subchapters of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), providing an intensive review of practical technical, business and contractual issues that the government deals with in establishing and managing a federal contract. Topics include acquisition process, governmental acquisition plans, inspection and termination as well as some of the basics necessary for contracts and acquisition personnel. 

Project Management Electives

PSPM 5030 - Introduction to Project Management

Introduces students to the various aspects of the project life cycle and project management. Explores best practices and the application of these best practices for project success. 

Public Administration Electives

PSPA 5040 - Ethics

Introduces and explores the philosophical and practical issues related to ethical decision making. Emphasizes the analysis of ethical problems and the development of analytical skills and values. Incorporates case studies, journal articles, current events, and debates as practical examples of ethical issues.

Faculty