Certificate Leadership in Public Service

The Leadership in Public Service (LPS) Certificate is a joint venture with the MLK Freedom Center in Oakland, California. It presents an opportunity for those interested or involved in mid-level public administration to become  “transformational leaders,” or leaders who want to make a difference.

This certificate can be completed in one year and is delivered fully online, allowing students to complete the coursework quickly and effectively. As one of the few schools that provide an online certificate program in public service, Union is uniquely positioned to help students gain valuable leadership skills while emphasizing social justice within the program.

This program acts as a stand-alone certificate and credits from the CLPS are transferable to the MA program.

18 Total credits
$495 Cost Per Credit Hour
Jan 2 Next Start Date

Course Foundation Topic Areas

  • Foundations/Fundamentals of Public Administration
  • Public Policy
  • Human Resources/Personnel Management/Human Relations
  • Ethics
  • Strategic Management/Planning
  • Courses developed by the MLK Freedom Center in Oakland, CA
  • 18 credit hours - 6 fully online courses
  • January, May, and August start dates
  • Complete the certificate in as little as 12 months
  • CLPS 506 - Developing Cultural Identity and Awareness within Public Administration
  • CLPS 505 - History of Public Administration
  • CLPS 504 - Personal Transformation through Public Services
  • CLPS 501 - Principles of Nonviolence in Public Service
  • CLPS 502 - Social Relations and the Role of Public Service
  • CLPS 503 - Transformational Change in Public Service Agencies
  • History of Public Administration
  • Personal Transformation through Public Service
  • Transformational Change in Public Service Agencies
  • Social Relations and the Role of Public Service
  • Principles of Nonviolence in Public Administration
  • Developing Cultural Identity and Awareness within Public Administration
  • Have successfully completed a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university with a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0.
  • Have three to five years of work experience with an interest in expanding their public administration abilities and skill set with the possibility of taking on greater leadership responsibilities.
  • Demonstrated interest and commitment to social justice issues and practices, as demonstrated in a statement of purpose.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Certificate in Leadership in Public Service is an interdisciplinary program that will build upon one’s professional expertise and experience. It provides professionals with an ethical framework to apply the principles of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s nonviolence to public service within one’s career. Students benefit from a basic understanding of key intellectual and historical developments through which Public Administration became a formalized, structural government vehicle. Graduates develop a framework for cultural proficiency and for applying cultural power within Public Administration. They will also benefit from an analysis of public service based on an understanding of the role of tension and points of unity between differences of race, class, culture, age, national origin and geographic location.

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