Certificates

The Ecological Economics Certificate Program at the University of Maryland encourages trans-disciplinary interaction and cooperation among students and faculty, while allowing them to maintain a strong disciplinary home base.

To earn the Certificate, students must:

1. Have successfully completed (either as part of this program or previously) at least one (M.S.) or two (Ph.D.) graduate level courses in each of the four core areas of ecology, economics, management and quantitative methods (these requirements will also satisfy the MEES core requirements). In the economic area, a two course sequence with at least one 600 level or above microeconomics course (ie., PUAF 640, AREC 610, or ECON 603, subject to permission of the department) followed by a 600 level environmental/natural resource economics course (ie. AREC 698P) is required;
    
2. Have taken a minimum of 18 credit hours in relevant courses (these can also count towards the main degree);
    
3. Have taken two integrative capstone courses (Ecological Economics and Dynamic Modeling);
    
4. Pursue a topic in ecological economics in the thesis or dissertation (if a thesis is required for the degree in conjunction with which the certificate is earned).

The Environmental Finance Certificate Program addresses a public need for policy and finance experts who can provide innovative financing solutions to the broad range of pressing local and global environmental funding shortfalls. The Program targets students who are pursuing careers in their government or private sectors who must consider the "how do you pay" question when addressing environmental interests or mandates.

The University also currently offers three graduate certificate programs, specializing in intelligence analysis and security studies:

• The Certificate in Intelligence Analysis
• The Certificate in Information Assurance

Each certificate consists of four, three-credit courses (12 graduate academic credits in total) and is offered in several formats, including semester-long course offerings and executive, condensed formats. All certificate program course sessions incorporate a variety of learning styles and students' learning in the classroom is reinforced through enrichment experiences such as brown-bag lunch seminars with leading thinkers and practitioners in the field of public policy and intelligence analysis.

Individual Courses

Students who wish to take individual courses at the Maryland School of Public Policy may do so by applying to the University of Maryland for Advanced Special Student status http://www.gradschool.umd.edu/catalog/admit_nondegree.html . This is a non-degree seeking status for students who meet the University's admissions criteria. To apply as an Advanced Special Student, simply:

Apply on-line: http://www.vprgs.umd.edu/gems/admissions.htm

Degree code: GRAD

Submit necessary documentation (transcripts, test scores, etc-see above link to program)

Once a favorable decision has been made, please contact Ms. Karen Logan ( kclogan@umd.edu ) to request permission to register for our PUAF classes. Priority is given to our current students, however, every effort will be made to accommodate your requests.

Should you decide to apply to our “degree” program at a later date, you may request to “include” up to twelve credits earned as an Advanced Special Student in your Plan of Study. These courses must be less than five years old at the time of graduation.