The Social Justice in Public Service graduate certificate seeks to develop leaders who can understand how public policies influence social justice. Students will obtain a background in social justice, exploring topics such as human rights, income distribution and the role of markets. Students will understand factors that contribute to inequity among various groups, with a focus on providing theories and methods to analyze social justice issues in public service. They will understand principles of social justice as they apply to government and nonprofit sector in education, health, transportation.
Graduate Certificate in Social Justice in Public Administration consists of 15 credit hours. Each student will complete 6 credit hours of core courses and 9 credit hours of restricted electives.
This certificate is primarily a face-to-face program but students will be able to select electives from the list of restricted electives that may be offered on-line. Classes are offered at UCF Downtown campus in the evenings.
Total Credit Hours Required: 15 Credit Hours Minimum beyond the Bachelor's Degree
Degree Requirements
Core
6 Total Credits
- Complete the following:
- PAD5185 - Foundations of Social Justice for Public Service (3)
- PAD5186 - Policy Advocacy for Social Justice (3)
Restricted Electives
9 Total Credits
- Complete at least 3 of the following:
- EDF6886 - Multicultural Education (3)
- EDF6855 - Equitable Educational Opportunity and Life Chances: A Cross-National Analysis (3)
- INR6067 - Human Rights and Security (3)
- INR6062 - Peace Studies (3)
- INR6356 - Environmental Security (3)
- PAD5356 - Managing Community and Economic Development (3)
- PAD5930 - Global Cities (3)
- PAD6357 - Urban Resilience (3)
- PAD6825 - Cross-Sectoral Governance (3)
- SYO6409 - Social Inequalities in Health (3)
- SYO6404 - Food Insecurity and Health (3)
- PAD6439 - Leadership in Public Service (3)
Grand Total Credits: 15
Students must achieve a grade of "B-" (80%) or better in every course. Grades 'C' or lower cannot be used to fulfill certificate requirements. Students must maintain a program of study and graduate status GPA of 3.0 or higher and can only graduate with a graduate status GPA of 3.0 or higher.
The School of Public Administration incorporates service learning into some courses. Service learning is a teaching method that provides a means for every student to enhance his or her academic program with experiential learning opportunities. Service learning provides an opportunity for students to work with community partners by collecting and compiling data and producing quality products that will be beneficial to both students and organizations.
Students are expected to be computer literate and have computer internet access upon entry to the program.
Independent Learning
Independent learning is demonstrated throughout the curriculum through the process of inquiry and dialogue. Tangible projects, such as research scholarly papers and internships also contribute to the self-development of students.
