The School of Public Policy offers a certificate in public policy to graduate students (masters and doctorate) from other Schools around campus. The goal of the certificate program is to provide a basic but well-rounded introduction to public policy thinking to Georgia Tech graduate students. The program is designed to address the needs of scientists, engineers, management scholars and others who seek to be more aware of policy, regulatory, ethical, and societal implications of science, technology and innovation. The program will provide breadth and context for those entering employment in any sector. The courses in the program explore the processes through which policy is made.
Although this certificate is not available to policy students, the courses are open to all graduate students, creating an opportunity for students to gain value from divergent perspectives. Students who complete this certificate are eligible to participate in the School’s PRIME international graduate student exchange program.
Eligibility
Graduate students from all programs may take the courses offered as part of this certificate. The
certificate will be awarded by the School of Public Policy to any non-public policy graduate student who successfully complete the program requirements and earns a graduate degree from one of Georgia Tech's degree granting academic units. The requirements for the Graduate Certificate in Public Policy will typically satisfy the minor requirements for the Georgia Tech PhD degree.
Certificate Requirements
Students are required to earn at least a B in every course that counts toward the certificate. The credit requirements for the Certificate in Public Policy are 12 semester hours.
Required Course
Choose one of:
6012 – Fundamentals of Policy Processes
6201 – Public Policy Analysis
Electives
Three electives are required for the certificate. These electives can be chosen from the list below or from graduate level special topics offered by the public policy faculty with the agreement of the certificate advisor. The electives are organized by broad area of interest to guide students in choosing electives that best suits their interests. Students are not required to choose all electives from the same grouping.
- Analytical methods
6112 – Research Design in Policy Science
6114 – Applied Methods and Data Analysis
- Economic development
6602 – Economic Development Analysis and Practice
6606 – Urban Development Policy
6415 – Technology, Regions, and Policy
6600 – Foundations of Local Economic Development Planning and Policy
- Economics for public policy
6116 – Microeconomics for Policy Analysis
6118 – Public Finance Policy
- Ethics and values
6010 – Ethics, Epistemology, and Public Policy
6326 – Environmental Values and Policy Goals
- Environmental & energy policy
6310 – Environmental Issues
6312 – Economics of Environmental Policy
6314 – Policy Tools for Environmental Management
6326 – Environmental Values and Policy Goals
- Information technology
6111 – Internet and Public Policy
6501 – Information Policy and Management
6502 - Information and Communications Technology Policy
- Public administration
6014 – Organization Theory
6017 – Public Management
6018 – Policy Implementation and Administration
6226 – Business and Government
- Science and technology policy
6401 – Science, Technology and Public Policy
6402 – Research Policy and Management
6417 – Critical Perspectives on Science and Technology
6753 – Comparative Science and Technology Policy
