Dec 13, 2024  
2023-2024 Graduate Catalog 
    
2023-2024 Graduate Catalog This is not the most recent catalog version; be sure you are viewing the appropriate catalog year.

Public Policy Analysis [Graduate Certificate]

Location(s): In-person/hybrid


Revised Program [Fall 2023]


The Graduate Certificate in Public Policy Analysis is a six-course (17-18 credit hours) curriculum designed to meet the professional needs of state, local and nonprofit employees and private citizens interested in developing quantitative analytical skills for public policy issues. Students will learn about policy-making, impact, cost-benefit, and economic analysis. This certificate program will benefit individuals changing from entry-level, nonprofessional, or technical roles to professional roles.

Program Admission


Admit Terms and Deadlines

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis; students may start the program in the Fall or Winter. See Application Deadlines.

Submitting the application early ensures that desired classes are available for students. Please account for delays in securing an official transcript to avoid delayed admission decisions. If pursuing the MPA program in addition to this certificate, please note that a separate application needs to be submitted for the MPA program, even if done concurrently.

Minimum Graduate School Requirements

For full admission, applicants must have 1) Earned a four-year baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or an equivalent degree from a non-U.S. institution, 2) a minimum cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 2.7 on a 4.0 scale, or 3.0 in the last half of the undergraduate program. Conditional admission may be available to applicants not meeting minimum admission requirements.

Program Requirements

Applicants must also meet the following program requirements. Requirements may be more stringent than the minimum graduate school requirements.

  • An undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or 3.25 in the last half of the undergraduate program
  • A 250-word description of the applicant’s academic and professional history and professional goals in public administration.

Applicants are encouraged to contact the program advisor before submitting their application if they have any questions about admission under the criteria above.

Conditional Admission Promising applicants with a minimum of five years of administrative experience who do not meet the GPA requirements for regular degree admission and who have a GPA between 2.75 and 3.0 may be granted conditional admission. Such applicants must contact the program advisor before submitting their application. Applicants will be granted degree admission after completing at least three courses, two of which must be required courses for the program, with a minimum grade of 3.0 (B) in each course.

Application

Your application will be submitted using GradCAS, a Centralized Application Service (CAS) hosted by Liaison. After reviewing the admission requirements, please review the application instructions  and select the appropriate application.

Domestic Applicants Within the application, follow the instructions to submit an official transcript from all previously attended institutions.

International Applicants Before applying, applicants must review the international application/process deadlines at emich.edu/international as they may differ from general program requirements.

For additional information regarding the application process, please see Graduate Admissions or International Admissions.

Department Information


Political Science 601 Pray-Harrold, 734.487.3113

Barbara Patrick, PhD, Department Head

Advisor Information


Rose Jindal, MPA Coordinator, 601 Pray-Harrold, 734.487.3113

Degree Requirements: 17-18 hours


Before enrolling in this certificate program, all students must have completed an introductory macroeconomics and microeconomics class or the equivalent of ECON 500 Foundations of Economics Analysis , plus a basic social science statistics class.

Restricted Electives: 11-12 hours


Satisfy both of the following groups.

Critical Graduation Information


Each graduate student is responsible for fulfilling the requirements or their equivalents of the Eastern Michigan University catalog in force at the time of their initial registration or a subsequent catalog, including the one in effect at the time of their graduation.

Graduate Certificate requirements must be completed within three (3) years of first enrollment in a course applicable to the certificate. Dually enrolled students (certificate and master’s program) must complete both degrees within six years of first enrollment in the master’s degree. 

In the event a student does not complete the graduate certificate degree requirements within three years of the date of their original registration, the student may be required to have their credits re-evaluated by the academic department(s) of their degree in keeping with catalog requirements in force during the year of their graduation.

The following are the minimum requirements for all graduate certificate degrees awarded by Eastern Michigan University. Some programs require more than the minimum in one or more areas below.

  • A graduate certificate must require a minimum of 12 credit hours.
  • No more than six credits of independent study courses and 12 credit hours of special topics and independent study courses combined may be applied to a graduate degree.  
  • Residency Requirement - For students admitted to a graduate certificate program, at least nine graduate hours beginning the semester of acceptance and enrollment into the program must be earned at EMU. Students completing multiple certificate programs must have a minimum of 9 unique credit hours per certificate.
  • Application of completed certificates toward prior degree credit - Only credits from one completed graduate certificate may be applied to a master’s or specialist degree in a relevant field of study, as determined by the Graduate School and with the approval of the degree-granting academic department, and be included in the residency hours of the master’s program.
  • The Graduate School does not permit the use of undergraduate courses (499 and below) to meet degree requirements on graduate programs of study.
  • Students must maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA in all graduate-level courses taken at EMU and in their program of study to remain in good academic standing and be eligible for graduation. Students do not need to be registered for classes during the semester of graduation.