CU Denver’s Public, Non-Profit and Community Leadership (PNPCL) Graduate Certificate is administered by The Center for New Directions in Politics and Policy, within the Department of Political Science.  

The Certificate will develop and demonstrate a student’s core competency in public policy, local government politics, and/or community leadership. It can be tailored to meet the needs of individuals pursuing public or non-profit careers or for individuals who seek to enhance their local leadership and civic engagement more broadly. Participants will develop knowledge, skills and political acumen to lead more effectively at the local level. The program emphasizes the perspectives and impacts of local decision-making on marginalized communities and will prepare students to advance equity in their current or future roles.  

Students must have an undergraduate degree in any field to pursue the Graduate level PNPCL Certificate (an Undergraduate Certificate is available for students without bachelor's degrees). It can be earned as a stand-alone university certificate or pursued while earning a graduate degree in Political Science, the applied degree through New Directions, or another CU Denver program (check with your home program advisor). A certificate is an excellent way to explore whether you'd like to pursue a full Master's degree. For students who enroll as non-degree seeking, up to all 12 of your non-degree certificate credits could be transferred into a full Political Science or applied Political Science New Directions Master's Degree program, upon departmental approval and acceptance into the graduate program. 

This certificate is administered by the Center for New Directions in Politics and Policy. The required course and some electives will be delivered through the New Directions weekend intensive format taught by practitioners over the course of three weekends spaced several weeks apart. Other electives are offered by Political Science faculty through standard, weekly courses offered in-person or remotely over the course of a full term. Students without prior experience in public sector or non-profit leadership will be highly encouraged to utilize an individually structured internship to satisfy one of their course requirements to gain invaluable experiential learning in the field.  

These program requirements are subject to periodic revision by the academic department, and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences reserves the right to make exceptions and substitutions as judged necessary in individual cases. Therefore, the College strongly urges students to consult regularly with the New Directions director at NewDirections@ucdenver.edu or their Certificate advisor.