Introduction
Please click here to see Political Science department information.
An Undergraduate Certificate in Labor Leadership is an entry point for labor union leaders, rank and file members, community-based organizational staff or others seeking to build greater knowledge and skills in working class movements and politics, labor history and emerging trends in organizing and community wealth-building.
The Labor Leadership certificate is administered by the Center for New Directions in Politics and Policy, within the Department of Political Science. Some courses will be delivered through the New Directions weekend intensive format, taught by practitioners over the course of three weekends spaced several weeks apart. Others are offered by Political Science faculty through standard, weekly courses offered in-person or remotely over the course of a full term. All courses provide students with political context and address intersections with other social issues and movements, such as race, immigration and gender equity.
Students must have at least a high school degree to enroll in the undergraduate level program. The Labor Leadership Certificate can be earned by non-degree seeking students as a stand-alone university certificate, or pursued while earning an undergraduate degree in Political Science or any field (check with your home program advisor first).
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.
Program Delivery
- The certificate can be earned either through our traditional on-campus courses, or entirely through classes offered in a weekend-intensive format in our New Directions program. Students may take classes in either format desired.
Declaring This Certificate
Students interested in completing this certificate should complete this form: CLAS Undergraduate Certificate Intent to Declare Form, which requests that the certificate be added to your student record. Once added, you will be able to run a certificate degree audit. The certificate degree audit should be used in collaboration with the Certificate Advisor to ensure successful completion of the requirements.
Students should then work with Robin Kniech (robin.kniech@ucdenver.edu) – the certificate advisor, to ensure completion of all certificate requirements.
Completing This Certificate
Students must also complete the CLAS Undergraduate Certificate Completion Verification Form, before graduation, in order to confirm completion of their certificate. The certificate advisor will confirm that your certificate has been successfully completed, and will work with campus partners to apply the certificate to your transcript.
Students must fill out the Certificate Completion Form before the deadlines below, to ensure the certificate is applied to your transcript correctly. If you are a non-degree seeking student, please fill out this form in the term in which you intend to complete your certificate.
Spring semester – April 1
Summer semester – July 1
Fall semester – November 1
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 their Labor Leadership advisor to confirm the best plans of study before finalizing them.
General Requirements
Students must satisfy all requirements as outlined below and by the department offering the certificate.
Certificate Requirements
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Students must complete 12 credit hours from the approved courses.
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Students must complete six credit hours of upper division (3000 or above) courses.
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Students must earn a minimum grade of C (2.0) in all courses that apply to the certificate and must achieve a minimum cumulative certificate GPA of 2.0. Courses taken using P+/P/F or S/U grading cannot apply to certificate requirements.
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All courses in this certificate must be taken in residency at CU Denver.
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| Labor and Working Class Politics | |
| Topics in Political Science 1 | |
| Advanced International Political Economy: Globalization | |
| Community Organizing and Community Development | |
| The Social Economy and Sustainable Development | |
| The Cooperative Movement: Politics and Policy | |
| Labor Law and Collective Bargaining | |
| Labor, Trade Unions and the Global Economy | |
| Total Hours | 12 |
To learn more about the Student Learning Outcomes for this program, please visit our website.
