Certificates

1. Public Budgeting and Financial Management
2. Urban Nonprofit Management
3. Development Review
4. Geographic Information Systems
5. Transportation Planning and Policy

All applicants for a CAPPA Graduate Certificate Program must hold a 4-year bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university (or a foreign equivalent).

If you wish to apply only for a CAPPA Graduate Certificate Program, but not for a CAPPA graduate degree program, you should apply through the UTA Graduate Admissions as a Non-Degree Seeking Special Student. 

Public Budgeting and Financial Management

Certificate Coordinator: Dr. Alejandro Rodriguez, aro@uta.edu

Sound fiscal management at all levels of government is essential for meeting the demands of an increasingly expensive and complex service-delivery need. The purpose of this graduate certificate is to provide students interested in public sector affairs and local government officials (budgeters, planners, finance analysts, and elected officials) with the skills to enable them to effectively support local government financial decision-making.

Participants should expect to attain a comprehensive understanding of public budgeting and financial management processes and theories including knowledge of the various government revenue sources, major expenditures, and borrowing mechanisms used to finance long-life capital assets.

Admission Requirements: 

• GPA of 2.8 of in the last 60 hours of undergraduate coursework
• Applicants with a GPA lower than 2.8 may be recommended for admission based on the following enhancing factors:
  
  • The applicant’s work experience and level of responsibility;
  • An undergraduate degree in economics, financial management, accounting, or other closely related field.
    
    

The certificate requires completion of 15 hours of graduate-level coursework and it can be completed online. All required and four out of seven elective courses are offered online

Urban Nonprofit Management

Certificate Coordinator: Dr. Karabi Bezboruah, bezborua@uta.edu

Demand for nonprofit-management education has surged along with job growth in the nonprofit sector and with the increased competitiveness between nonprofit agencies. Student looking to move into the sector are finding entry easier and opportunities greater with nonprofit-management credentials. The certificate is intended as preparation for students who are working in or are considering management careers in a nonprofit organization.

Admission Requirements:

• GPA of 3.0 in the last 60 hours of undergraduate coursework
• Well-written essay
• The applicant’s work experience and level of responsibility

The certificate requires completion of 15 hours of graduate level coursework and some of the courses can be completed online.

Development Review

The program is geared for both entry-level planners/planning technicians and for professionals in allied fields such as architecture, landscape architecture, law, engineering and real estate.

The Certificate in Development Review provides:

• Training in zoning
• Subdivision plat review
• Site design
• Communication skills and urban development, with the interests of citizens and the context of places.

These skills are essential for planners who wish to understand proposed development activity, ensure that proposed development is consistent with a city’s vision, and facilitate review of development proposals.

Admission Requirements:

• GPA of 3.0 in the last 60 hours of undergraduate coursework
• Strong letters of recommendation
• Well-written essay
• The applicant’s work experience and level of responsibility

The certificate requires completion of 15 hours of graduate-level coursework:

REQUIRED CORE COURSE: 3
PLAN 5304 Plan Implementation, Zoning and Regulations

SELECT TWO OF THE FOLLOWING IN LAND USE AND DEVELOPMENT: 6
PLAN 5305 Land Use, Management and Development
PLAN 5306 Urban Revitalization
PLAN 5316 Land Use Planning and the Law

SELECT ONE OF THE FOLLOWING IN COMMUNICATION: 3
PLAN 5308 Metropolitan Sustainability and Plan Making
PLAN 5363 Leadership and Communication Skills in the Planning Process

SELECT ONE OF THE FOLLOWING IN AGENCIES AND POLICIES: 3
PLAN 5313 Urban Growth Policies
PLAN 5328 Public Budgeting

Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

Certificate Coordinator: Dr. Jianling Li, jjli@uta.edu

The College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs offers a certificate program that trains students to use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in a wide variety of professional fields. The program is open to both degree and non-degree seeking students. 

Geographic Information Systems are rapidly becoming essential tools of analysis at all levels of public and private sector management, administration, and planning. People with GIS skills are in demand across a broad range of professions in government, business and nonprofit organizations nationwide.

GIS industry & job examples include:

• Banking
• Education
• Manufacturing
• Government
• Insurance
• Transportation
• Retail
• Telecommunications
• And MORE

View GIS jobs and salaries levels HERE.

Application & Admissions:

To apply:

• Visit ApplyUTA
• Select “U.S. Graduate Admission Application,” and follow the instructions to select the certificate program
• Fill in required information for the application.

Admission Requirements for non-degree certificate students:

• GPA of 3.0 in the last 60 hours of undergraduate coursework.
• Applicants with a GPA lower than 3.0 may be recommended for admission based on the following enhancing factors:
  
  • The applicant’s work experience and level of responsibility;
  • GIS education and/or experience;
  • An undergraduate degree in urban planning, geography, cartography, demography, or other closely related field.

While students can apply for the certificate program at any time, they are strongly encouraged to apply at least one month prior to the start of a semester to ensure their enrollment in a class. For more information about the application process, please contact our advising staff at cappa.advising@uta.edu.

Current UTA students should contact our advising staff at cappa.advising@uta.edu for application and admission requirements.

The GIS certificate requires 15 hours of graduate course work consisting of the following:

REQUIRED CORE COURSES: 9 hours

• PLAN 5356: Geographic Information Systems: Introduction to GIS and the application of computer graphics systems in the storage, processing and retrieval of urban and regional geographic information; case examples and related projects and issues of system management.
• PLAN 5357:  Intermediate Geographic Information Systems: Applications of GIS to typical urban and regional geographic information problems and projects. Prerequisite: CIRP 5356 or consent of instructor.
• PLAN 5331 GIS Workshop: Skills, practical experience, problem-solving methods and techniques in geographic information systems. Capstone course for GIS Certificate Program. Prerequisite: PLAN 5357 or consent of instructor.
  
  

ELECTIVE COURSES: 6 hours – SELECT TWO OF THE FOLLOWING OR
(other courses by approval of the GIS coordinator and agreement and advisement of the corresponding departments and instructors).

• PLAN 5333 Graphics and Multimedia Communication in Planning
• PLAN 5340 GIS and Suitability Analysis
• PLAN 5361 Planning Internship (GIS-Focused)
• PLAN 5395 Special Topic in Spatial Analysis
• ARCH 5329 Architecture Computer Graphics
• CE 5349 Advanced GIS and Hydrologic and Hydraulic Modeling
• CSE 5330 Database Systems I
• GEOL 5323 Remote Sensing Fundamentals
• INSY 5308 Advanced Programming
• INSY 5310 Introduction to Computers and Information Systems
• INSY 5335 Applied Database Management
• INSY 5392 Visual Basic

Transportation Planning and Policy Certificate

Certificate Coordinator:  Dr. Qisheng Pan qisheng.pan@uta.edu

In partnership with Civil Engineering and the Center for Transportation Equity Decisions and Dollars (CTEDD), the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs offers a certificate program that prepares students to plan, advocate and engineer for sustainable transportation and for better equity within existing transportation resources and infrastructure. The certificate enables students and professionals with:

1. an engineering or technical background to gain knowledge in transportation planning and policy
2. a planning and/or policy-related background interested in transportation to complement their degree.

The program is open to both degree and non-degree seeking students. 

The certificate requires completion of 15 hours of graduate-level coursework maintaining a grade point average of 3.0 or higher.

ELECTIVE COURSES (Choose 2, 6 hours):

Students can apply for these fifteen credit hour programs as non-degree seeking students and should apply for admission to the UTA Graduate Admissions as a Non-Degree Seeking Student.

Students can also complete the certificates as part of the accelerated online MPA program by completing hours applicable to the MPA degree.