SPEA certificates
If you’re looking to grow within your field, expand your skillset while earning a bachelor's degree, or qualify for a broader range of careers, a certificate in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs can help get you there.
Explore different the certificates offered by the School of Public & Environmental Affairs:
To declare and earn any of the listed SPEA certificates, please contact Carlie Petrus, academic advisor, at petrusc@iu.edu or 219-981-5668.
Area Certificate in Public Affairs
The Area Certificate in Public Affairs is for students wishing to study public policy, governmental organization, and public management skills in addition to the major area of their undergraduate programs.
Students must complete the following requirements to earn an Area Certificate in Public Affairs:
All of the following (3 credits each):
- SPEA-E 272 Intro to Environmental Science
- SPEA-V 170 Intro to Public Affairs
- SPEA-V 264 Urban Structure and Policy
One course each from two of the following groups (3 credits each):
Organizational Behavior
- SPEA-J 310 Introduction to Administrative Process
- SPEA-V 270 Survey of Administrative Techniques
- BUS-Z 302 Managing and Behavior in Organizations
- POLS-Y 390 Micropolitics and Organizational Behavior
Public Administration
- SPEA-V 366 Managing Behavior in Public Organizations
Law
- SPEA-V 376 Law and Public Policy
- POLS-Y 304 / POLS-Y 305 American Constitutional Law I and II
- BUS-L 201 Legal Environment of Business
- SPEA-J 301 Substantive Criminal Law
Four courses from one of the following categories
School of Public and Environmental Affairs
- SPEA-V 260 Topics in Public Affairs
- SPEA-V 346 Introduction to Government Accounting and Financial Reporting
- SPEA-V 348 Management Science
- SPEA-V 365 Urban Development and Planning
- SPEA-V 372 Government Finance and Budgets
- SPEA-V 373 Human Resource Management in the Public Sector
- SPEA-V 432 Labor Relations in the Public Sector
- SPEA-V 442 Budgeting or Cost/Benefit
- SPEA-V 444 Public Administrative Organization
- SPEA-V 449 Senior Policy Analysis
- SPEA-V 450 Contemporary Issues in Public Affairs
- SPEA-V 472 Policy Processes in the U.S.
Political Science
- POLS-Y 200 Citizen and the Courts (This is a topics in political science course. The only acceptable topic is "Citizen and the Courts.")
- POLS-Y 302 Public Bureaucracy in Modern Society
- POLS-Y 306 State Politics in the United States
- POLS-Y 394 Public Policy Analysis
Criminal Justice
- SPEA-J 101 American Criminal Justice System
- SPEA-J 322 Introduction to Criminalistics
- SPEA-J 370 Social Control Systems (This is a seminar in criminal justice course. The only acceptable topic is "Social Control Systems.")
Sociology
- SOC-S 320 Deviance and Control
- SOC-S 325 Criminology
- SOC-S 461 Urban Sociology
- SOC-S 424 Sociology of Law
Correctional Management
Students participate in the curriculum for the correctional management certificate to gain further understanding of how the development and implementation of effective managerial skills can have a positive impact on the correctional process and to increase their own personal career mobility.
Students must complete the five-course requirements of the certificate program for a total of 15 credits. The courses to complete the certificate are as follows:
- J101 -Introduction to the American Criminal Justice System
- J304 -Correctional Law
- J331 -Introduction to Corrections
- J370-Special Topic: Correctional Administration
- J370-Special Topic: Correctional Counseling (Note: Other SPEA courses offered may be approved for substitution of the J370 courses with advisor approval)
Public Health
The Certificate in Public Health provides a basic understanding of environmental health issues, current health policies, the structure of the medical care delivery system, administration techniques used in health-related facilities, and methods of determining the significance of various factors on health.
Students must complete 18 credit hours and meet the following requirements to earn a Certificate in Public Health:
All of the following (3 credits each):
- SPEA H316 Environmental Health Science
- SPEA H320 Health Systems Administration
- SPEA H322 Principles of Epidemiology
Three of the following:
- SPEA H342 Community Health Education
- SPEA H416 Environmental Health Policy
- SPEA H441 Legal Aspects of Hospital Health Care Administration
- SPEA V450 Contemporary Issues in Public Affairs-Health Topics
- SPEA E400 Topics in Environmental Studies
Public Safety
The Certificate in Public Safety offers a broad overview of law enforcement and its relationship to the other elements in the criminal justice process. It is useful to sworn and nonsworn personnel, as well as to those seeking employment in law enforcement. The certificate also provides an excellent transition into the Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice degree program.
Students must complete 27 credit hours and meet the following requirements to earn a Certificate in Public Safety:
General Education (3 credits each):
- ENG-W 131 Reading, Writing and Inquiry I
- SPCH-S 121 Public Speaking
- PSY-P 101 Introduction to Psychology I OR SOC-S 161 Principles of Sociology
Criminal Justice (3 credits each):
- SPEA-J 101 American Criminal Justice System
- SPEA-J 301 Substantive Criminal Law
- SPEA-J 310 Introduction to Administrative Process
- SPEA-J 321 American Policing
- SPEA-J 320 Criminal Investigation OR SPEA-J 322 Criminalistics
- SPEA-J 370 Seminar in Criminal Justice
