Community Development Graduate Certificate

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College of Arts and Sciences

Department: Dean’s Office

Certificate Contacts, Deadlines, and Delivery Information

Office of Graduate Certificates Website

Graduate Certificate Policies

The Graduate Certificate in Community Development allows students to explore the urban communities that have suffered from decades of disinvestment and to examine the efforts of their residents to revitalize them. The approach is interdisciplinary, weaving together a variety of perspectives so that students come to understand what communities are and how they differ; how communities fit into broader social systems; and what strategies are necessary to develop communities. The Certificate is also applied, focusing on the current issues and efforts of community development in the Tampa area.
The Certificate is designed to attract students from three distinct pools:

Students who have completed an undergraduate degree but are uncertain as to the graduate program they want to pursue;
Students enrolled in USF graduate programs who want to focus on community development.
Professionals already working in the field that want a graduate-level credentials

Graduate Certificate Admissions and Process

Students must apply and be admitted into the Graduate Certificate to be eligible to receive a Graduate Certificate. Applicants are encouraged to contact the Graduate Certificate Director prior to applying.

Applicants must meet the following admission requirements:

Additional Admission Requirements

In addition, applicants should submit the following materials with their application form:

Letter of Intent/Purpose
Resume or CV

Curriculum Requirements (15 Credit Hours)

Complete the following (9 Credit Hours):
URP 6549 Urban & Metropolitan Economic Development Strategies Credit Hours: 3
URP 6058 Community Development Planning Credit Hours: 3
URP 6316 Land Use Planning Credit Hours: 3
Additional Course (6 Credit Hours)

With the approval of the Certificate Director, student choose two graduate courses (3 credits each) relevant to community development from the School of Public Affairs course offerings. In some cases an appropriate class from another department may be approved.

Graduate Certificate Time Limit

Five (5) Years.

Graduate Certificate Completion

For procedures to confirm completion of the Graduate Certificate, please refer to the website.