Executive Certificate in Public Administration
Increase Your Academic and Career Opportunities with Liberty’s Executive Certificate in Public Administration
Take your master’s degree further with a postgraduate certificate in public administration. If you aren’t ready to dive into a doctoral program, but you want to gain more knowledge or increase your career potential, an Executive Certificate may be the next step for you.
Liberty University’s Executive Certificate in Public Administration provides a comprehensive, 21-credit-hour track for students like you. Whether you work in the private, public, or nonprofit sector, you can quickly gain a postgraduate-level credential while preparing for future doctoral studies. Our program allows you to transfer all 21 credits into the Doctor of Public Administration, leaving you just 39 credits away from a completed doctorate!
Military Tuition Discount
If you have served in the military, we want to go above and beyond to show you our gratitude. That’s why we designed our 21-credit-hour certificates to work especially well for you. Earning an Executive Certificate makes you eligible for our military alumni doctoral discount — you’ll receive the discounted $300/credit hour military rate both during the certificate and later during a doctoral degree.* Many of our certificates roll directly into a corresponding doctoral degree, allowing you to get a jumpstart on your doctorate!
If your plans to earn a doctoral degree lie further in the future, each certificate also stands on its own as a professional development credential, setting you apart from your peers and giving you the flexibility to start a doctoral degree whenever you’re ready. It’s one more way we show our appreciation.
*In order to retain the $300/credit hour rate, the doctoral degree must be started within 2 years of completing the Executive Certificate.
What Will You Learn in Liberty University’s Executive Certificate in Public Administration?
- Advanced finance and budgeting for public administration
- Human resources and the legal and regulatory context of public administration
- Organizational leadership and behavior in public administration
- Public administration ethics, statesmanship, and governance
- Studies in urban planning for state and local governments
Liberty’s 21-credit-hour public administration certificate will prepare you for career advancement, positions of leadership, and future doctoral studies in a Doctor of Public Administration program. Our certificate does this by providing you with courses focused on problem-solving, solution-oriented thinking, and the theoretical framework for public administration sectors as a whole.
Potential Careers for Executive Public Administration Certificate Graduates
- Budget analyst
- City manager
- Elected official
- Executive fire services officer
- Foundation program officer
- Legislative aide
- Lobbyist
- Police lieutenant, captain, or chief
- Policy analyst
- Professor
- Public agency manager
- Research scientist
- Sustainability consultant
- Urban planner
Some of these occupations may require that you have a Doctor of Public Administration (DPA). That’s why Liberty created Executive Certificates that can seamlessly transfer into one of our corresponding DPA programs. So if you are looking to further your studies after completing your certificate in public administration, you will be able to transfer all 21 credits into our DPA program!
Benefits of Pursuing Your Executive Certificate in Public Administration with Liberty University
As a leader in distance education since 1985, we understand what it takes to create a flexible and affordable education for busy people. Since we have been investing in distance and online learning for decades, our experience has taught us how to streamline our degree options so you can focus on what really matters to you. While many schools offer online degrees, we believe Liberty stands out.
Here’s what sets us apart:
- We are recognized by multiple institutions for our academic quality, affordability, and accessibility. Our commitment to excellence also helped us rank in the top 10% of Niche.com’s best online schools in America. Earning your online Executive Certificate in Public Administration from a nonprofit university with this kind of recognition can help set you apart from others in your field.
- The majority of tuition for undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs has not increased in 9 years. While many other online colleges have raised tuition, Liberty has been able to keep costs low as a nonprofit university.
- You can complete this certificate program in as little as 1.5 years.
- Our Executive Certificates allow you to transfer all 21 credit hours into one of our corresponding PhD programs. With the majority of our doctoral programs being 60-credit-hours long, you will need as few as 39 credits to complete your doctoral studies!
Military Benefits
Service is important to us, so whether you’re currently serving in the Armed Forces, have served, or are married to someone who serves, we’re here to serve you. Liberty’s military benefits are available to:
- Active duty service members of the U.S. Armed Forces
- Reserve/National Guard
- Veterans/retirees
- Spouses of service members and veterans/retirees
- Current Department of Defense employees
We are proud to support you in your pursuit of a flexible and affordable online education by offering you the following benefits:
- Tuition discounts – $300 per credit hour for postgraduate courses
- 8-week courses, 8 different start dates each year, and no set login times (may exclude certain courses such as practicums, internships, or field experiences)
Please note: The $300/credit hour doctoral military rate cannot be combined with the First Responder Discount.
Credit Hours
Class Type
100% online, 8-week courses
Transfer Credits
Transfer in up to 50% of the certificate total
Next Start Date
May 13, 2024
Accreditation
Liberty University is accredited by SACSCOC