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UNO's College of Public Affairs and Community Service Offers Nationally Recognized Certificates to Enhance Your Leadership and Management Skills

graduates stand in a group holding their certificates.

UNO’s College of Public Affairs and Community Service offers two nationally recognized certificate programs. One of these certificates could be the perfect opportunity to enhance your leadership and management skills, while deciding if graduate school is the right move for you, or if you are in the public or nonprofit arenas.

Our Nebraska Certified Public Manager® Program is a 12-month cohort, focusing on many aspects of public management. It's taught by local experts featuring 17 courses and a major project and is taught in a hybrid model between classes at UNO and online. Graduates earn a CPM title, and have seen promotions, job changes and personal growth. The praises from previous participants are strong and loud.

Along with our CPM® program, UNO’s School of Public Administration (SPA) also offers a newly enhanced Certificate in Fundraising Management. This CFM will prepare you for current work-place topics and situations, including planning for #Giving Tuesday, and give you a network of co-horts for support, ideas and collaboration.

You can take classes in the CFM program ala carte, on a monthly basis, although there are many benefits – including a discount – to taking the full years’ worth of classes. Topics range from donor retention, grant writing, reporting and management, managing volunteers, fundraising campaigns and public relations, and marketing.

Our certificates benefit those working in both nonprofit and public sectors throughout Nebraska and in the Midwest region."

 Ellen Freeman-Wakefield, Director of Professional Programs

“This is a great chance to earn a certificate, learn relevant update materials, and look at continuing on in a graduate program.”

The deadline for the CFM year-long certificate program is right around the corner (January 9) although single classes can be taken throughout the year.

Registration and information for both programs is featured on the SPA’s Professional Programs Pages.

Graduate Hours: You can earn UNO graduate credit hours through taking our certificate programs.

College Credits: Graduates of the Nebraska CPM Program can receive 15 upper-level college credits, which can be used to complete a Bachelor’s in General Studies (BGS) through UNO’s Division of Continuing Studies Program. Participants with a degree can receive up to six graduate credits toward a UNO Master’s in Public Administration (MPA). To receive the MPA credits, participants must enroll in the UNO graduate school and pay tuition and fees for the six credit hours. Nebraska CPM participants who do not live in Nebraska must pay non-resident tuition. No work beyond the CPM program requirements is necessary to receive the undergraduate and graduate credits.