Brief Introduction:

The certificate program consists of four 3-credit hour courses, for a total of twelve hours of graduate coursework. Students are required to complete all four courses with a GPA of 3.0 or better in order to earn the certificate. Students are exposed to a full spectrum of local government issues, service delivery options, and management tools. The analysis of a real life, local government case study is central to each classroom experience. Case studies are used within the courses to emphasize the relationship between the political and management worlds which all local government managers must understand and navigate in order to be successful. All courses are taught by experienced, highly qualified Virginia local government practitioners via two-way video telecasts to Virginia Tech broadcast centers located in key parts of the Commonwealth.

The Students:

In-career professionals currently working in local government positions formed the first cohort in this graduate certificate program. They include local government managers, assistant directors, department heads, budget and policy analysts, engineers, and planners, as well as other professionals from operating departments of local governments.

The Graduate Certificate Program in Local Government Management originally was offered through a contract with the Virginia Local Government Management Association (VLGMA). The inaugural cohort of 26 students began their coursework with in the fall 2008 semester and will complete their coursework by the spring 2010 semester.

The Center for Public Administration and Policy (CPAP) is now expanding the program so that the certificate courses may be offered more frequently and to a broader student audience.