Community-Based Education and Leadership

Certificate Requirements

Certificate Description

The Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Community-Based Education and Leadership is designed for practicing professionals in non-formal and informal education settings who want to expand their knowledge and skills to become effective educators and change leaders in their organizations. Upon completion of the certificate, graduates will have the ability to meet the needs of diverse populations of learners, build transformative learning communities, and foster collaborative partnerships within the expanding non-formal educational sector. Coursework for this 15-credit hour certificate option can be completed online.

Due to the unique blend of coursework including understanding 21st century teaching and learning as well as organizational management and leadership, this certificate benefits a variety of positions, including and not limited to the following: athletic coaches, community education leaders, higher education professionals, non-profit leaders, and youth development specialists.

Information on admission requirements can be found at Post-Baccalaureate Certificates Admissions Requirements.

Certificate Outcomes

Upon completion of the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Community-Based Education and Leadership, recipients will be able to:

1. Analyze formal, informal, and non-formal theories and frameworks of education.
2. Examine the developmental and cognitive characteristics of learners through the life span.
3. Explore sociological and cultural influences on communities, organizations, and groups.
4. Create, implement, and assess community-based educational programs.
5. Design engaging and innovative learning experiences that foster critical thinking, creativity, and communication skills of learners.
6. Synthesize multiple sources of evidence to make decisions.
7. Use multiple modes of communication to advocate for community-based education.
8. Create management and strategic plans for the sustainability of community-based educational organizations.
9. Foster collaboration among educational institutions, public, private and non-profit agencies, and other community stakeholders.

Certificate Policies

The grade of "C" is the lowest acceptable grade, and only one can be awarded during the program. A student may repeat one course in a post-baccalaureate certificate one time. Once a student has repeated a course, the student will not be permitted to repeat any other courses. If a student repeats a course, only the latter grade is used in computing the grade point average. However, all courses taken become a part of the student's academic record. Further, a student may withdraw from each graduate course one time only. A minimum cumulative 3.00 grade point average on all graduate work attempted is required for completion of the certificate. Only one grade of "C" may be applied toward the GPA requirement. Certificate requirements must be completed within seven years after the first course applied to the degree was completed.

Required Courses

Students must complete the following 9 credits:

CBEL 610	Foundations and Frameworks of Community-Based Education	3 credit
CBEL 616	Community Engagement and Leadership	3 credits
ED 606	Socio-political and Cultural Influences on Families, Organizations, and Communities	3 credits

Students will select two electives from either of the following focus areas:

Management-Leadership Electives

CBEL 670	Volunteer Management	3 credits
CBEL 672	Advocacy in Community-Based Organizations	3 credits
CBEL 674	Legal Issues and Risk Management in Community Organizations	3 credits

Teaching and Learning Electives

Students will select two courses from the following focus areas.

CBEL 612	Innovative Teaching and Learning for 21st Century Skills	3 credits
CBEL 614	Program Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation	3 credits
CBEL 662	Youth Development	3 credits
CBEL 664	Teaching & Learning for Specialized Populations	3 credits
ED 604	Cognitive Social and Emotional Development of Learners	3 credits