Graduate Certificate in Development Studies

The department offers an interdisciplinary graduate certificate in development studies.  Development Studies is a well-established, interdisciplinary field of research with institutional centers at a number of major universities and several scholarly journals dedicated to it's study.  The certificate provides interdisciplinary training in development studies to graduate students through a structured yet flexible program built around courses taught by CU faculty in a number of social science departments.  Because development issues such as agrarian change, labor migration, new social movements, industrial growth, urban planning, and natural resource use cut across disciplinary divides, the study of development demands interdisciplinary approaches.

Admission Requirements

Currently enrolled graduate students at CU and non-degree seeking ACCESS students with bachelor's degrees may pursue the Development Studies certificate by satisfactorily completing the four required courses.  To satisfactorily complete each course, students must earn a grade of B or higher.

Procedure for Awarding Certificates

The certificate requires the completion of twelve credits, or four courses, at least two of which should be taken in the Department of Geography.  Students may not take more than three of the four required courses in Geography.  Upon completion of the four courses, students should contact the certificate director with a copy of their unofficial CU transcript, requesting the certificate.  The program director will check to ensure that the requirements have been met.   For more information, please contact the certificate director, Joe Bryan.

Faculty Steering Committee

Jennifer Bair (Sociology), Andy Baker (Political Science), Lorraine Bayard de Volo (Women and Gender Studies), Joe Bryan (Geography), Mara Goldman (Geography), Terry McCabe (Anthropology), Tim Oakes (Geography), Emily Yeh (Geography)

Affiliated Faculty

Elizabeth Dunn (Geography), Fernando Riosmena (Geography), Elisabeth Root (Geography), Donna Goldstein (Anthropology), Kaifa Roland (Anthropology), Carla Jones (Anthropology), Jennifer Shannon (Anthropology), Max Boycoff (ENVS), Ben Hale (ENVS, Philosophy), Lori Hunter (Sociology), Liam Downey (Sociology), Sanyu Mojola (Sociology), Christina Sue (Sociology), Sam Fitch (Political Science), Krister Andresson (Political Science/ENVS), DAvid Brown (Political Science), Carew Boulding (Political Science), Robert Buffington (Women and Gender Studies), Lee Alston (Economics/ENVS), David Silver (Civil Engineering), Revi Sterling (ATLAS)

Graduate Certificate in Hydrological Sciences

The Graduate Certificate offers a coherent curriculum in Hydrologic Sciences that can complement and supplement a student's regular degree program. The Graduate Certificate allows students to obtain recognition for their accomplishments in hydrologic sciences and demonstrates the quantitative multi-disciplinary education desired by many prospective employers. After admission into the Hydrologic Sciences Program, one of the co-Directors and the student's advisor will approve a student's planned curriculum as meeting the requirements for the certificate. After completion of the approved curriculum, the student will request a Graduate Certificate and one of the co-directors will generate a letter to the appropriate department head and Dean. The certificate will be awarded only upon completion of a graduate degree.

For more information, see the Hydrological Sciences webpage

Certificate in College Teaching and Professional Development Certificates Obtained Through the Graduate Teacher Program

The Geography Department also provides assistance through a Graduate Teacher Program department Lead to work towards and/or acquire several certificates in teaching and professional development, as well as year-round teaching, research, and career advice and a variety of workshops and conferences.  

The Graduate Teacher Program encourages graduate students to take their current teaching, research and service responsibilities seriously, to view such experience and training as preparation for either academic or nonacademic careers, and to gather evidence of their professional development that can be documented in a teaching or professional portfolio for use in their job search. To this end, the program offers activities that encourage participants to:

• Interact with a community of scholars made up of faculty, undergraduate students, graduate students, and staff from many departments on campus
• Learn to work with diverse populations in diverse post-secondary and other work environments
• Model and foster integrity and fairness
• Expand advising, counseling, mentoring, and management skills
• Approach teaching, research, service, and professional development from an evidence-based perspective
• Explore and learn to use effective learning technology

For more information, please visit the GTP website or contact your current GTP Lead