Local Government Administration Certificate Program

This Certificate provides a comprehensive overview of local government administration in Canada, with a focus on British Columbia. The Certificate complements existing degree programs at UNBC and is designed to help students prepare for careers in local government administration, policy, planning and economic development. Some of the courses in the Certificate also meet the requirements for provincial certification programs for local government administrators.

Drawing primarily from the disciplines of Political Science and Environmental Planning, the Certificate in Local Government Administration consists of 10 courses (30 credit hours), four of which are electives. The elective courses are drawn from lists of courses in two specializations: Policy and Administration and Planning and Economic Development. Students can choose to specialize in one of these areas, in which case they take four courses from one of the lists. They can also choose a generalist focus in which they take two courses from each list. Students must ensure that all prerequisite courses have been completed for the elective courses in the certificate.

Students can take the Certificate as a stand-alone program of study or in conjunction with a degree program. The requirements for admission into a Certificate program are the same as for any general UNBC undergraduate program. University transfer credit can also be applied to the Certificate, as appropriate, to a maximum of 15 credit hours.

Certificate Requirements

Required Courses
ENPL 104-3 Introduction to Planning
POLS 100-3 Contemporary Political Issues
POLS 316-3 Municipal Government and Politics
POLS 350-3 Law and Municipal Government
POLS 351-3 Local Services and Public Policy
POLS 360-3 Local Government Finance
 

Elective Courses


Specialization 1: Policy and Administration
COMM 330-3 Human Resource Management
POLS 200-3 Canadian Government and Politics
POLS 302-3 How Government Works
POLS 320-3 Canadian Politics and Policy
POLS 327-3 Leadership and Ethics in Local Government
POLS 332-3 Community Development
POLS 333-3 Politics and Government of BC
POLS 344-3 Society, Policy and Administration of Natural Resources
POLS 353-3 Project Management in Local Government
POLS 380-3 Law and Indigenous Peoples
POLS 415-3 Comparative Northern Development
Specialization 2: Planning and Economic Development
COMM 302-3 Entrepreneurship
ENPL 204-3 Principles and Practices of Planning
ENPL 208-3 First Nations Community and Environmental Planning
ENPL 301-3 Sustainable Communities: Structure and Sociology
ENPL 313-3 Rural Community Economic Development (CED)
ENPL 318-3 Professional Planning Practice
GEOG 202-3 Resources, Economies, and Sustainability
GEOG 424-3 Northern Communities
POLS 332-3 Community Development
POLS 415-3 Comparative Northern Development

Public Administration and Community Development Major

See Calendar entry under Geography

Updated: June 30, 2023