Certificate in Advanced Studies in Community and Regional Planning
The Geography Department offers a Certificate of Advanced Study in Community and Regional Planning. This 15 graduate unit program consists of five courses. The Certificate Program is designed for various types of students. The targeted audience may include current graduate-level students who plan to obtain their master’s degree in a land use planning-related field, such as Real Estate, Public Administration, Civil Engineering, Public Health, and Architecture. It also includes planning-related practicing professionals, such as architects, engineers, planners, elected and appointed public officials, and non-profit community service providers.
Admission Criteria. Interested candidates shall meet at least one of the following criteria for admission. Applicants must
- be currently enrolled in a master’s degree program at an accredited institution of higher education, or
- have already earned a master’s degree from an accredited institution of higher education, or
- have earned an undergraduate degree.
A GRE test is not required for admission. Students currently enrolled in a graduate degree program at Fresno State must submit an “Add or Change Graduate Degree or Advanced Certificate Objective” form to the Division of Research and Graduate Studies Office.
Admission Process. Students shall submit a program application to the Program Coordinator and Fresno State University. The application can be found on the Program website. Besides the application, students shall also submit three letters of recommendation to the Program Coordinator. Student must apply for admission to the university through CSU Mentor.
Computer Requirements and Support. Participants must have access to a computer. All students will need to activate a Fresno State email account. Software requirements can be accessed by clicking on the following link: https://help.fresnostate.edu/content/software.php. Visit the Digital Campus website at http://www.fresnostate.edu/academics/tilt/ to learn more about how to be successful with online learning. Students have access to online tutorials and frequently asked questions at the following website: http://www.fresnostate.edu/academics/blackboard/students/index.html
Exit from Program. The Certificate in Community and Regional Planning shall be issued upon completion of all coursework with a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Program is cohort based. Students are expected to progress and graduate within their matriculated cohort. Exceptions are considered on a case-by-case basis in accordance with university policy and accreditation standards. To be awarded the certificate, students must first submit a Proposed Program for the Certificate of Advanced Studies, and then file Application for the Award of the Certificate of Advanced Study in the Division of Research and Graduate Studies Office within the first two weeks of the term in which all courses and requirements are expected to be completed.
A minimum of 9 program units must be used solely for certificate course requirements, and not toward any other degree or certificate program.
Program Length and Schedule. The five required courses are distributed in fall and spring semesters in each academic year. In each fall semester, coursesGEOG 201 , GEOG 202 , and GEOG 203 are offered sequentially, with each course finished within 4-5 weeks. GEOG 204 and GEOG 205 are available in each spring semester sequentially with each finished within 6-7 weeks.
A full online delivery mode will be utilized to accommodate participants’ work schedules