Consider these scenarios: Gloria is a social worker who's looking to better understand and serve her clients with mental illnesses or substance abuse problems. Will is a computer programmer who needs to develop skills in database technology so that he can progress professionally. Diane is a teacher who wants to understand and apply new statewide curriculum frameworks for the wide range of students, including special needs students, in her class.
New graduate certificate programs, three of which will be offered for the first time this spring, have been designed with professionals like these in mind, who are looking for further education and skills, but do not wish to enroll in traditional graduate programs.
A 16-credit, graduate certificate program in Forensic Services will be offered by the Graduate Program in Applied Sociology, in collaboration with Department of Psychology, the joint CPCS/CAS Criminal Justice Program, and UMass Medical Center. It will offer an interdisciplinary approach for social services professionals who wish to strengthen their knowledge of behavioral sciences and gain practical skills. Coordinating the program is Prof. Stephanie Hartwell.
A 12-credit graduate certificate program in database management is also being offered for the first time by the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science and the Graduate Computer Science Program. This program is geared towards individuals with substantial computer programming experience, who wish to acquire a systematic education in database management.
A third graduate certificate program, "Charting the Course: Adapting Curriculum Frameworks for All Learners," will also be launched this spring. This 12-credit program will look at the intersection of education reform, special education reform, curriculum frameworks and how these apply in the classroom. The program has been developed by the Center for Social Development and Education, and is coordinated by MaryAnn Byrnes.
Two more graduate certificate programs, one focusing on non-profit managment, proposed by the Master of Science in Human Services program of Collge of Public and Community Service, and another on teaching writing in the schools, proposed by the Boston Writing Project of the Graduate College of Education, are under development.
All of the new programs were developed in response to a call for graduate certificate proposals issued in the Spring of 1998 by Graduate Dean Martin Quitt and Dean of the Division of Continuing Education (DCE), Theresa Mortimer. Eventually, five proposals were chosen for development - - one from each college and one from a center.
According to Quitt, the collaboration between Graduate Studies and DCE is an excellent one, enhancing the university's ability to develop graduate certificate programs which serve a real need in the marketplace, generate income for the university, and preserve the values inherent in our graduate studies programs.
"Dean Mortimer has built her continuing education programs by maintaining high academic standards - - she is always concerned with the quality of the programs she supports," adds Quitt. Adds Mortimer: "Drawing on the strengths of the existing faculty and operating at no additional cost to the Commonwealth, these programs are also a cost-effective way for the University to expand its outreach into corporate and professional areas."
The idea for developing these programs originated when Associate Dean of Graduate Studies Ron Polito returned from a Northeast Association of Graduate Schools conference in the Spring of 1997 with the news that everyone was talking about the potential of these programs. "One reason is that for the past several years, graduate enrollments nationally have declined (although not at UMass Boston) yet the demand for post-baccalaureate training has increased," Quitt adds.
Unlike certificates which have long been offered through the university's academic departments and programs, these new certificate programs will not necessarily be permanent fixtures. "Another major aspect is that these programs will be reviewed annually, and if they are not justified by interest, then we can let them go and develop new ones," says Quitt.