Four new graduate certificate programs start this fall in the American Indian Studies Department (AIS). These post-baccalaureate offerings will allow graduates from AIS as well as graduates from other UMD programs and other colleges and universities to participate.
Jill Doerfler, professor and department head of the American Indian Studies Program, is excited to be offering four new graduate certificates for Fall 2022. "We created the certificates with existing courses from our Master of Tribal Administration and Governance program and our Master of Tribal Natural Resource and Environmental Stewardship program," she says. "All of the courses are offered completely online with five weekend synchronous meetings each semester. The certificates are a great option for graduate students in different programs across the University of Minnesota system as well as for professionals seeking to build skills in a new area."
The opportunity to combine the certificates with degree programs will be beneficial to many. "We hope that some people who earn a certificate decide they want to learn more," says Doerfler. Students can either earn another certificate or apply for the Master of Tribal Administration and Governance program or the Master of Tribal Natural Resource and Environmental Stewardship program."
Indigenous Environmental Systems and Principles of Resource Management
The Indigenous Environmental Systems and Economics postbaccalaureate certificate is designed to meet the professional and leadership needs of individuals interested in natural resources and environmental programs considering both Indigenous and Western knowledge systems. The courses are based on the interrelationship of biological, physical, and cultural systems. Required courses address sustainability, economics, and integrated ecosystems studies. The certificate provides an opportunity for students to learn fundamental skills for tribal natural resource management, and Indigenous knowledge of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.
Tribal Administration and Leadership
The Tribal Administration and Leadership Postbaccalaureate Certificate is designed to meet the professional needs of individuals interested in tribal governance and tribal relations. The courses in this program emphasize the leadership qualities and skills necessary for tribal contexts, strategic management, operations management, and human resources management. Topics addressed include Indigenous conceptions of leadership, strengths-based orientation, leadership styles, strategic planning and implementation, organizational frameworks, personnel, workplace conflicts, effectiveness, and efficiency.
Tribal Sovereignty and Federal Indian Law
Designed to meet the professional needs of individuals interested in tribal governance and tribal relations. The courses in the Tribal Sovereignty and Federal Indian Law program emphasize the inherent authority of tribal nations, federal Indian policy, and the legal status of tribes as contemplated within federal courts. This certificate ensures students understand fundamental governance and legal principles associated with tribal nations and prepares them to participate in tribal governance and tribal relations.
Tribal Natural Resource Stewardship, Economics, and Law
This Postbaccalaureate Certificate is designed to meet the professional and leadership needs of individuals interested in Tribal natural resources and environmental programs considering multiple perspectives regarding economic value and exchange of decision-making affecting the natural resources of Tribal Nations. The courses in the Tribal Natural Resource Stewardship, Economics, and Law program provide a transdisciplinary area of study that aims to address the connections between human economies and natural ecosystems. The courses will cover topics including the roles of Tribal resource and environmental managers, modes of market and non-market resource valuation and uses for those valuations. Practical areas of study will include sustainability, pollution control, benefit-cost analysis, air and water quality, waste management and conservation, both on and off of Reservations.
For more info: [email protected] | American Indian Studies Department | Graduate Programs and Certificates