Certificates of Interest

University of Michigan School of Public Health students also have the option to earn graduate certificates across the University of Michigan. The following are certificates that may be of interest to Public Health Students. These certificates are administered through other units at the University:

Health Informatics Graduate Certificate

The Certificate in Health Informatics is designed to expose students to key concepts related to the use of data and technology in designing, evaluating and implementing healthcare policy and interventions in support of individual and population health.

The Certificates core goals include:

  • Develop, study and apply theories, methods and processes for the generation, storage, retrieval, use and sharing of medical and health data, information, and knowledge.
  • Build on computing, communication and information sciences and technologies and their application in medicine and public health.
  • Serve as a bridge between basic and clinical research and practice and the healthcare industry.
  • Recognize that people are the ultimate users of health information and draw upon the social and behavioral sciences to inform the design and evaluation of technical solutions and the development of complex economic, ethical, social, educational, and organizational systems.

Healthy Cities Graduate Certificate

Cities are places of tremendous economic, political, and cultural opportunity, yet they are also important sites of public health concern. Built environments, human interactions, and public policies influence health outcomes in cities. At their best, these elements promote health and wellness. At their worst, they exacerbate chronic illness, infectious disease, substandard housing, toxic exposure, inadequate nutrition, and natural disaster. The emerging proliferation of healthy city initiatives worldwide is creating new opportunities to rethink urban processes from a public health perspective.

The Graduate Certificate in Healthy Cities introduces students to basic skills and competencies needed to help develop health research, policy, and designs to build healthier communities. Coursework highlights the social, environmental, economic, and political determinants of public health and health equity in urban contexts. It also provides a foundation for understanding the interconnections between healthy urban populations, urban economic growth, and vibrant urban neighborhoods.

Physical Activity and Nutrition (PAN) Graduate Certificate

The emerging field of Physical Activity and Nutrition focuses on issues related to the effects of physical activity (and inactivity), nutrition, obesity and metabolic irregularities and their relationship to disease prevention, health promotion, and wellness enhancement. Many of the health problems we face today require a multifaceted approach, and this certificate program provides students with the necessary tools to formulate important solutions.

The Physical Activity and Nutrition (PAN) Graduate Certificate program brings together faculty from both the School of Kinesiology (administrative unit) and the School of Public Health who share similar research and learning objectives and establishes a culture of interaction across boundaries. This integrated discourse in physical activity together with nutrition challenges students and faculty to look at research questions and societal issues from a broader, interdisciplinary lens to create well-rounded leaders with an expanded portfolio of experiences and expertise that will help them integrate knowledge and research in fields such as medicine, physical therapy/rehabilitation, and nutritional sciences/dietetics.

Precision Health Graduate Certificate

The goal of the Precision Health Graduate Certificate is to train a cadre of precision health scientists to apply cutting-edge, multidisciplinary knowledge in the pursuit of improving patient and population health. Designed for masters and doctoral students enrolled in degree-granting graduate programs at the University of Michigan, the Precision Health Graduate Certificate is approved by the Rackham School of Graduate Studies.

The certificate requires:

  • A minimum of ten (10) graduate credit hours of coursework from at least two different precision health competency domains. An effort should be made to include all precision health domains (Discovery, Treatment, and Health).
  • Participation in four semesters of the 0.5 credit Precision Health seminar series for a total of two (2) credit hours.
  • Attendance at the Precision Health Annual Research Symposium.
  • Attendance at other non-credit, community-building activities, such as a welcome picnic and networking events throughout the year.

Science, Technology, and Public Policy (STPP) Graduate Certificate

In the Science, Technology, and Public Policy (STPP) Graduate Certificate Program, students explore the politics and policy related to science and technology. The program provides students with tools to analyze complex science and technology policy issues, and consider the following types of questions:

  • How is science and technology influenced by the policy process?
  • What is the rightful place of science in public policymaking?
  • What values and assumptions underlie our current understanding of science and technology?
  • Who should make decisions about science and technology policy? Only experts, or should lay people have a voice?
  • How should policymakers deal with the risks and uncertainties that come from new science and technology (e.g., biotechnology, nanotechnology, geoengineering)?

In 15 credit hours of course work (three core courses and two electives), students learn how science and technology are influenced by politics and policy, analyze the role of science and technology in the policymaking process, develop policy writing skills, gain methods and tools for science and technology policy analysis, and explore the political and policy landscape of specific science and technology areas, including biotechnology, information and communication technology, energy policy, and more. The STPP Graduate Certificate Program is designed for students already enrolled in a degree program at the University of Michigan. Master's or doctoral students from any field, both LSA and the professional schools, are welcome to apply. No background in science or in policy is required.

Sustainable Food Systems Graduate Certificate

The graduate certificate in Sustainable Food Systems provides the knowledge,skill sets, and credentials relevant to sustainability. Graduates will be better positioned to take advantage of new opportunities in the emerging global green economy and to compete for a wide range of positions in the private for-profit, public, and non-profit sectors. The certificate is designed to accommodate the diverse skill sets and disciplinary backgrounds of potential applicants, yet provide sufficient structure to deliver a cohesive learning experience.

The certificate requires completion of:

  • 6 credits of coursework in fundamental knowledge
  • 6 credits of coursework in skill development
  • A capstone experience that allows students to apply the knowledge and skills they developed through their coursework. The capstone may take the form of an additional 3-credit course or an approved co-curricular experiential activity.

Graduate Certificate Program in Industrial Ecology

The primary objective of the Program in Industrial Ecology (PIE) is to provide University of Michigan graduate students fundamental skills in, and knowledge of, industrial ecology methods and applications. PIE's certificate complements any field of study by providing specialization in technological and industrial innovation, consumer behavior and consumption patterns, policy and regulatory issues, and economic factors and market forces to achieve more sustainable systems. Participating students will be better prepared to design and manage natural and industrial systems to meet human needs in an environmentally, economically and socially sustainable manner.

Due to the interdisciplinary emphasis of the Program in Industrial Ecology, required courses are offered from a variety of University of Michigan units, including SEAS and the schools of Engineering, Public Health, Public Policy, and Business.

Students must earn a total of 15 credit hours, taking one course each from five core areas:

  • 1 Program in Industrial Ecology core course
  • 1 System analysis and sustainability  course
  • 1 Energy systems course
  • 1 Environmental policy and economic analysis course
  • 1 Experiential Learning  activity

Environmental Justice Certificate

This is a 15-credit program. The 15 required credits are above and beyond your other program requirements. Rackham does allow some double-counting between two degrees.  You can double count up to 1/6 of the total of two programs but no more than half of the certificate credit requirements.

You must be enrolled in a Master's or PhD degree program at the University of Michigan to be eligible to apply.

The Environmental Justice Certificate program aims to provide fundamental skills and knowledge, methods and applications of environmental justice to enhance the education of students from a wide range of relevant disciplines at the University of Michigan. Students will:

  • Examine the historical, scientific, social, legal, cultural, and political complexities of the relationship between people and the built and natural environment
  • Examine past research on the environment and design new research to study and enhance our knowledge of how race, class, and gender affect our environmental experiences, attitudes and perceptions, and influence how we construct environmental discourses
  • Master research methods and approaches to rigorously study perspectives about and impediments to safe, sustainable communities for all people
  • Participate in efforts to educate policymakers, educators, lawmakers, health professionals, industry leaders, and the public about environmental inequalities
  • Participate in educational and strategic planning efforts to help communities take effective action to ameliorate harmful environmental conditions

Graduate Certificate Program in Sustainability

This is a 12-credit program. The 12 required credits are above and beyond your other program requirements.  Rackham does allow some double-counting between two degrees.  You can double count up to 1/6 of the total of two programs but no more than half of the certificate credit requirements.  Download program requirements and courses here.

The Certificate in Sustainability is open to students enrolled in any University of Michigan graduate program. A student must apply to the certificate program.

A free-standing certificate option is available for persons not currently enrolled in a University of Michigan graduate program. All applicants to the free-standing certificate must have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher and can apply directly through standard admissions procedures. A person admitted to the certificate program must complete requirements within four years from the date of first enrollment in the program.

Professional Development DEI Certificate

Rackham is committed to enhancing the development and training offerings related to diversity, equity, and inclusion for all University of Michigan graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. The Professional Development DEI Certificate is designed to prepare participants to work in a diverse environment while fostering a climate of inclusivity.

Core trainings include:

  • Creating an Inclusive Environment or Responding to Microaggressions
  • Writing a Diversity Statement or Demonstrating a Commitment to Diversity
  • Bystander Intervention
  • Unconscious Bias
  • Learning About Difference or Communicating Across Identities

Upon successful completion of the program, participants will possess:

  • Increased DEI knowledge and skills to prepare them for a diverse and global job market
  • The ability to accurately define and conceptualize DEI terms
  • Opportunities for further engagement in DEI scholarship and leadership positions
  • A diversity statement that demonstrates commitment to DEI
  • An official certificate of completion, signed by the dean of Rackham Graduate School and the University of Michigan chief diversity officer, which can be listed on a curriculum vitae or resume