Educational Leadership

Graduate Certificate in Community College

The community college graduate certificate is designed to prepare graduate students to work in community college settings as teaching faculty or counselors. Courses offered in this program provide students with an overview of the community college and its role in the American higher education system. Students will gain insights and experiences in the classroom and in fieldwork that will strengthen their knowledge and skills in working with community college students, faculty, and staff. The certificate program consists of 18 units; 9 units are from the master's degree program and must be approved by the student's master's degree program graduate advisor; and 9 units are specific to the study of college students, the community college, and fieldwork; 15 units must be completed at CSULB. All students will be required to:

1. Submit a Graduate Certificate in Community College application to the Office of Graduate Studies.

2. Be enrolled in a master's degree program in a discipline leading to teaching or counseling in post-secondary education settings.

3. Complete 9 units of coursework in Educational Leadership:

• SDHE 552 Introduction to the Community College (3)
  Prerequisites: Enrollment in M.A., M.S. or Credential Programs.
• SDHE 548 Students in U. S. Higher Education (3)
  Prerequisites: SDHE 538.
• SDHE 644B Advanced Counseling Field Work: Student Development in Higher Education (3) (counseling or teaching focused)
  Prerequisites: SDHE 516, SDHE 538, SDHE 643B.

4. Complete an additional 9 units approved by their master's degree program graduate advisor for consideration to fulfill the 18 units required for the certificate. These courses may include pedagogy, learning theory, instructional management, and/or teaching methodology courses in the student's major area of study, or any other courses in the discipline deemed appropriate by the master's degree program graduate advisor.