Certificate Programs

Specialized certificates are available to students who complete a series of related courses. All union members and NLC students in either degree program are eligible to participate. Interested students should complete an NLC application form and indicate their selected certificate. Certificates require at least 12 semester credits of specific NLC courses designed to deliver a cohesive program, thus, classes taken with NLC academic and union partners do not qualify as part of NLC certificate credits.

Important: The School of Labor Studies underwent a comprehensive curriculum review last year and as a result there are changes to the degree offerings, programs, courses and overall requirements. Specific information will be forthcoming on this page by June 1, 2012.

Certificate in Union Administration: 12 credits

Students must take at least two of the following courses:

• Managing Local Unions (2 credits)
• New Union Staff (2 credits)
• Union Structure and Governance* (3 credits)
• Union Administration* (3 credits)

And at least three  credits from the following areas of NLC course offerings:

• Arbitration
• Collective Bargaining
• Dispute Resolution and Grievance Handling
• Law*
• Ethics
• Capital Stewardship*

Certificate in Labor Safety and Health: 12 credits

Students must take at least one OSHA class through the NLC’s National Resource Center
program and at least one of the following classes:

• Industrial Hygiene* (3 credits)
• Train-the-Trainer on Workplace Safety and Health (3 credits)
• Additional Safety and Health course offered in the BA program* (1-3 credits per class)

And at least one of the following classes:

• Hazardous Materials Transportation* (3 credits)
• Rail Workers Hazardous Materials Training Program (3 credits)
• Workplace Hazards and the Law* (3 credits)

Certificate in Organizing: 12 credits

Students must take at least two of the following courses:

• Effective Communications for Trade Unionists (2 credits)
• Effective Leadership: Making It All Work* (3 credits)
• Grassroots Leadership for Working America I & II* (1 credit, 2 credits)
• New Union Staff  (2 credits)

And at least six credits from the following NLC course offerings:

• Strategic Grievance Handling (2 credits)
• Organizing and Representing the New Workforce* (3 credits)
• Organizing I, II, III (2 credits per class)

Certificate in Labor Education: 12 credits

Students must take 12 semester credits chosen from the following set of offerings:

• Teaching Techniques I (3 credits)
• Teaching Techniques II (3 credits)
• The Adult Learner* (3 credits)
• Instructional Systems Design* (3 credits)
• Distance Learning for Labor Educators (3 credits)
• Effective Communications for Trade Unionists (2 credits)
• Methods that Motivate* (3 credits)
• Advanced Teaching Methods (3 credits)
• Train-the-Trainer on Workplace Safety and Health (3 credits)

Certificate in Building Trades Union Leadership and Administration: 12 credits

Students must take 12 semester credits from the following course offerings:

• Contract Negotiations in the Construction Industry (2 credits)
• Labor Law in the Construction Industry (3 credits)
• Organizing in the Construction Industry I (2 credits)
• Organizing in the Construction Industry II: Strategic Planning (2 credits)
• Organizing in the Construction Industry III: Closing the Deal (2 credits)
• Organizing in the Construction Industry IV: Communications and Media (2 credits)
• Managing Local Unions (2 credits)
• New Union Staff (2 credits)
• Union Structure and Governance* (3 credits)

Certificate in Building Trades Organizational Dynamics and Growth: 12 credits

Students must take 12 semester credits from the following course offerings:

• Organizing in the Construction Industry I (2 credits)
• Organizing in the Construction Industry II: Strategic Planning (2 credits)
• Organizing in the Construction Industry III: Closing the Deal (2 credits)
• Organizing in the Construction Industry IV: Communications and Media (2 credits)
• Strategic Research for Organizers and Bargainers (2 credits)
• Effective Communications for Trade Unionists (2 credits)
• Union Structure and Governance* (3 credits)
• Labor Education
• Collective Bargaining

Certificate in Leadership for Change: 12 Credits

This certificate is a fully online program. Courses are designed to provide participants with a new comprehensive look at organization, management and leadership issues for today's union leaders.  Local union activists, officers, administrators and others in leadership positions are ideal candidates for this program.

Students must take the following courses:

• Effective Leadership: Making It All Work* (3 credits)
• Leadership Theory* (3 credits)
• Grassroots Leadership for Working America I & II* (1 credit, 2 credits)
• Union Administration* (3 credits)

Certificate in Small Business Management (12 credits)

The Certificate in Small Business Management is a 12-credit program geared toward union members interested in starting their own businesses.

The required courses are:

• Entrepreneurship* (3 credits)
• Legal Environment of Business* (3 credits)
• Marketing and New Media* (3 credits)
• Financial and Accounting Controls* (3 credits)

Upon graduation, students will have a basic understanding of how to set up, staff, and manage a small business.

Certificate in Ethical Management (12 credits)

The Certificate in Ethical Management is a 12-credit program aimed at fostering a new breed of manager, one who strives to promote people, the planet, and economic prosperity. This certificate goes beyond the traditional “dollars and cents” view of a manager and teaches skills that will result in people-centered growth in organizations and the broader economy.

The required courses are:

• Management and Labor in the 21st Century* (3 credits)
• Business Ethics and Sustainability* (3 credits)
• Managing Human Resources in a Dynamic Environment* (3 credits)

And one of the following courses:

• Labor and Work in the United States* (3 credits)
• Labor and Work in the Global Economy* (3 credits)
• Ethics in Decision-Making* (3 credits)

Upon graduation, students will have a comprehensive understanding of why the old, profit-centered model of business management is outdated and inefficient. Students will be able to grow organizations sustainability and ethically.

Certificate in Construction Management (15 credits)

The Certificate in Construction Management is a 15-credit program designed to develop competency in the comprehension of general and construction management skills.

The required courses are:

• Fundamentals of the Construction Industry I* (3 credits)
• Fundamentals of the Construction Industry II* (3 credits)
• Building Systems* (3 credits)
• Construction Cost Accounting, Estimating, and Finance* (3 credits)
• Construction Project Planning and Scheduling* (3 credits)

Upon graduation, students will have a thorough understanding of the planning, directing, coordinating, and budgeting needed for a wide variety of construction projects, including the building of all types of residential, commercial, and industrial structures, roads, bridges, wastewater treatment plants, schools and hospitals.

Certificate in Emergency Management (15 credits)

The Certificate in Emergency Management is a 15-credit program designed for individuals interested in entering the field of emergency management planning or Homeland Security as well as for those currently in an emergency response profession seeking to update or broaden their skills.

The required courses are:

• Fundamentals of Emergency Readiness and Response Management* (3 credits)
• Disaster Response, Operations and Management* (3 credits)
• Legal and Ethical Aspects of Emergency and Consequence Management* (3 credits)
• Leadership: Systems Thinking and Critical Decision Making* (3 credits)
• Emergency Planning* (3 credits)

Upon graduation, students will have a comprehensive understanding of the principles of emergency management and Homeland Security and selected topics from these emerging disciplines.

*Class offered online.