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.
School of Labor Studies
The School of Labor Studies offers a variety of certificate programs, each consisting of 12 credit hours of SLS and/or Union Skills courses.
- Certificate for Arbitration and Grievance Handling
- Certificate in Building Trades Organizational Dynamics and Growth
- Certificate in Building Trades Union Leadership and Administration
- Certificate in Labor Education
- Certificate in Labor Safety and Health
- Certificate in Labor Studies
- Certificate in Leadership for Change
- Certificate in Organizing
- Certificate in Union Administration
School of Professional Studies
The School of Professional Studies offers a variety of certificate programs, consisting of four or five fully-online 3-credit courses.
- Certificate in Construction Management
- Certificate in Emergency Management
- Certificate in Ethical Management
- Certificate in Small Business Management
Certificate for Arbitration and Grievance Handling: 12 credits
The program requires 12 credit hours from the following course offerings:
LBUS-3080 Strategic Grievance Handling (2 credits)
LBUS-3898 Grievance Mediation (1 credits)
LBUS-3900 Arbitration Brief Writing (3 credits)
LBUS-3901 Arbitration Preparation and Presentation Level I (3 credits)
LBUS-3902 Arbitration Preparation and Presentation Level II (3 credits)
LBUS-3910 Labor Relations in the Federal Sector (2 credits)
Certificate in Building Trades Organizational Dynamics and Growth: 12 credits
The program requires 12 credit hours 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 Building Trades Union Leadership and Administration: 12 credits
The program requires 12 credit hours 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 Labor Education (fully online or with residency): 12 credits
The fully-online Labor Education Certificate requires these four courses:
The Adult Learner*
Instructional Systems Design*
Distance Learning for Labor Educators*
Instructional Technology*
A student may apply three credits earned in related NLC Union Skills or other degree courses in place of one of the courses listed above with permission of the Labor Studies Coordinator or Dean.
The closed-cohort residency program in Labor Education requires four courses from the following offerings:
Teaching Techniques I
Teaching Techniques II
Methods that Motivate
Advanced Teaching Methods
Psychology of the Adult Learner
Train-the-Trainer on Workplace Safety and Health
Certificate in Labor Safety and Health: 12 credits
The program requires at least one course in each of three groups, for a total of 12 credit hours
Group A: OSHA class through the NLC’s National Resource Center program
Group B:
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 course)
Group C:
Hazardous Materials Transportation (3 credits)
Rail Workers Hazardous Materials Training Program (3 credits)
Workplace Hazards and the Law* (3 credits)
Certificate in Labor Studies (fully online): 12 credits
The program requires these two courses:
Labor and Work in the United States*
Labor and Work in the Global Economy*
and two from the following offerings:
Labor and Politics*
Labor and Employment Law*
The Future of Labor and Work*
Union Structure and Governance*
Union Administration*
Foundations in Safety and Health*
A student may apply three credits earned in related NLC Union Skills or other degree courses in place of one of the courses listed above with permission of the Labor Studies Coordinator or Dean.
Certificate in Leadership for Change (fully online): 12 Credits
The program requires these two courses:
Effective Leadership*
Leadership Theory*
and two from the following offerings:
Union Administration*
Ethics in Decision Making*
Grassroots Leadership for Working America*
The Adult Learner*
Management and Labor in the 21st Century (SPS course)*
Managing Human Resources in a Dynamic Environment (SPS course)*
A student may apply three credits earned in related NLC Union Skills or other degree courses in place of one of the courses listed above with permission of the Labor Studies Coordinator or Dean.
Certificate in Organizing: 12 credits
The program requires 12 credit hours, with 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 (3 credits)
New Union Staff (2 credits)
and at least six credit hours from the following offerings:
Strategic Grievance Handling (2 credits)
Organizing and Representing the New Workforce (3 credits)
Organizing I, II, III (2 credits per course)
Certificate in Union Administration (fully online): 12 credits
The program requires this course:
Labor and Work in the United States*
and three courses from the following offerings:
Union Administration*
Union Structure and Governance*
Effective Leadership*
A student may apply three credits earned in related NLC Union Skills or other degree courses in place of one of the courses listed above with permission of the Labor Studies Coordinator or Dean.
Certificate in Construction Management (fully online): 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 (fully online): 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.
Certificate in Ethical Management (fully online): 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 Small Business Management (fully online): 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.
*Class offered online.