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University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Graduate Online and Distance Education

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Community College Leadership Certificate

  • About
  • Tuition & Fees
  • Courses
  • Tech Requirements
  • Application Process
  • Contact Us
The Certificate

The need for community college leaders and administrators is great and action today will help the nation’s community colleges better serve tomorrow’s students.

The Community College Leadership Certificate program includes three components:

  • 15 credit hours of graduate coursework in Educational Administration that develop the knowledge and capabilities for effective leadership of the community college
  • Involvement in professional development activities offered by associations related to the community college
  • Support of an institutional sponsor or mentor from the student’s employing institution

The program is designed to develop professional leadership capabilities to meet the needs of potential and current community college leadership personnel. Students who complete the program will be awarded a certificate from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

Students who complete the certificate and subsequently apply for and are admitted may request that the credit hours completed in the certificate program be accepted into a Master’s or Doctoral degree program of study in UNL’s Department of Educational Administration. Acceptance of the credits earned in the certificate program requires Office of Graduate Studies and supervisory committee approval and is not guaranteed.

Methods of Delivery:

All courses required in the certificate program are offered online and no on-campus residency is required.

Although online courses do not “meet” at a scheduled time or place, distance students are able to participate in class assignments and interact in much the same way as traditional, on-campus students.

Students interact with instructors and other students through e-mail, online chats, discussion boards and other methods.


Marilyn McGahan
"The program affirmed that 'old dogs' can learn new tricks. I know I am a better administrator because of this program."
Marilyn K. McGahan, Vice President, North Platte Community College

Who Should Consider This Degree?

The program is designed for individuals already employed at a community college. It serves a variety of people interested in leadership roles, from those who are just beginning their administrative career to those with significant experience who desire additional academic preparation.


For more information:
Visit the Community College Leadership Web site. 		leadership

Start building success with advanced education
Call us or request information.

1-866-700-4747

Resident Tuition Cost:
  Resident Distance Ed. Tuition Distance Ed. Fee Registration Fee
Per Semester		 Tech Fee Library Fee Total Cost for 3 Credit Hours
 
Graduate per credit hour

 $273.00 $25.00 $20.00 $7.35 $3.00  
Graduate 3 credit hours $819.00 $75.00 $20.00 $22.05 $9.00 $945.05



Non-Resident Tuition Cost:
  Non-Resident Distance Ed. Tuition Distance Ed. Fee Registration Fee
Per Semester		 Tech Fee Library Fee Total Cost for 3 Credit Hours
 
Graduate per credit hour $502.75 $25.00 $20.00 $7.35 $3.00  
Graduate 3 credit hours $1508.25 $75.00 $20.00 $22.05 $9.00 $1634.30

Tuition rates are effective as of 7/1/09 and are subject to change in July of each year.

Program of Study

The Community College Leadership Certificate is a 15 credit hour program. Required courses:

  • The Higher Education Environment
  • The Community College
  • Workforce, Economic & Community Development
  • Teaching and Learning in the Community College
  • Community College Leadership

Sample Program

The program is organized for a fall start. Students can elect to take either one or two courses during each academic term. Each course is 3 credit hours.

Fall semester:

  • The Higher Education Environment
  • The Community College
  • Design non-credit professional development activity

Spring semester:

  • Workforce, Economic & Community Development
  • Teaching and Learning in the Community College

Summer semester:

  • Complete non-credit professional development activity

Fall semester:

  • Community College Leadership

Community College Leadership should be the final course in the program.

Tech Requirements

High speed Internet connection is required. Check the Graduate Distance Catalog to learn the specific requirements for your program.

Some distance courses have supplemental materials on videos or CDs and others may require phone conferencing. You will interact with the professor and other students through e-mail, phone conferencing, and Blackboard.

Blackboard™ Requirements and Browser Configurations:
To effectively use Blackboard the Javascript and cookies on your computer must be enabled. Some content for features may require additional software. Pop-up blockers should be disabled for Blackboard (My.UNL). The browsers below are officially supported.

  • Internet Explorer: 7.0 or higher
  • Firefox: 2.0 or higher
  • Safari: 2.0 or higher

Older versions of the above or alternative browsers (such as Mozilla and Opera) may be compatible, but some features might not be available. To download the latest browsers, click the “help” button in Blackboard (My.UNL) and access the Downloads area.

Operating Systems:
Microsoft® Windows® 2000 and up, or Mac OS X, 10.2 and up are strongly recommended. Older operating systems (Microsoft® Windows® 98SE/ME, MacOS 8/9) or alternative platforms (Linux) are compatible, but may not have full functionality. Blackboard (My.UNL) is not currently compatible with handheld devices or Web-enabled phones.

Windows Macintosh
Minimum System Requirements Minimum System Requirements
Operating System: Windows XP SP 2
(Home or Professional)		 Operating System: OS X (10.2)
Processor: 1 GHz Processor: G3 800 MHz
RAM: 256 MB RAM: 256 MB
       
Recommended System Requirements Recommended System Requirements
Operating
System:		 Windows XP SP 2
(Home or Pro)
or Windows Vista		 Operating
System:		 OS X (10.4) or OS X (10.5)
Processor: 2 GHz or higher Processor: G4 1.25 GHz or higher
RAM: 768 MB or more RAM: 768 MB or more


Note: Using Blackboard with AOL:
While you can use AOL as your service provider, you cannot use the AOL Web browser to access Blackboard (My.UNL). If you try to use the AOL browser, you will find that it will automatically log you out every few minutes and you will experience problems with some of Blackboard’s services including assessments (tests and quizzes).

If you are an AOL user, once you’ve connected to the Internet, use a different Web browser to access the Internet.
Application Process

If you are already admitted to a degree program, please see your advisor to set up a plan of study for the certificate program. Otherwise, you will first need to be admitted as a non-degree student.

Required by Office of Graduate Studies

  • Application for Graduate Admission as a non-degree student
  • $45 non-refundable application processing fee
  • One set of official transcripts showing conferral of a bachelor's or higher degree

    Send to: Office of Graduate Studies
    University of Nebraska-Lincoln
    1100 Seaton Hall
    P.O. Box 880619
    Lincoln, NE 68588-0619


Required by the Department of Educational Administration

  • Departmental certificate application form
  • Letter of application
  • Personal vitae/resume
  • Essay/goal statement
  • Three letters of recommendation
    (Two must be from people at the employing community college, and one of them must indicate willingness to serve as a sponsor/mentor.)


Download the department’s Application Packet for department application forms, specific information on the required documents, and where to send materials.

Application Deadline

Please complete and submit your application by July 1 of the year you plan to begin the program. Applications received during the year will be accepted within 90 days, with admission granted for the following fall semester.

For additional information about the requirements, official forms and deadlines for applications, contact the department secretary at (402) 472-3729, edadgradsec@unl.edu or visit http://cehs.unl.edu/edad. When all the materials have been received, the committee will act on your request for admission to the program and will contact you about their decision.
For information regarding courses offered and department admission contact:

Department of Educational Administration
Graduate Student Services Center
141 Teachers College Hall
Lincoln, NE 68588-0360
Phone: (402) 472-3729
Fax: (402) 472-4300
E-mail: edadgradsec@unl.edu
Web: http://cehs.unl.edu/edad

 Extended Education & Outreach
900 North 22nd Street
P.O. Box 888805
Lincoln, NE 68588-8805
Phone: (402) 472-2715
Fax: (402) 472-4345
E-mail: unlextended@unl.edu
Web: http://onlinegraduate.unl.edu