Certificate in Public Finance

The Public Finance Certificate offers current and aspiring financial management leaders a practical education. The graduate level certificate can be completed in one year of part-time study as a stand-alone program, or can be combined with another graduate program, including the MPA.

The certificate has a broad-based curriculum and covers the fundamental competencies of financial management. The two core classes provide students with foundational skills including:

A choice of three electives rounds out the certificate and can be chosen in areas such as contracting, auditing, nonprofit financial management, special topics, and treasury management. Upon completing the certificate, students will be prepared to work in a wide range of environments ranging from governmental budget, controller, and treasury offices to public sector consulting to rating agencies.

Disclosure Information Required by the U.S. Department of Education for Gainful Employment Programs

United States Department of Labor’s Standard Occupational Code (SOC)

11-3031 Financial Managers
13-1111 Management Analysts
13-2011 Accountants and Auditors
13-2031 Budget Analysts
55-0000 Military Specific Occupations

Program Costs
Tuition is charged on a per course basis. Rates and fees are viewable on
the following url:
http://www.fels.upenn.edu/tuition-and-fees

Completion Rate
Stand-alone certificate students complete their five-course unit of study at varied timelines, ranging from 2 to 5 semesters. One student graduated from the Public Finance stand-alone certificate program in the 2011-12 academic year and completed the program in 5 or fewer semesters.

Job Placement Rate
At the time of this report (January 2013), the 2011-12 stand-alone certificate graduate holds a full-time position in the field.

Median Loan Debt Incurred
The Fels Institute of Government will report median loan debt for the 2011-12 stand-alone certificate graduates as soon as it is available.

Finance Elective Courses

The following Fels courses will satisfy the finance elective requirement for the MPA program.

GAFL 515 The Business of Public Finance Investment Banking
Spring

The purpose of the course is to provide a detailed understanding of finance in the public sector with a focus on investment banking. The course provides students with a broad-based and technical overview of public finance and municipal bonds as well as a thorough understanding of the business aspects of public finance.