Continuing education and master’s programs

Washington, D.C., is rich in schools with continuing education and masters programs. Most area schools have great programs for working professionals, and The Hill has compiled a list of links to visit and information about area programs.

American University
4400 Massachusetts Ave. NW
202-885-1000

To help point out some of the programs that would be of particular interest to professionals working on Capitol Hill, please consider: 
The School of Communication’s (SOC) weekend program for working professionals is D.C.’s only full-fledged Saturday master’s program in communication. It includes an MA in Interactive Journalism, one of the first programs in the country to teach online journalism. Unlike our competitors, SOC’s weekend program is supported by 40 full-time faculty members and moves students through their course of study with a cohort — a group of students who take a prescribed sequence of courses together for 20 months. For more information on the program, visit http://www.soc.american.edu/content.cfm?id=754



In the School of Public Affairs: 


The Women & Politics Institute’s Graduate Certificate may be pursued as a complement to one of the graduate degree programs in the School of Public Affairs, the Washington College of Law, or as a standalone program. Classes are taught by AU faculty and leading women professionals including journalist Eleanor Clift, and Theresa A. Loar, an international public policy expert with a strong background in promoting women’s leadership, strengthening women’s participation in countries transitioning to democracy, shaping government policies for women, and creating public-private partnerships.

Key Executive MPA:

For more than 30 years, the Key Executive MPA Program has transformed managers into leaders. Key — the only accredited Executive MPA in the nation — is designed for professionals with classes offered on selected weekends for 20 months. With almost 700 alumni, Key offers a powerful professional network in the federal government, private sector and nonprofit arenas.

AU/NTL Master of Science in Organization Development:

AU/NTL is a collaborative program between American University’s highly ranked School of Public Affairs and the world-renowned National Training Laboratory Institute. Most classes are held on AU’s main campus. During the course of 27 years, more than 1,100 professionals have gone through the AU/NTL program. These AU/NTL graduates work in multinational corporations, consulting firms, nonprofits, international nongovernmental organizations, government agencies and private consulting practice. They stand out in the field for their “use of self,” placing value on diversity, skills in partnering with clients to guide organization change, ability to learn through experience and reflection, deep understanding of group and system dynamics, and their capacity to work effectively at all levels of a system.

In our Kogod School of Business two certificate courses are worth exploring:

International Business:

Students in the International Business graduate certificate program are required to complete the 15 credit-hour course requirements in courses ranging from Manager in the International Economy and Global Market Entry Strategies to Global Supply Chain Management.
Leadership Essentials for Professionals:

The Leadership Essentials for Professionals graduate business certificate is designed for students who seek to develop/improve leadership skills for public or private sector organizations. Fifteen credit hours are required in courses including Managing People in Organizations, Leadership: Exploring Styles & Developing Competencies, Strategic Alliances, Mergers and Acquisitions.

Finally, AU offers a unique interdisciplinary program:

Nonprofit Management Certificate :

Housed in the School of Public Affairs, the program integrates courses already taught in the School of Public Affairs curriculum, as well as courses currently offered by the Kogod School of Business, School of International Service, College of Arts and Sciences and School of Communication. Students pursuing master’s degrees at American University as well as professionals working for nonprofit organizations are eligible to enroll in the program. The program’s establishment in 2007 came during a time of growth and transition in the nonprofit sector.

According to the Center for Charitable Statistics, the number of nonprofit organizations increased nearly 30 percent between 1994 and 2004. Of those organizations, the number of public charities increased nearly 54 percent and the number of private foundations increased 75 percent.

“More nonprofit organizations are competing for government funding and private donations,” claims Anna Amirkhanyan, one of the program’s administrators.

Six other universities in the Washington, D.C., area offer similar programs, but American’s is the only program that specifically was developed to be interdisciplinary.

Admissions information:
http://www.american.edu/sis/admissions/graduate.htm

Kogod School of Business
Master’s MBA: http://kogod.american.edu/ArtPage.cfm?ItemID=166&AudienceID=13

The George Washington University
2121 I St. NW
202-994-1000

GW has 14 alumni serving in Congress, including Sens. Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) and Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii).

More than 160 GW alumni currently serve as congressional staff. Many more serve as campaign managers and staff, lobbyists and political consultants.

The university offers comprehensive programs of undergraduate and graduate liberal arts study as well as degree programs in medicine, public health, law, engineering, education, business and international affairs. Each year, GW enrolls a diverse population of undergraduate, graduate and professional students from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and more than 130 countries.

GW offers graduate degree programs in public health, law, engineering, education, business, and international affairs, as well as certificate programs. Programs are available at GW’s campuses in Washington, D.C., and Loudoun County, Va., and at graduate centers in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads, Va.

A sampling of master’s programs includes political management, international science and technology policy, security policy studies, and health policy.

A more detailed list: political management, legislative management, strategic public relations, publishing, media and public affairs, public administration, public health communication and marketing, public policy, global communication, international affairs, international policy and practice, international science and technology policy, international trade and investment policy, security policy studies, criminal justice, environmental and resource policy, forensic sciences, art therapy, educational leadership and administration, curriculum and instruction, education policy studies, educational technology leadership, higher education administration, law, law firm management, paralegal studies, accountancy, business administration, tourism administration, computer science, bio molecular technology, public health and health policy, physical therapy, nurse practitioner, emergency services, nursing, and physician assistant.

Certificate programs include police science, health care corporate compliance, landscape design, law firm management, public health, emergency services management, and paralegal studies.

GW’s Graduate School of Political Management offers certificate programs in political management and PAC management. These graduate certificate students may apply courses toward the Master’s degrees in Legislative Affairs or Political Management.

GW Grad Info: http://www.gwu.edu/~gradinfo/Grad_search.cfm

GW College of Professional Studies: http://cps.gwu.edu

GW Graduate School of Political Management: http://www.gwu.edu/~gspm/

Georgetown University
37th and O Sts. NW
202-687-0100

Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

Graduate Degrees:
http://grad.georgetown.edu/pages/degrees_offered.cfm

Certificates:
http://grad.georgetown.edu/pages/graduate_certificate_pro.cfm

Dual Degrees:
http://grad.georgetown.edu/pages/joint_degree_programs_of.cfm
School of Continuing Studies

George Mason University
4400 University Drive
Fairfax VA 22030
703-993-1000
Academics:
http://www.gmu.edu/acadexcel/

Office of Continuing Education:
http://ocpe.gmu.edu/

The Catholic University of America
620 Michigan Ave. NE
202-319-5000
General Academics Page:
http://academics.cua.edu/

The Metropolitan College
http://metr.cua.edu/

Metropolitan College offers programs that accommodate busy lives offering evening, accelerated and online classes as well as a full complement of student services, advising, and career-building opportunities.

Howard University
2400 6th St. NW
202-806-6100

Graduate Programs, please see the following links:
http://www.gs.howard.edu/Graduate_Programs.htm

Masters in Fine Arts:
http://www.howard.edu/SchoolCommunications/RTVF/MFAFP/Policies.htm
http://www.coas.howard.edu/art/Graduate/index.html

Masters in Business Administration:
http://www.bschool.howard.edu/programs/mba/

Law School:
http://www.law.howard.edu/

Medical School:
http://medicine.howard.edu/

Dental School:
http://www.dentistry.howard.edu/

Certificates:
http://www.gs.howard.edu/Special%20program/cprograms.htm

University of Maryland
College Park MD 20742
301-405-1000
From www.umd.edu:

Through our new Professional Development Center we can provide skill and knowledge needs assessments as well as customized learning solutions to help organizations increase overall productivity. Organizations gain access to a valuable Web-based tool to help them assess and visualize their employees’ proficiencies, individually and collectively, within particular jobs as compared to nationally researched job requirements. We then custom design and deliver programs — anything from intensive workshops to full master’s degrees — to address organizations’ learning needs within their schedule and budget.

Graduate School Program Information:
http://www.gradschool.umd.edu/catalog/program.htm

The university also has a brand-new Professional Development Center.

Southeastern University
501 I St. SW
202-478-8200    

The Center offers a distinctive business training experience for current and aspiring business owners and transformational professionals. Courses are targeted and directed for those who are interested in building the capacity and revenue of their businesses. In addition to seminars, clinics, short courses and certificate programs, the Center for Entrepreneurship can design highly specialized and uniquely focused programs to serve a broad variety of specific corporate training needs.

Center for Entrepreneurship and Continuing Education:
 http://www.southeastern.edu/gen/cfe/

Johns Hopkins University
3400 N. Charles St.    
Baltimore MD 21218
For more information on graduation programs call 410-516-8174 or e-mail graduateadmissions@jhu.edu.

http://webapps.jhu.edu/jhuniverse/admissions/graduate_studies/