Degree Requirements
The course of study for the Certificate in Public Interest Design is divided into credits for coursework and fieldwork, with a minimum of 18 credit hours. Fieldwork will provide students with real world experience in the practice of public interest design through immersed applied-learning opportunities. Fieldwork may be achieved through participation in rotating programs through the Center for Public Interest Design that offer opportunities for engagement and action within a community, or through an approved practicum working with a firm or organization engaged in public interest design work. As the culmination of their certificate, students will submit a thorough portfolio of the work they participated in to complete their fieldwork, containing a thoughtful reflection of their experience within the realm of public interest design and how it can inform their careers going forward.
Coursework
Core Requirements
| Arch 533 | Contemporary Issues Seminar - Public Interest Design in Practice | 4 |
| Arch 541 | Practicum - Public Interest Design Fieldwork | 4 |
Subtotal: 8
Choose at least ONE course from EACH of the three focus areas below, for a combined total of 10 credit hours:
Social
| Arch 585 | Design Thesis | 6 |
| | (PID Focus, Architecture students only) | |
| Mgmt 521S/Mgmt 521S | Design Thinking for Social Innovation | 4 |
| | (offered online) | |
| PA 543 | Creating Collaborative Communities | 3 |
| USP 550 | Participatory Planning | 3 |
| USP 552 | Urban Poverty in Critical Perspective | 3 |
Environmental
Economic
| Arch 543 | Topics in Professional Practice | 4 |
| | (PID focus) | |
| PA 525 | Grantwriting for Nonprofit Organizations | 3 |
| PA 541 | Social Entrepreneurship | 3 |
| Mgmt 522S | Money Matters for Social Innovation | 4 |
| | (offered online) | |
| USP 580 | Political Economy of Nonprofit Organizations | 3 |
| USP 590 | Green Economics and Sustainable Development | 3 |