Help make communities better places to live, learn and play.
Start your journey at K-State and learn how to facilitate sustainable and prosperous community change with an online graduate certificate in community development.
Community development is a practice-based profession that promotes increased quality-of-life for residents of rural and urban communities of place, identity and/or interest through economic opportunities, sustainable initiatives, organization, education and participative democracy.
*This estimate is based on the IDEA common price and is for illustrative purposes only. Hours and costs will differ depending on your transfer hours, course choices and your academic progress. See more about tuition and financial aid.
What you get when you choose K-State:
Choosing K-State means you get a robust program with tenured faculty, professors of practice with years of hands-on experience in the field, and dedicated staff to help you on your journey through the program. You also have access to amazing library resources as well as most campus resources.
What you can expect while at K-State:
While at K-State, you will have dedicated staff members who will assist you throughout your educational journey. From the time you apply until the time you graduate, you’ll work with faculty in the LARCP department at KSU as well as other universities in the Innovative Digital Education (IDEA) network. You’ll also work with students from across the country and world!
This program includes courses that are flexible, so you can plan class and study time around your day although some courses may have optional sessions at specific times. Work with your advisor to determine the best courses and load for you.
All students are required to meet the general university admission requirements.
Students who do not have a 3.0 minimum GPA in the final two years, or approximately the last 60 credit hours, may be admitted on a contingent basis after review of their official transcript.
This certificate program serves community leaders, practitioners and those committed to people and places in roles such as:
community and regional planner
placemaking specialist
economic development and entrepreneurship coordinator
special districts director
community health and wellness specialist
anti-poverty programs coordinator
cooperative extension agent
housing programs coordinator
nonprofit organization manager
parks and recreation planner
natural resource manager
public administrator
project manager, logistics coordinator, or executive director
local activist
tribal, immigrant, refugee and youth programs coordinator
Two required courses and two electives are needed to fulfill the certificate for a total of 12 credit hours:
Required (6 credits)
CDPLN 705 - Organizing for Community Change (3 credits)
CDPLN 715 - Principles and Strategies of Community Change (3 credits)
Electives (6 credits)
CDPLN 633 ‐ Grantwriting (3 credits)
CDPLN 655 ‐ Land Development Planning (3 credits)
CDPLN 700 - Foundations of Community Development (3 credits)
CDPLN 701 - Introduction to GIS (3 credits)
CDPLN 701 - Special Studies in Community Development: Topics Variable (3 credits)
CDPLN 702 - Community Engagement (3 credits)
CDPLN 703 - Applied Community Development (1-3 credits)
CDPLN 704 - Community Leadership and Capacity Building (3 credits)
CDPLN 706 - Economic Development, Strategies and Programs (3 credits)
CDPLN 707 - Evaluation of Organizations and Programs (3 credits)
CDPLN 708 - Government, Politics and Community Development (3 credits)
CDPLN 709 - Housing and Development Programs (3 credits)
CDPLN 710 - Community Analysis (3 credits)
CDPLN 711 - Immigrants in Communities (3 credits)
CDPLN 712 - Sustainable Communities (3 credits)
CDPLN 713 - Nonprofit Management (3 credits)
CDPLN 720 - Community and Regional Economic Analysis (3 credits)
CDPLN 725 ‐ Community and Natural Resource Management (3 credits)
This program is offered through the Innovative Digital Education Alliance (IDEA), which offers you a unique chance to take classes from multiple, high-quality universities. Expand your professional network by collaborating with classmates and expert faculty from across the country who bring diverse perspectives and experiences to the coursework.
Once you have chosen K-State to be your home university and are admitted, you will work with your Community Development program advisor and the IDEA Campus Coordinator to enroll in classes. Your Community Development advisor is responsible for handling information at K-State, and your Campus Coordinator assists you through IDEA processes and is your link to distance education resources across the universities.