Crisis Resolution (Professional Certificate)

The Professional Certificate in Crisis Resolution will offer to students who desire a career in any one of the communications fields an opportunity to acquire knowledge and develop requisite skills, attitudes and experience in crisis management and communication.  Courses provide an overview of key processes of facilitation, mediation and collaborative decision-making, as well as specific skills and strategies that will help students in their workplaces or practices.  The curriculum is a combination of face-to-face and distance education course delivery, offering students the chance to engage with fellow learners and the instructor in dynamic, face-to-face settings, and also to connect with them in the reflective space offered through on-line courses.

To earn the Professional Certification, a student must complete four, three-hour core courses, a choice of one, three-hour elective, and a one-hour capstone independent project course, for a total of 16 hours.  A grade of C or better is required for a course to count toward the Certificate.

The Professional Certificate in Crisis Resolution program may be completed by existing Communication Studies, Public Relations & Advertising, Radio & Television and Journalism majors or as a standalone program for students with other majors and for non-degree seeking students.  Additionally, members of the public who meet USI’s academic admission standards may enroll in the University and participate in the certificate program.  While there is no requirement that a non-degree seeking or any other student must have an Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in order to enroll in the program, many of the courses have the prerequisite for junior-level standing or above, and therefore, it is expected that persons taking those courses should meet that standard.  Exceptions to prerequisites will be considered on a case-by-case basis when feasible and for courses that permit the instructor to grant permission to enroll.

Students who wish to take the capstone course, COMM 487 , should note that permission to enroll must be obtained through the Scripps Howard Center for Media Studies, which administers the program..  Prior to enrolling in COMM 487 , students will be expected to have completed or be enrolled in the following courses: CMST 204 , CMST 318 , PRL 466 , PRL 467 , and either CMST 314  or COMM 494 .