Certificate in Contexts of Environmental Policy

The National Park Service (NPS) Roger Kennedy Fellows Program funds NPS students to undertake a course of study that strengthens their knowledge of the natural and cultural resources which lie at the heart of the NPS mission. The program was inspired by a gift from Roger and Frances Kennedy and made possible by the Friends of Roger Kennedy.

All courses are taught by GW faculty who are experts in their fields, and all classes are offered at the Washington, D.C., campus of GW. Most courses are in the evening and meet once a week. 

Certificate Benefits

For National Park Service Employees

The National Park Service Roger Kennedy Fellows Program is for NPS employees who have served for three years or more and who are looking to develop as current and future leaders who are responsible for the preservation and protection of our public lands and cultural heritage.

Flexibility and Purpose

Strengthen your knowledge of the natural and cultural resources which lie at the heart of the NPS mission through a wide range of courses that contextualize environmental policy. Select four courses (12 credits) for the certificate and take one or two courses per semester.

Applications and Cost

Satisfactory Participation Requirement

As the program constitutes a graduate-level professional development opportunity, participants must demonstrate sustained progress in course work and work assignments sufficient to predict successful completion of the program. Failure to pass any course taken, or to maintain a 3.0 grade point average, may result in termination from the program.

Course Requirements

Students are required to take one policy course as they enter the program and then can choose among a large number of electives, which fall into either policy or culture categories. By special permission, depending on students’ backgrounds, students may also enroll in graduate courses in the sciences.

Students may try a blended learning approach to the certificate program. Students based outside the DC area would need to arrange with their management to be in the DC area for approximately six to seven months. The blended approach requires employees to be in the DC area for either the spring and summer semesters (mid-January through early July) or the summer and fall semesters (mid-May through early December). While students are in the DC area for the six-to-seven-month period, they would need to enroll in three courses at the university's Foggy Bottom campus. The one remaining course can be completed online and could be completed at the individual’s local area.