Optional College Credits

Through Arizona State University's School of Public Affairs, the Certified Public Manager Program® (CPM) is potentially eligible for up to the following:

  1. nine credits of undergraduate credit or
  2. six credits of graduate credit

Can I still take the CPM as a non-credit program?

Yes. Each course is available for credit or non-credit. Participants who want credit will register separately after completing each CPM course.

Do participants have to be admitted to ASU and be enrolled in a degree program at ASU to obtain academic credit?

In order to award any person academic credit, that person must be an ASU student, so you must meet University admission requirements and be admitted to ASU. It is not necessary to be enrolled in a specific major.

How much academic credit is available?

Up to nine undergraduate credits

  1. PAF 311 Leadership & Change
  2. PAF 410 Building Leadership Skills
  3. PAF 499 Individualized Instruction

or six credits of graduate credit

  1. PAF 591 Leadership & Change
  2. PAF 591 Building Leadership Skills

You must register for either undergraduate or graduate credit within three years of completing the entire CPM program.

Is extra work required in order to earn academic credit?

No, students are eligible for credit based on the coursework completed through the Certified Public Manager® (CPM) program.

How do I register for academic credit?

  1. If not a current ASU student, complete an online application obtained from either the Graduate College (http://graduate.asu.edu) or Undergraduate Admissions (https://students.asu.edu/admissions) and pay the university application fee.
  2. Your contact person for either undergraduate or graduate credit is Katie Bonnesen, Graduate Student Advisor with the School of Public Affairs at (602) 496-0450 or email: Katherine.Bonnesen@asu.edu. Once you are admitted to ASU, let Ms. Bonnesen know, and she will enroll in the ASU courses and assign you a passing grade for each course.
  3. Tuition is paid when registering for the courses. See ASU Tuition and fees schedule at https://catalog.asu.edu/tuitionandfees.

What is the cost of the Academic credit?

In addition to the regular CPM course registration fee, you must pay regular university tuition in accordance with the number of credit hours desired. There is an additional application fee and mandatory student fees. See ASU tuition and fees schedule at https://catalog.asu.edu/tuitionandfees.

Are grades given for ASU courses?

Grades will be Pass/Fail.

Will credits and grades appear on an official transcript?

Yes, for undergraduate credit as:

  1. PAF 311 Leadership & Change
  2. PAF 410 Building Leadership Skills
  3. PAF 499 Individualized Instruction

or graduate credit as:

  1. PAF 591 Leadership & Change
  2. PAF 591 Building Leadership Skills

Can these credits apply toward an ASU degree program?

The nine hours of undergraduate credit may be applied towards the following undergraduate programs:

  1. Bachelor’s in Public Service & Public Policy
  2. Bachelor’s in Urban & Metropolitan Studies
  3. Certificate in Public Administration and Public Management

And six hours of graduate credit toward the following graduate degrees:

  1. Master of Public Administration (MPA)
  2. Master of Public Policy (MPP)

All programs are offered by ASU’s school of Public Affairs. For applicability to other ASU degree programs, please contact the academic advisor for that program.

Are the credits transferable to other universities or other degree programs at ASU?

Each college or university determines which credits are accepted for transfer. Contact the academic advisor for the degree program at the college or university to which you plan to transfer for more information. Please note: You will be receiving a “Pass” grade for these classes. Some degree programs (ASU and/or other colleges/universities) may not accept Pass/Fail graded classes. If you plan to use these credits for a degree program other than those in the ASU School of Public Affairs, be sure to check with the academic advisor for that program.

Where can I get more information?

Please contact ASU’s School of Public Affairs at (602) 496-0450; email spa@asu.edu or https://spa.asu.edu.