As we move into the 21st century, societies across the globe are confronting dramatic contradictions regarding the role of women. Despite the many legal, political and programmatic changes that have taken place over the past few decades, women continue to experience conflicting expectations about their roles, their status, and the legitimacy of their demands.

Questions of gender are often difficult to disentangle from other issues such as race, class and ethnicity. Policy issues are too frequently considered without regard to their differential impact on gender. Players in the policy process - whether in political bureaucratic, research or advocacy positions - require in-depth understanding of the complexity of these issues.

The Certificate Program on Women and Public Policy is a graduate-level program designed primarily for three audiences:

Typical Programs
The Certificate Program can, thus, be complementary to a number of situations:

• For students pursuing the M.A. in Women’s Studies, the two core requirements for the Certificate are acceptable as electives or as part of the coherent field of study, Women, Society, and Public Policy. PAD 675Q can also fulfill the core Intersections requirement. Other core and cross-listed courses can count for both the remaining ten credit hours of the Certificate program and the M.A. requirements. The Certificate program was designed by a committee of Women’s Studies affiliated faculty in a period before Women’s Studies had introduced its master's degree program; thus, the certificate coordinates particularly well with that master’s program. Please consult with the Graduate Director of Women’s Studies for further details.

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• A lobbyist, member of an advocacy group, policy analyst, administrator, or manager may take any combination of courses from the various policy-related disciplines. For example, the core requirements would be complemented by an additional course in feminist theory from Sociology or Women's Studies and policy course from Public Policy or Social Welfare. Students could also pursue an independent study in a selected topic with the agreement of the Chair or a Certificate advisor.

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• A Center for Women in Government Fellow, who is in a graduate program at the University at Albany or elsewhere, will complete 8 credit hours toward the Certificate in two of the three courses required in the Fellowship Program. They are PAD 675 Topics in Public Policy Advocacy, and PAD 681 New York State Public Policy Process. Three additional courses (minimum 10 credit hours) related to women and public policy would fulfill the Certificate requirements. One of the courses must be WSS/EAPS 525 Feminist Thought and Public Policy. The other course could be transferred in from a department or program at the University at Albany or, under specific circumstances, may be transferable from the home campus.

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• For both Ph.D. and M.A. students in Criminal Justice the Certificate's core requirements, WSS/APS 525 and PAD 675Q, are acceptable as electives. Within the program the student might complete work focused on women's issues in courses fulfilling their subfield requirements or methods sequence. The school offers Gender and Criminal Justice Administration and Policy, CRG 649, with some regularity and has other advanced courses that would support a research project focused on women's issues, e.g., the Proseminar on Planned Change. A thesis focused on a topic related to women and criminal justice could be applied to the Certificate.

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• A student in Health Policy and Management's M.S. program could apply a field placement that focuses on issues related to women's health to the Certificate. Also, for most HPM students, the Certificate's core requirements, WSS/APS 525 and PAD 675Q, are acceptable as electives. In three of the required HPM courses, the student would choose project topics that have implications for women's health. If a student selects a field placement that cannot be applied toward the Certificate, the student could instead take an elective in the form of an independent study addressing a topic relevant to women's health. Alternatively, the student could elect to tailor four required HPM courses to the Certificate.

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• For students pursuing the M.A. in Political Science the two Certificate requirements in theory and policy are both acceptable as electives. A broad array of specialized seminars across the different subfields may apply to the Certificate program, and, in some instances (e.g., in the required field seminars) major papers or research projects focused on policy and theory issues relevant to women could be completed. The M.A. thesis or an independent study research project could then expand that research.

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• A student in the Public Administration and Policy's MPA program could apply the two core seminars as electives to a few of the concentrations (e.g., Human Resources Management). Other courses taken for the MPA will apply to the Certificate, providing they are tailored to women's issues. For example, course work in Affirmative Action or Public Personnel Administration must focus on women's employment issues.

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• A student in Public Affairs and Policy could apply the Certificate's core requirments, WSS/APS 525 and PAD 675Q, to the three-course policy concentration required for the MA degree. Other courses taken for the MA could apply to the Certificate if they focus on women's issues, or if the seminar paper represented an in-depth investigation of women's issues.

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• In the Social Welfare field a student pursuing a focus on Direct Practice could accommodate the theory and policy core of the Certificate in their two electives in the second year. They might complete a paper or project with a focus on women's policy needs in one of their first year courses and in the second year take an advanced practice seminar focused on gender - SSW 731, Sexual Identity and Social Work Practice - or one that allowed research on a gender issue. A field setting that dealt with issues relevant to women would also apply to the Certificate.