This program is designed for students who are currently enrolled in a master’s degree or have already obtained a master’s degree in either Psychology, Counseling, School Psychology, Teacher Education, Educational Administration, Special Education, or a related field, who wish to acquire knowledge and expertise in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis. This certificate program is designed to prepare behavior analysts and provides practitioners, such as school psychologists, counselors, resource and program specialists, administrators, and others who work with students and teachers, the opportunity to develop specialized skills for designing, implementing and evaluating Applied Behavior Analysis programs in behavior management, motivation, consultation, and teaching.

Admission Requirements:

- Admission to Cal State L.A.

- Have a master’s degree in Psychology, Counseling, School Psychology, Teacher Education, Educational Administration, Special Education, or related field or currently enrolled in a master’s degree program from the above-mentioned disciplines.

- Have a minimum 3.0 GPA from a master’s or baccalaureate degree.  

The certificate includes the following courses in counselor education (18 units) with a minimum B (3.0) average. Refer to the Graduate and Post Baccalaureate Study chapter of this catalog for general regulations governing all certificate programs.

The Patricia A. Chin School of Nursing offers a postmaster’s Certificate in Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (AGPCNP) for nurses who have a master’s degree in Nursing and who would like to take existing courses within the Master of Science degree in Nursing. The AGPCNP program prepares advanced practice nurses as providers of primary care to manage the health of urban families.

Emphasis of this specialty is on health promotion, disease prevention, and management of common acute episodic illnesses and chronic health problems among culturally diverse clients across the life span. Care for individuals and the community is experienced through direct advanced nursing care, consultation, collaboration, coordination and referral in a variety of community-based and ambulatory care settings. The graduate of this program will provide leadership and promote research in the delivery of quality health care services to multicultural and vulnerable groups in a variety of settings including primary and ambulatory care such as private practice offices or community clinics, occupational health, urgent care, specialty clinics, sports medicine, or travel medicine. Graduates are prepared to be recognized as advanced practice nurses by the California State Board of Nursing and to take the Adult-Gerontology  Nurse Practitioner Certification Examination.

This post-master’s certificate has different requirements for students admitted with a Master’s degree with a nurse practitioner specialty and who is certified as a Nurse Practitioner compared with those students who hold other nursing master’s degrees. At the completion of the course work, individuals who are not currently Nurse Practitioners and complete one of the Nurse Practitioner certificates will qualify to apply to the California Board of Registered Nursing for state certification as nurse practitioners.  All who complete a Nurse Practitioner certificate program will be eligible to sit for a national certification examination in that Nurse Practitioner specialty. 

Admission Requirements to the Program

- Current California Registered Nurse License

- Master’s degree in Nursing (MSN or MN)

- One-year clinical practice working with adults

- Completion of a second application to the School of Nursing including 2 references and an essay

- Completion of a basic recent (within five years) physical assessment course unless currently certified and practicing as a nurse practitioner

- Completion of the program prerequisites: NURS 5280, NURS 5660, NURS 5720, NURS 5730, total 12 units.

- BRN requires Pharmacology to be completed within 5 years prior to the time of completing the furnishing number application.

Requirements for the Certificate

This program consists of 17 units of specialty theory and clinical practice. Students successfully completed the program courses with a 3.0 or higher GPA are qualified for the certificate.

The Patricia A. Chin School of Nursing offers a postmaster’s Certificate in Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP) for nurses who have a master’s degree in Nursing and who would like to take existing courses within the Master of Science degree in Nursing. This program prepares the graduate to work with acutely ill adults in a variety of acute care settings including clinics, emergency departments, acute hospital-based settings, and intensive/critical care units. With a strong emphasis on research and evidence-based practice, students follow a curriculum that includes both theoretical content and planned clinical experiences that emphasize holistic patient care and a collaborative, interdisciplinary team approach. Upon completion of the program, graduates are fully eligible to take the national acute care nurse practitioner examination.

This postmaster’s certificates has different requirements for students admitted with a Master’s degree with a nurse practitioner specialty and who is certified as a Nurse Practitioner compared with those students who hold other nursing master’s degrees. At the completion of the course work, individuals who are not currently Nurse Practitioners and complete one of the Nurse Practitioner certificates will qualify to apply to the California Board of Registered Nursing for state certification as nurse practitioners.  All who complete a Nurse Practitioner certificate program will be eligible to sit for a national certification examination in that Nurse Practitioner specialty.  

Admission Requirements to the Program

- Current California Registered Nurse License

- Master’s degree in Nursing (MSN or MN)

- Completion of a second application to the School of Nursing including 2 references and an essay

- Completion of a basic recent (within five years) physical assessment course unless currently certified and practicing as a nurse practitioner

- One year of clinical practice working with acutely ill adults

- Advanced Cardiac Life Support Certification

- Specialty Nurse Certification (such as CCRN)

- BRN requires Pharmacology to be completed within 5 years prior to the time of completing the furnishing number application.

Requirements for the Certificate

This program consists of 20 units of specialty theory and clinical practice. Students successfully completed the program courses with a 3.0 or higher GPA are qualified for the certificate.

The Patricia A. Chin School of Nursing offers a post-master’s Nursing Administration Certificate program. This program is for nurses who have a master’s degree in nursing and who would like to take courses in the Nursing Administration option, within the Master of Science Degree in Nursing.

Admission Requirements

- Current California Registered Nurse License

- Master’s degree in Nursing (MSN or MN)

- Completion of a second application to the School of Nursing including 2 references and an essay

- Completion of a basic recent (within five years) physical assessment course unless currently certified and practicing as a nurse practitioner*

- Satisfactory background check

Prior to entering the first clinical lab, students must have University liability insurance, a satisfactory background check, a current American Heart Association CPR card, a satisfactory annual physical examination, proof of immunity to specified infectious diseases, an initial 2 step Mantoux skin test and a chest X-ray if there is evidence of a positive TB skin test. Drug screening may be requested depending on agency requirements.

* Prerequisites (12 units) required for nurses with other Master’s degrees to entry for Certified Nurse Practitioners:

NURS 5280, NURS 5660, NURS 5720, NURS 5730 

Requirements for Award of the Certificate

Students will qualify for the award of the Nursing Administration Post-Master’s Certificate after they have successfully completed the 19 units of required certificate courses with a 3.0 or higher GPA.

The Certificate in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies is a 15-unit interdisciplinary course of study that engages students in critical thinking about social categories of gender, sex, and sexuality, particularly as they intersect with other social categories integral to the construction of gender, sex, and sexuality including race, ethnicity, class, and nation. Building upon the historical foundation of scholarship in Women’s Studies, the Certificate in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies provides a space for inquiry regarding the social construction, lived experience, and politics of representation of bodies in a variety of social, cultural, historical, and political contexts. The Certificate provides students with “core” knowledge about women, and genders, aid sexualities from a theoretical, multicultural, and historical perspective while also allowing students to select from elective courses across the disciplines to meet their own research, career, and educational goals.

The Post Baccalaureate Certificate in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies is comprised of a total of 15 units in required and elective courses. Applicants with a baccalaureate degree (B.A. in any field) and a 2.5 GPA in their last 90 quarter units will be eligible for admission to the certificate program. Once accepted, students will be required to develop a plan of study in consultation with an advisor. There are no other prerequisites for admission to the program, but  WGSS 4000 requires the completion of  WGSS 2000 or comparable coursework. Some electives may also require prerequisites.

Designed for general educators who already hold multiple or single subject credentials, the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Teaching Learners with Special Needs in General Education Classrooms provides professional preparation in assessment, positive behavior interventions, curricular and instructional adaptations, and collaboration, enabling general educators to more effectively meet the needs of exceptional students in their classrooms.

The post-baccalaureate Certificate for Teachers of English Learners provides added professional preparation and training in English as a Second or Foreign Language for teachers of all educational levels. Coursework is required in theories of second language acquisition, instructional methodology, and English for academic purposes along with an elective course in pedagogical grammar or materials and curriculum design. A total of 12 units are required.

The post-baccalaureate credit certificate program in Storytelling for Teachers and Classrooms is designed for persons with an interest in the techniques, theories, and literature associated with the ancient and modern art of storytelling. The certificate is especially valuable for teacher use in classroom instruction for improving communication skills, practicing narrative methods and gaining knowledge of digital storytelling techniques related to classroom inquiry; it can also be used effectively by librarians and recreation leaders. This program is open to matriculated, upper-division undergraduate and post-baccalaureate students. The program may also be completed concurrently with a Master’s degree option by substituting courses required in the MA options with courses in the certificate program, subject to advisor approval. Completion of this credit certificate program requires 12 semester units in required coursework.

This post-baccalaureate credit certificate program is designed to prepare students with undergraduate degrees in fields other than communication disorders for entry into master’s degree programs in Speech-Language Pathology. Holders of this certificate will attain the student learning outcomes typically attained in undergraduate degree programs in communication disorders. Specifically, certificate holders will have knowledge of 1) basic human communication and swallowing processes, including their biological, neurological, acoustic, psychological, developmental, and linguistic and cultural bases, and 2) the nature of communication and swallowing disorders and differences, including their etiologies, characteristics, anatomical/physiological, acoustic, psychological, developmental, and linguistic and cultural correlates.

Students must receive a grade of “C” or better in each class and maintain a minimum GPA of 2.50 to continue in the program. Completion of the program for awarding of the certificate requires 39 units of coursework with a minimum 3.0 grade point average. Refer to the Graduate and Postbaccalaureate Study chapter of this catalog for general regulations governing all certificate programs. Obtaining the certificate does not guarantee admission to the MA program in Speech-Language Pathology at Cal State LA.

The Special Education Paraprofessional Certificate provides candidates who intend to work in diverse educational settings, and with diverse populations of learners, the knowledge and strategies necessary to support students with special needs. Classes emphasize the understanding and use of evidence-based strategies paraprofessionals must possess in order to assist teachers and other professionals in the field.

In addition to the university requirements for admission, applicants should be employed as a paraprofessional or desire to seek work as a paraprofessional.