UCLA Professional Certificate Program in Engineering Management for Public Works

The Professional Certificate is a new concept in continuing education offered by UCLA Extension in cooperation with one or more professional societies. The program in Engineering Management for Public Works, described in this paper, is given by UCLA, the Los Angeles Section, ASCE, and the Southern California Chapter of the American Public Works Association. Governance of the program is carried on through an Executive Coordinating Committee with the concurrence of the UCLA School of Engineering and Applied Science. Students come from lower and middle management levels of public works agencies, usually with civil engineering background but generally 5 1/2 to 20 years out of school. Lecturers are drawn equally from universities and the profession. Six courses of twelve 3-hour sessions each, taken in two academic years, result in the certificate. Problem areas include fiscal viability and differing objectives of students, some working seriously, and some attending as a lecture series. The detailed experience of one student is provided by the junior writer.