Graduate Certificate in Technology Policy

The Graduate Certificate in Technology and Public Policy is designed to meet the need for greater understanding and practice in technology policy among master’s and doctoral students in STEM, Social Sciences, and the Arts & Humanities across the University.

The Graduate Certificate in Technology and Public Policy is designed to meet the need for greater understanding and practice in technology policy among master’s and doctoral students in STEM, Social Sciences, and the Arts & Humanities across the University. The certificate introduces students to interdisciplinary perspectives on emerging technology and public policy issues, exposes students to the policymaking process, and provides training for how to become effective leaders in technology policy fields working with government, intergovernmental organizations, and the public sector. 

Students who receive the Graduate Certificate in Technology and Public Policy will have developed analytical and professional skills to more effectively understand, inform, and communicate technology policy issues with relevant stakeholders and will learn effective techniques (e.g., quantitative and qualitative methods of policy analysis, such as cost-benefit analysis and multi-goal policy analysis) for creating and implementing technology policy strategies at the local, state, national, and international level that address some of the most pressing public policy challenges including (and certainly not limited to) data privacy to climate technology to AI governance, and the future of nuclear technology. 

The certificate is hosted by the Goldman School of Public Policy and administered by Prof. Andrew W. Reddie and the Berkeley Risk and Security Lab, with support from the School of Information, School of Law, Haas School of Business, College of Engineering, and the CITRIS Policy Lab at the Center for Information Technology in the Interest of Society and the Banatao Institute (CITRIS). Students from any graduate program at UC Berkeley are eligible to pursue the certificate.

Please contact cwagner@berkeley.edu with any questions. See below for more information about eligibility and course requirements.

Program Benefits

The curriculum is designed to emphasize the transferability of academic research and education to practical purposes. For example, the Certificate’s core class, “Progress? An Introduction to Technology and Public Policy,” formulates student assignments as the kind of professional work product that students would be required to produce as policy analysts, advisors, and researchers. 

Taken as a whole, the curriculum offered as part of the GCTP will be practical and practice-oriented, characteristics that will enhance the professional prospects of students who graduate from Berkeley with a Graduate Certificate in Technology Policy.

Students who pursue the Graduate Certificate in Technology and Public Policy will develop analytical and professional skills that will enable them to effectively understand and evaluate emerging technology policy issues, communicate complex Technology and Public Policy issues with relevant stakeholders, and support the development of evidence-based policymaking. The skills developed through the Graduate Certificate in Technology and Public Policy will be foundational in addressing the increasing demand for effective multidisciplinary collaboration between practitioners in science, technology, and policy.

Eligibility and Requirements

 In order to earn the Graduate Certificate in Technology and Public Policy, you must:

  1. Be currently enrolled in a UC Berkeley graduate program, and 
  2. Be in good academic standing, with a GPA of 3.0 or higher

You must also complete a minimum of 3 courses (10 units), each of which must be taken for a letter grade. Those courses must be:

  1. Required core course: GSPP 247: Progress? An Introduction to Technology and Public Policy (4 units; taught each Spring).
  2. Required policy analysis methods course, chosen from the list below. Courses not on the policy analysis course list will be considered on a case-by-case basis by the program faculty.
  3. A minimum of one elective course, chosen from the list below, focused on a specific technology policy area. Courses not on the electives list will be considered on a case-by-case basis
  4. A B+ or higher on all final grades for courses counting toward the elective.

Application

The Graduate Certificate in Technology and Public Policy has two application deadlines per year, one in the middle of the fall semester and one in the middle of the spring semester. All applications received by the deadline will be reviewed and approved (or not) by the end of that semester.

Students may apply at any time during their UC Berkeley graduate career, regardless of whether or not they have already taken courses that would count toward the certificate but must be able to demonstrate that they have time and schedule flexibility to allow for taking all the necessary courses. 

Complete the Application for Admission Form and submit for approval. 

The following materials are required as part of the application: 

  • One-page statement about the student’s background and reason for applying to the Graduate Certificate in Technology and Public Policy. 
  • Current resume or curriculum vitae
  • Letter of recommendation from UC Berkeley faculty advisor in student’s primary department
  • Most recent unofficial copy of graduate transcript or undergraduate transcript if in the first year of study in graduate school. 
  • Proposed study plan for completion of three graduate-level courses or ninety hours of instruction (equivalent to 10 units) from the following selection of courses:
  • Foundation course: Progress? Technology and Public Policy (4-unit)
  • Technology Policy Analysis (3-unit)
  • Technology Policy Elective Course (3-unit)

    This application for admission signals a student’s interest in the Graduate Certificate in Technology Policy, but does not guarantee that the certificate will be awarded, nor guarantee a seat in GCTP-approved courses.

    Courses

    Core Course

    GSPP 290: Progress? An Introduction to Technology and Public Policy is held every spring and is currently taught by Professor Andrew W. Reddie. The course explores the intersection of technology and public policy, examining the impact of technology on society and how public policy can shape the development and use of technology. The course also delves into the ethical considerations surrounding technology, including privacy, security, and accessibility. By the end of the course, students will have a deeper understanding of how technology and public policy intersect and how they can use this knowledge to make a positive impact in the world working in fields as diverse as climate policy, security policy, and economic policy. Technologies discussed during the course of the seminar include artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), cybersecurity and privacy, renewable energy and geoengineering, biotechnology and genetic engineering, robotics and automation, virtual/augmented reality and spatial computing, blockchain and distributed ledger technology, 5G networks and wireless communication, and quantum computing.

    Policy Analysis Methods Course

    The following courses count toward the Graduate Certificate in Technology Policy’s policy analysis course requirement. Note that not every course is offered on a yearly basis. Check guide.berkeley.edu for the most up-to-date course descriptions and class schedule.

    Info 290 Special Topics in Information: Designing Future Systems
    Pub Pol 290 Futures and Foresight Methods
    Pub Pol 290 Data Science for Public Policy
    Pub Pol 200A Foundations for Public Policy Analysis
    Pub Pol 210A/B The Economics of Public Policy Analysis
    Pub Pol 240A/B Decision Analysis, Modeling, and Quantitative Methods

    Students are invited to submit additional courses for consideration for approval by the GCTP Academic Committee. To qualify as one of the required policy analysis methods courses, it must introduce at least two of the following core skills: 

    • Technology Policy Analysis
    • Research Design in a Technological Context
    • The Analysis of Technology Law, Policy, and Legislation
    • Historical and Political Analysis of Technology Policy

    Electice Courses

    The following electives count toward the Graduate Certificate in Technology Policy. Note that not every course is offered on a yearly basis. Check guide.berkeley.edu for the most up to date course descriptions and class schedule.

    CS294 Algorithms and Inequality
    DataSci 290 Anti-Racism in Technology
    Haas Designing “Tech for Good” Initiatives
    UGBA 177 Ethics & Artificial Intelligence: Designing the Future of Humanity
    Info 188 Behind the Data
    Info 205 Information Law and Policy
    Info 206A Intro to Programming and Computation
    Info 239 Technology and Delegation
    Info 289 The Citizen Clinic Practicum
    Info 290 Politics of Information
    Info 290 Future of Cybersecurity Reading Group
    Info 290 Cybersecurity in Context
    Law 276.33 (sec. 001) Hate Speech, Disinformation, and Online Harassment: Regulation of and by Internet Platforms
    Law 276.35 Social Media Law
    LS 190 Monetary Law and Regulation
    MBA277.1 Startup Policy Strategy Lab
    PUB AFF 290 – 012 Tech Policy Speaker Series
    PUB POL 98/198 – 004 Innovations in National Security and Tech Policy
    PubAff 290 Digital Economy: Public Policy-Making in the Fourth Industrial Revolution
    Sociol 190 Surveillance Cultures
    Sociol 190 Polarization in Context
    Sociol 190 Political Economy of Digitality
    UGBA177 Tech and the City: How to Get Urban Innovation Right
    PUB POL 290 Data Science for Public Policy
    Anthro 250X Technological Selves and Sociotechnical Systems
    LS 22 1 – LEC 1 Sense & Sensibility & Science
    LAW 276.74 INFO 290 Privacy Counseling and Compliance
    INFO 225 Managing in Information-Intensive Companies
    PUB POL 290 Emerging Technologies and International Security
    PUB POL 285 The Nuclear Nexus: Technology and Security
    PUB POL 284 Energy and Society
    INFO 290 Introduction to the Politics of Information
    INFO 255 Privacy Engineering
    INFO 290 Decisions and Algorithms
    INFO 218 Concepts of Information

    Elective and Policy Analysis Course Petitions

    Students can petition for graduate courses (200 level) beyond the standard elective and policy analysis course lists to count toward the certificate. Particularly 290 Special Topics and 299 Independent Study courses will be considered on a case-by-case basis, as topics pertain to technology policy. Submit the Course  Petition Form to propose an alternative elective and/or policy analysis methods course. Courses proposed by petition must be approved by the certificate administrator and faculty director to count toward the certificate with the input of the supporting faculty.

    Certificate Completion

    Students submit the Certificate Completion Form at the point that all requirements for the Graduate Certificate in Technology Policy are complete. The form can be submitted as soon as all three courses must be either completed or currently in progress. The certificate completion application should be submitted by the following dates, in order to be eligible for the certificate.

    • Students graduating at the end of Spring must apply by April 15.
    • Students graduating at the end of Summer must apply by July 15.
    • Students graduating at the end of Fall must apply by November 15.

    Completion of the GCTP will be noted in the memorandum section of the student’s official transcript (not on the diploma). At the time of completion, each student receives a physical certificate signed by the Dean of the Goldman School of Public Policy and Founder and Faculty Director of the Berkeley Risk and Security Lab, Prof. Andrew W. Reddie. Certificates are typically mailed within 2–3 months of the end of the semester.

    If you have any questions, please contact Cara Wagner, certificate administrator, at cwagner@berkeley.edu.