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University of Montana Catalog 2026-2027

Indian Law, Policy, and Administration Graduate Certificate

The Graduate Certificate in Indian Law, Policy, & Administration (ILPA) is designed for students who seek a deeper understanding of the legal foundations relevant for the development of public policy and policy implementation through federal, tribal, state, and local governments. Combining public administration coursework that incorporates tribal governance with a curated set of law courses, the ILPA graduate certificate allows students to more fully explore the legal environment in which public policy is made and implemented.

In most cases, courses taken in the ILPA graduate certificate program can also be applied toward the course requirements for the Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree. Students interested in applying certificate coursework toward the MPA are encouraged to contact the department at mpa@mso.umt.edu.

General Graduate Program Requirements

Graduate School policies and standards can be found on the Graduate School Policies page

The minimum GPA for any graduate program is 3.0. Individual programs may require more than a 3.0 to remain in good standing. 

The minimum grade for a course to be accepted toward any master’s or doctoral requirement is C. The minimum grade for a course to be accepted toward a certificate program is B-. Individual programs may require higher grades for specific courses.

Online Program Option

This program may be completed in an online format. Students interested in pursuing an online degree or certificate program are strongly encouraged to contact the offering department to discuss specific program and course modalities and create a plan of study with an academic advisor. The course requirements listed below may not be consistently offered via online delivery.

Graduate Certificate - Indian Law, Policy, and Administration

These credits can also be applied to the Master of Public Administration.

Course Requirements

Core Courses
Complete all of the following courses:
PUAD 505Budgeting & Finance3
or PUAD 561 Ethics in Public Administration
PUAD 551Public Policy and the Law3
Electives
Complete two of the following courses:10
Administrative Law
Legislation
Special Topics
Total Hours16