Local government

Make a difference in your community - and your career

Develop the skills to navigate local government processes, improve service delivery, and support your community.

Certificates and programs Standalone courses Funding Opportunities, resources and support

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Certificates and programs

For details on each certificate or program—including upcoming sessions, fees, and delivery formats—click the link in the listing to visit our registration site.

Unlike other Dalhousie programs, many of our courses don’t require an application—you can simply register. A few, however, do require one. This quick video shows you how to find your course, add it to your cart, and complete your registration in just a few steps.

Watch now to see how easy it is to get started.

Certificate in Governance and Administration

Consisting of four fully online courses, this certificate is designed to help learners navigate local government processes, understand municipal authority, improve service delivery efficiency, and effectively serve council needs.

Certificate in Public Sector Leadership

This certificate provides an opportunity for learners to explore the fundamentals and theories of leadership, practice strategies for customizing their own presence in leadership scenarios and ensure that their leadership approach is one that values diversity, inclusion, and belonging. It consists of four fully online courses.

Required courses:

Elective courses (Choose one):

Certificate in Local Government Finance

This three-course certificate is designed to help municipal government employees navigate the complexities of financial, technological, and organizational management and risk.

Certificate in Information and Communication

This four-course, online certificate focuses on critical communication and information management, building core competencies in communication, collaboration and engagement, information privacy and security, multistakeholder collaboration, and the impact and influence of strategic communication for public-facing contexts.

Standalone courses

Navigating Information Access and Privacy Protection

In this workshop, participants from municipalities, regional centres for education, post-secondary institutions, and Nova Scotia Government Agencies, Boards and Commissions will examine key legislated Information Access and Privacy (IAP) requirements, as well as best practices and how to apply them.

Program Evaluation and Statistics

Learn the concepts of program evaluation, including various methods for collecting information and analyzing programs, along with the pros and cons of each approach. This course also covers statistical analysis as it applies to program evaluation.

Funding

Tuition assistance for Dal employees

Current Dalhousie employees have two tuition assistance options available (login required).

Employee tuition assistance (login required) DPMG professional funds (login required)

Government bursaries and grants

Want to reduce the cost of your professional development? Provincial and local governments offer various bursaries and grants for career development training. Also, be sure to ask your employer about potential budget allocations for skills training.

Explore government bursaries and grants

Opportunities, resources and support

Fast track your learning

Accelerate your path to certification with our Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) program. RPL allows you to apply your existing knowledge and skills to relevant courses, saving you time and effort.

See if you're eligible for RPL credits

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Upskilling your team?

Do you have a team that could benefit from a customized version of a certificate or course?

Explore our custom training options

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Enrolment and student support

Access student advising and support services to help you succeed.

How to register Log in to the student portal Student policies

Discover our other programs

View all courses and certificates

Questions? Connect with our team

Student Services Team

We can be reached by telephone or email from Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm (AST).

Local government

Make a difference in your community - and your career

Certificates and programs