Specialist Certificate in Character Development

The Character Development Center is pleased to announce its fifth year offering an on-line certificate program in character development. This unique program offers attendees the opportunity to enhance their professional development skills in the field of character development/education and earn a Specialist Certificate.

Why do you need a certificate in character development?

This certificate will improve your knowledge and skills in helping students develop the habits of good character.
This certificate may help you become a school or district-wide character education coordinator.
This certificate may be used for your salary advancement.
This certificate will inform others that you have the necessary training to be a major resource at your school, district and community.
This certificate is an important addition to your curriculum vitae.

What does this program look like?

Enrollees must complete four of the five courses. Courses are not transferable to a degree program. This character development certificate program can be completed in one year.

Edu 521 CL Instructional Strategies in Character Education (3-PDUs)
Edu 522 CL Curriculum & Programs in Character Education (3-PDUs)
Edu 523 CL Character-based Discipline (3-PDUs) –
Edu 520 Special Topics in Character Education (3) –usually offered in summers with the two-day on-campus conference and 5 weeks online.
Edu 590 HF Resources for Teaching Peace in Schools and Classrooms (3 PDUs- Inservice credit)

What online capabilities will I need?

The online forum for courses is CE6 (formerly WebCT) which includes course content, syllabus, course sessions, resources and assignments.

How do I enroll in a course or in the Specialist Certificate in Character Development program?

To enroll in a course or in the certificate program for professional development /in-service credit all you need to do is:

send us your resume via an attachment to your email message.
confirm with us that you have computer capabilities to access our CE6 (formerly WebCT) site.

The Center staff will determine your eligibility for admission to the program and contact you via email. Should you have any questions call us at (619) 260-2250, or email us at character@sandiego.edu.

Can I take one course without enrolling in the certificate program?

Yes. All five courses are opened to qualified educators who may not wish the certificate but may be interested in updating their knowledge and skills regarding character concepts, principles, and practices.

What is the cost of the program?

Each course has a tuition fee of $400.

What do educators say about taking these courses on-line?

The online course I took was amazing. Not only did it allow me to have flexibility over when and what time I completed my assignments, it also enabled me to network with students from other programs, as well as opportunities to communicate with people on the other side of the world. I really enjoyed the course and appreciated that it let me learn at my own pace. The instructors were great and were always readily available whenever we had questions or comments. I would recommend online courses for anyone, who like myself, work full time and go to school part time. It is a great opportunity and I'm glad USD has decided to offer them to their graduate students.
- Graduate Student, Leadership Studies Program----Human Resource Specialist

I just wanted to say how wonderful it was to communicate with everyone through Webct. I have learned an overwhelming amount of knowledge and information about Character Education, my own opinion, ideas, implementation, and school structure/procedure. It was great to hear and learn about each of your unique ways to develop your students so they will prosper. You have all given me amazing ideas, guidance, and inspiration. It was wonderful to talk and relate with everyone while we explored the developing world of character education. Once again, thank you for all your advice, insight, motivation, and creative ideas. I feel that I have grown as a professional by taking this class and cannot wait to apply it to my own classroom.
- Middle grade teacher-enrolled for professional development units