Jeff Maslow

Lunch with Former Secretary of the Interior James Watt

"I cannot think of a better capstone to my undergraduate education at CU than my involvement with the certificate program at the Center of the American West. The Center presented me with countless opportunities. I met some of the most prominent figures of the West and engaged in my own independent exploration of Western issues. I now have a more profound appreciation for the West and the many ways in which it connects all of us."

~Jeff Maslow

BA Political Science and Certificate in Western American Studies, Spring 2007

Certificate Program

Program Requirements

Western American Studies Certificate

Program Requirements

1. Completion of an undergraduate degree in any of the academic areas offered by the University of Colorado at Boulder.

2. Completion of 18 hours of coursework from the certificate program course list as follows:

3 credits intro course (CAMW2001, The American West)

3 credits natural sciences

3 credits social sciences

3 credits humanities

3 credits electives

3 credits capstone course (CAMW4001, Seminar on the American West)

3. A total of 6 credit hours (in addition to CAMW4001) must be upper division.

4. A total of 6 credit hours (in addition to the two CAMW courses) must be outside the student’s major.

5. Maintenance of a C average, and a grade of C or better for all certificate program courses.

6. No transfer credits may be applied.

7. Only courses for which a student receives a grade, rather than credit/non-credit or pass/fail, will count toward completion of the program.

8. A maximum 3 credits of independent study (CAMW4840) and  3 credits of internships (CAMW3939) may be applied toward program electives and subject areas.

9. All course work must be completed within a period of 8 years.

10. Students must attend a minimum of 3 Center of the American West events and submit a brief (2-3-pages, double-spaced)  reflection paper about the program, drawing from events and classes, due before Thanksgiving for Fall certification, and before Spring break for Spring certification.

11. Certificates will be awarded following a satisfactory review of official transcripts.

12. Petitions to alter any of the above requirements must be approved by the Center’s faculty director.