Leadership, Policy, and Governance

• A Bachelor’s Degree from a college or university accredited by the appropriate regional association with a minimum grade point average of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale or equivalent work experience in professional academic and/or government or private industry positions and achievements. Each applicant’s specific experience will be evaluated by the KSI Admissions Committee.
• Official transcripts from all previous universities or colleges attended or proof of work equivalent
• Three completed recommendation letters, Completion of application, and Application fee

• A Graduate Record Examination (GRE) revised General Test score or a Miller’s Analogy Test(MAT) score at or above the 50th percentile. The GRE or MAT requirement will be waived if an applicant has completed a Master’s degree or twelve or more credits of post- baccalaureate upper division or graduate coursework with a minimum grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.

Additionally, all international applicants whose native language is not English are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and submit a combined score of 550 or better (new scoring of 213 or better) or the Internet based test scoring of 80 or better. International transcripts are required to be translated if the grading and evaluation system used differs from those used by the United States education system. Official translation and a course- by-course evaluation from all prior institutions and grade-point average computation must be provided to the Office of Admissions. Please use one of the following services for evaluation.

Application Fee (one-time, nonrefundable) $150 Library Fee (each semester) $150

Applicants to Kepler have access to a variety of funding options, including merit-based (i.e. based on your academic performance) and need-based (i.e. based on your financial situation) opportunities. View financial support opportunities.

Students enrolled in this Graduate Certificate program will study and analyze evolving challenges in the private/public space programs regarding policy perspectives, social structures, and governance models. Students will survey existing international legal and regulatory frameworks for space activities and establish new models and frameworks for the effective performance of stakeholders for long-term sustainable use of space.

To successfully complete the program and earn the Graduate Certificate, students must fulfill all credit hour requirements, maintain a minimum GPA (as specified by the program) and meet any additional criteria set by the university or department.

Choose any three of the courses listed below and one three-credit elective from any graduate program. 

This course introduces and reinforces concepts and skills to engage and lead a team.  Through self-assessments, simulations and experiential exercises, students shall gain a deeper understanding of leadership styles and their impact.  Students will apply new competencies to address change and conflict, through strategic communication and influence, critical thinking, and effective decision-making processes.  The course challenges students to identify and create a collaborative, resilient, and robust organization that meets ongoing demands of dynamic environments.  

This course explores the policy cycle – from problem identification, policy formulation and strategy development, through to support for implementation, evaluation, and impact assessment.  Students shall be exposed to topics and policies related to space exploration and development, including trends, models, and best practices in a diverse range of policy fields. They will be asked to address pressing challenges facing governments today and prospective issues in future space settlements through an interactive setting simulating the policy development process.        

This course is intended to examine key governance structures and institutions in a comparative perspective.  Students shall consider the viewpoints of global governance on Earth to facilitate cooperation, governance of space settlements, and the nature and extent of relations of the governance of Earth via outer-space and vice-versa.  Students will explore emerging challenges to existing frameworks, propose models to address the relative roles of public and private systems and the procedural issues in a variety of policy areas such as trade, security, health care, environment, infrastructure, and transportation.