Clark University Launches Graduate Certificate in Regulatory Affairs for Cannabis Control

WORCESTER, MA – Clark University is launching a first-in-the-nation graduate certificate in regulatory affairs for cannabis control. The program will provide students with a comprehensive understanding of public policy issues involved in the cultivation, distribution, sales, and regulation of adult use and medicinal-use cannabis.

Courses focus on public policy with practical training for implementing the rules of engagement in the cannabis control field. The program comprises three online courses: regulatory models, health and public safety concerns, and stakeholder education and enforcement. Participants will gain an understanding of the intersection and influences of social, medical, economic, and legal viewpoints on cannabis use, monitoring, and control, and learn how to create public policies.

The online program can be completed in two semesters starting this fall. Each course is seven weeks long.

"As more states legalize cannabis for either medicinal and or adult use, it is creating challenges for municipal, county, and state policy makers who must determine the regulatory implications for their communities and constituents," says John LaBrie, Clark University's School of Professional Studies (SPS) dean and associate provost for Professional Graduate Education. "Our program will give individuals in communities across the nation access to leaders in the field, and an opportunity to use what our legislators have created as a guide when they adopt policies of their own."

Clark is located in Worcester, MA, which will soon be home to the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission.

"There is much confusion when it comes to differentiating between medical cannabis use, adult use, de-criminalization, and legalization," says Harvard Police Chief Edward D. Denmark. "The cannabis certification will greatly aid policy makers and enforcement officials in developing strategies to address new challenges and enable us to provide for the safety of the public."

For more information, email [email protected], call 508/793-7373, or visit the web.

Clark University has been a leader in providing graduate education to mid-career professionals and recent college graduates seeking to advance their careers. For more than 75 years, the School of Professional Studies has focused on innovation, leadership, and effective practice. With students from more than 90 countries and partnerships with 150 nonprofits and businesses around the world, Clark's School of Professional Studies recognizes that today's classroom spans the world.

Featured

  • From Approval to Opening: Inside Travis Unified School District’s Fast Tracked Campus Expansion

    The Travis Unified School District (TUSD) in northern California includes several elementary and high schools serving over 5,400 students. In 2024, the TUSD Board approved the addition of sixth grade to the Golden West Middle School campus for the 2025–26 school year, setting in motion an accelerated effort to bring new facilities online in less than a year.

  • Spaces4Learning Launches 2026 Facilities and Construction Brief Survey

    Spaces4Learning recently launched the 2026 Facilities and Construction Brief Survey, which collects data on the previous year’s K–12 and higher education construction projects nationwide.

  • Colorado School District Breaks Ground on Unified PK–12 Campus

    The Haxtun School District No. Re-2J in Haxtun, Colo., recently announced that ground has been broken on a renovation/addition project that will unite its two schools, Haxtun Elementary and Haxtun Jr/Sr High School, according to a news release.

  • Arlington High School

    Arlington High School

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. Arlington High School has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Grand Prize award in the category of New Construction.