Training built for state and local government

Practitioner-taught courses and certificates for the people who run cities, counties, and states. Delivered your way: onsite, live online, or self-paced.

Start the conversation Explore the training areas

Graduate School USA instructors working through a session with government staff

Trusted across government

Since 1921

training government workforce

500,000+

government employees trained

125+

agencies served

200+

practitioner instructors

400+

courses and certificates

All levels

from frontline staff to executives

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Agency seals reflect organizations Graduate School USA has trained. They do not imply endorsement by, or affiliation with, any federal agency.

Training for the work your agency actually does

The skills state and local teams ask for most, taught by instructors who have done public-sector work. Start where your team needs it.

Leadership and supervision

From first-time supervisor to senior executive: supervision, team leadership, and the move into management.

Browse leadership courses

HR and workforce

Classification, staffing, employee relations, FMLA and FLSA, and benefits for a public-sector workforce.

Browse HR courses

Financial management and budgeting

Governmental accounting, budgeting, and internal control, with preparation for the CGFM.

Browse finance courses

Grants management

Managing grant dollars end to end: award, administration, compliance, and closeout.

Browse grants courses

Procurement and contracting

Contracting, contract administration, and the rules that govern public buying.

Browse procurement courses

Data and analytics

Excel, SQL, Tableau, and Power BI, with stackable analytics certificates for public-sector analysts.

Browse data courses

AI for government

Practical AI skills and responsible-AI practices for public-sector roles and public-sector rules.

Browse AI courses

Communication and writing

Plain-language writing, briefing skills, and the communication that public work runs on.

Browse communication courses

Delivered your way

Every format draws on the same practitioner-built curriculum and instructors who have done public-sector work. Choose what fits your headcount, timeline, and budget, or combine them.

Live online

Send one or two people to a scheduled public class, live online from your state or in person in Washington, DC.

Ask questions and work real cases live
Cohort dates published for every program
One free retake within a year

A federal employee working through a self-paced Graduate School USA course

Self-paced eLearning

Courses your staff finish between budget cycles, council meetings, and shift coverage, on their own schedule.

No cohort to wait for
Same CEUs and credential at the end
Attend the live class free within a year

Federal staff working together in a training room

Onsite for your team

We bring the course onsite to your city hall, county office, or state agency and teach it around your own procedures.

Delivered on your schedule
Tailored to your policies and real cases
One agreement covers the cohort

A Graduate School USA advisor meeting one-on-one with an agency client

Private group training

Bring a course to your city hall, county complex, or state office and build it around the work your people actually do: the council or board they answer to, the ordinances and state rules they administer, and the residents standing at the counter the next morning.

Any course or certificate in our catalog, delivered onsite, live online, or blended
A new course built to your specification when nothing off-the-shelf fits
Scheduled around your calendar, for a cohort of any size
Rostering, progress, and completion reporting for the whole group

Request private training Get a group quote

Open enrollment

Most cities and counties cannot pull a whole department off the line at once, and in smaller jurisdictions one person carries an entire function. Register that person, or a pair, into a scheduled public session and keep the office running while they train.

A published schedule across the full curriculum, entry to advanced
Live online, or in person at 1050 Connecticut Ave NW in Washington, DC
No minimum headcount and no setup: register and go
The same instructors and materials as our private cohorts

Browse the class schedule

A Graduate School USA instructor leading a federal class

Simple to purchase, however your agency buys

You do not need a federal contract vehicle to train with us. We work with state and local procurement the way your office already operates.

Purchase by government purchase order or purchase card
We complete your vendor onboarding, W-9, and registration paperwork
Cooperative purchasing and state master agreements where they apply
One point of contact for quotes, scheduling, and invoicing

Email the group training team

Graduate School USA staff welcoming agency colleagues

An established government training institution

Graduate School USA has trained the government workforce since 1921. Our curriculum is designed and taught in-house by practitioners who have done public-sector work, not licensed from a generic library.

Founded 1921 as the USDA Graduate School; 500,000+ government employees trained
ACCET-accredited (ACCET is a U.S. Department of Education-recognized accreditor)
Practitioner instructors across leadership, HR, finance, grants, data, and AI
Live online, onsite at your location, or self-paced, with completion records for your files
One free class retake within a year, and a self-paced option that includes the live class

A historical Graduate School USA faculty and leadership gathering, reflecting the institution’s roots as the USDA Graduate School since 1921

Questions agencies ask

The answers state and local training officers ask for most, in one place.

How does a state or local agency buy training?

However your office already buys. We accept government purchase orders and purchase cards, complete your vendor onboarding and registration paperwork, and can work through cooperative purchasing vehicles and state master agreements where they apply. You get one point of contact for quotes, scheduling, and invoicing.

Can we pay with an SF-182?

Yes. We accept the SF-182, purchase orders, and GSA Schedule orders under contract 47QRAA24D004K, and our group training team works with your training office on the paperwork.

Do you only train federal employees?

No. Graduate School USA has trained the government workforce since 1921, and the same courses and instructors are available to state, county, and city agencies. Content is taught for public-sector work and can be tailored to your jurisdiction.

What is the difference between private group training and open enrollment?

Open enrollment classes are scheduled public sessions anyone can register for, taken live online or at our Washington, DC campus at 1050 Connecticut Ave NW. Private group training delivers a course for your agency's own cohort, tailored to your mission and delivered onsite, live online, or blended.

Can employees train self-paced, and still take the live class later?

Yes. Our self-paced online courses let a learner start anytime and work at their own pace, and when you buy the self-paced course the learner may also attend the live instructor-led course for free within one year.

Can courses be tailored to our agency?

Yes. We tailor existing courses to reflect your agency's mission, policies, and real cases, and we can develop new courses for unique requirements when nothing off-the-shelf fits.

Can training be delivered virtually or in person?

Both. Courses are offered as live virtual instruction or in-person onsite at your facility or at our Washington, DC location, and some programs blend live sessions with self-paced work.

What if an employee needs to repeat a class?

We offer one free retake of a class within one year, so a first attempt is never wasted if someone is reassigned, deployed, or needs a refresher before applying the material.

We are a county government, not a federal agency. Are these courses actually open to us?

Yes. The courses on this page are built for state and local government specifically: the people who run cities, counties, and states. They are taught by practitioners and offered onsite, live online, or self-paced.

Is there a certificate our staff can earn in state and local government subjects?

Not on this page. There is no certificate track listed for state and local government right now, so nothing here should be read as a foundational-to-advanced ladder. The offering is individual practitioner-taught courses in three delivery formats, and we can tell you what certificate options exist when you contact us.

Plan your agency's training

Tell us your topics, headcount, and timeline, and we'll propose the right mix for your team.

Group training team
onsite@graduateschool.edu
Main line: (888) 744-4723