By Lily Abromeit

A new certificate is available for University of Iowa journalism and mass communication students.

The Event Planning Certificate requires students to complete 21 hours of course work and a three-semester hour internship.

Many students have taken an interest in the courses and the certificate has already seen popularity.

The UI noticed an increase in needing event planning professionals, which drove the idea to create a certificate program.

Heather Spangler, coordinator for the Event Planning Certificate, said it is something that attracts people interested in a variety of topics.

“One thing that I really love about event planning is that there are career opportunities across fields,” Spangler said. “Anything that you’re passionate about, you can find a job doing event planning in that field.”