Standards of Conduct and Government Ethics Course (Self-Paced)
IDCYSE7008SP

Self-paced online training with expert support

Most ethics violations are not corruption. They are an accepted dinner, a forwarded resume, or an official title used in a personal post. This course teaches federal employees to recognize those moments before they become a problem.

$675 3 clock hours Live Support Start anytime

This course includes

  • 3 hours of project-based training from experts
  • Answers from real instructors
  • Retake for free within 1 year
  • Access to class recordings (30 days)
  • Verified digital certificate of completion
  • Learn at an accredited institution

This is the self-paced version. For live instruction enroll in Standards of Conduct and Government Ethics Course.

Ethics training is a standing federal requirement, which puts a course like this on the budget line rather than the wish list. It is government-wide in scope, covering the rules that apply across the executive branch and deliberately built without reference to any single agency's supplemental policy, so it works for any federal audience, and the sequence runs from the 14 General Principles of Ethical Conduct through conflicts of interest, gifts, misuse of position, outside and post-government employment, and the Hatch Act. It also reflects the 2024 modernization: the modernized Standards of Ethical Conduct took effect 15 August 2024 and introduced new examples covering personal social media use, so any ethics training built before that date now has a gap. The social media point is the one that surprises people, because using an official title or position on a personal account in a way that suggests government endorsement can breach the misuse-of-position rules, even outside work hours. The course also confirms that the gift thresholds of $20 from outside sources and $10 between employees were reviewed and left unchanged.

The material is anchored in the actual sources rather than generalities. The criminal conflict-of-interest statutes at 18 U.S.C. 201 to 209 sit next to the Standards of Ethical Conduct at 5 C.F.R. Part 2635, and the course states plainly that the post-employment restrictions are criminal statutes, not guidance. The appearance standard is taught as a test a learner applies rather than a footnote: would a reasonable person with knowledge of the facts question my impartiality. Two drag-and-drop activities carry the practical work, one sorting eight realistic gift scenarios into acceptable and not acceptable with a rationale for each, the other sorting eight activities into generally permitted and generally prohibited under the Hatch Act, and a 20-question final assessment closes the course at 70% to pass, or 14 of 20, with unlimited retakes. The course is agency-neutral by design: only government-wide rules are covered, and learners are repeatedly directed to their own agency ethics official for supplemental policy.

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Since 1921, Graduate School USA has partnered with over 125 federal agencies and trained more than one million federal employees. Led by instructors with deep, real-world knowledge of federal regulations, policies, and practices, our private group programs are practical, mission-driven, and tailored to your agency’s objectives. We offer expertise across key federal domains—including human resources, financial management, acquisition and contracting, leadership, and more—to deliver training where and how your team needs it.

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