Certificate Conferral

A graduate certificate program (GCP) is a group of 400- and 500-level courses in a concentration within an academic unit or program organized with the objective of training students in a specific area of expertise. The minimum credit hour requirement for a GCP is nine hours, the typical maximum is fifteen hours, however exceptions are possible. Students must be admitted to a certificate program via Graduate Admissions before the start of the final semester of their program. The completion of a GCP will be indicated on the student's transcript.

Course requirements for a GCP are determined by the individual academic unit and must have at least one course at the 500-level. No more than nine credit hours of 400-level courses can be included; no more than half of the credits or courses may be specialized (topical) accelerated courses. Transfer credit cannot be applied toward a graduate certificate.

Accelerated Masters Program students cannot apply shared courses towards a GCP. 

A certificate student who subsequently applies to and is admitted to a specific graduate degree program may apply all approved coursework taken as a certificate student (in a single certificate program) toward the graduate degree.  Likewise, the same credits earned for a degree program may be applied toward a certificate program in the same discipline.  Students enrolled in a degree program may apply a maximum of 9 credits towards a certificate outside the academic unit of the degree program.

A cumulative GPA of 3.0/4.0 or greater is required in the certificate courses before a graduate certificate can be awarded. Students must submit an Application for a Graduate Certificate to Academic Affairs delineating the courses completed for a particular graduate certificate. This form is required for students to be awarded a certificate.