The Graduate Certificate is earned through successful completion of a pre-defined program of graduate-level courses. The program must encompass at least ten weeks of instruction and a total of at least twelve credit hours of graduate-level courses. All courses required by a Graduate Certificate must be at the graduate level, listed at the 400-level or higher. A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75 is required for awarding of the Graduate Certificate.
No transfer credit from another institution may be used to satisfy the requirements for a Graduate Certificate.
Credit Hour Requirements
Credit hours earned toward a Graduate Certificate may be used, in part or in whole, toward no more than one graduate degree program, at the discretion of the graduate degree program. Admission into a Graduate Certificate program does not imply admission into a graduate degree program. Students completing a Graduate Certificate must apply to and be admitted into a graduate degree program before any credit hours earned through the Graduate Certificate can contribute toward a graduate degree. Per standard policy, completion of a graduate degree program requires enrollment for a minimum of one semester in the graduate degree program as a degree-seeking student.
Time Limits
The Graduate Certificate program must be completed within two years of admission to ensure that the course work is current and relevant to the learning outcomes of the program.
Graduate Certificates are awarded at the end of each traditional semester (fall, spring, summer) following the campus graduate degree conferral schedule. Students are issued a Certificate Diploma by the Office of the Registrar as well as receiving a credential notation on their transcripts.