Explore Graduate Certificates

A Graduate Certificate is an integrated group of courses that is designed to have a very clear and focused academic topic or competency as its subject area, or provide a basic competency in an emerging, usually interdisciplinary, area. A Certificate is not a graduate degree program (it is typically between 9 and 15 credits), but it does provide the student formal recognition of the mastery of a clearly defined academic topic. 

Graduate Certificates are becoming an increasingly important component of the total range of graduate educational opportunities offered by a modern, comprehensive research university. 

More information on admission requirements and specific plans of study for a particular Graduate Certificate can be obtained here.

Note that admission to or completion of a Graduate Certificate does not guarantee subsequent admission to a graduate degree program; that is a separate process, and different criteria prevail.

Each graduate certificate must have a designated Director, who is appointed by the Dean of the Graduate School. The Director will represent the certificate on matters such as admission to and successful completion of the graduate certificate, enforcement of certificate requirements and maintenance of records. The Director can be either an associate or full member of the Graduate Faculty of the University. 

• Online form for nominating a DGC is available here
• List of current Directors of Graduate Certificates is available here