Special Opportunities
Certificates
Area Certificates
Certificate programs are available in a number of areas; for further information, students should see the departmental entries in this bulletin. Such certificates can be pursued only in conjunction with a degree program and cannot be awarded independently.
Free-Standing Certificates
Graduate certificates are offered in some fields to allow a focused credential to be earned by a person who has already earned an undergraduate degree and is not enrolled in a master’s or doctoral program. The courses taken are typically the same as those taken for other degrees, but a more limited number of courses is required for the certificate. Graduate certificates typically involve a predetermined curriculum of 16 to 20 credit hours. Students enrolled in free-standing certificate programs who wish subsequently to pursue an advanced degree must make separate application to the University Graduate School and must have specific permission of the faculty of their degree program to use any credits earned as a certificate student for the more advanced degree.