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A graduate certificate program consists of a logically sequenced and academically coherent subset of courses, derived from a given discipline or related disciplines. Intended to prepare students for professional practice in certain applied fields, graduate certificates provide important preparation and credentialing in our increasingly dynamic employment environment. A graduate certificate comprises fewer credits than a master’s degree. Courses taken toward a certificate program may eventually or simultaneously transfer to a graduate degree depending upon the requirements of the particular degree to which a student wishes to apply the credits.
Graduate Certificate programs, when completed, represent a structured, coherent body of knowledge. In most instances, the required credit hours will range between 12 and 15. The exception is the Graduate Certificate in Applied Music. No more than 25 percent of the hours required for a certificate program may be transferred from another institution.
General criteria for admission to any graduate certificate program include:
- An earned baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university, or its foreign equivalent.
- Minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.75 on a 4.0 scale, as established by the graduate program associated with the certificate.
Note that graduate students who are currently enrolled in a graduate program may simultaneously pursue a graduate certificate program, with the permission of their adviser. Certificate-seeking students who are not degree-seeking students will be classified as certificate students for the purpose of keeping University-wide enrollment data. Certificate students will have access to University-wide facilities, subject to the rules governing those facilities. Additional admission requirements as noted, for each certificate. Federal financial aid eligibility is contingent upon certificate approval through the institution’s Program Participation Agreement.
In addition, certificate students are not automatically eligible for admission to the related graduate program. If they wish to pursue a graduate degree, they must submit an application, meeting all the entrance requirements for that program. Certificate courses may be applied toward completion of an appropriate master’s degree; courses taken in pursuit of a completed master’s degree cannot be retroactively applied to a certificate.
A student graduates from a certificate program when all program requirements are completed and has maintained a 3.0 grade point average.
Courses and certificates completed will be transcribed by the Registrar’s Office, and they will become the student’s permanent academic record.
*For information and resources about student loan repayment, or to submit a complaint relating to your student loans or student loan servicer, please visit www.wsac.wa.gov/loan-advocacy or contact the Student Loan Advocate at loanadvocate@wsac.wa.gov
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