Graduate Certificates

Certificates provide opportunities for study within a focused academic area. A certificate offers a coherent graduate experience and a valuable credential of work and skills beyond the undergraduate degree, usually through the completion of a series of specified courses. Some curricular options or other criteria for completion may apply.

Overview

There are two types of certificate programs:

  • "Stand-alone" certificate programs may be taken by any student who has a bachelor's degree, whether or not the student is enrolled in a graduate degree program at Binghamton. Individuals who are not enrolled in a degree program may earn a stand-alone certificate by first enrolling as a non-degree graduate student. (Click here for details on non-degree enrollment.)
  • "Add-On" certificates are only available to students who are enrolled in a degree-granting graduate program at Binghamton.

"Stand-Alone" Certificates

For graduate students pursuing continuing education (non-matriculated) or for students already enrolled in a degree program:

"Add-On" Certificates

For students enrolled in a graduate degree program at Binghamton:


top

Admission to a Certificate Program

While many certificates are available only to enrolled, degree-seeking graduate students (see "Add-On" Certificates above), others can be completed by either degree or non-degree students (see "Stand-Alone" Certificates above). All students enrolling in a certificate must either be admitted to an existing degree program, or admitted as a non-degree student. No funding is available to non-degree students completing certificate programs.

To enter a certificate program, interested students must complete the on-line registration form. After completing the on-line registration form, the student will receive an email providing the name and contact information for the certificate director. Each student must contact the certificate director in order to review certificate entrance and completion requirements.

The certificate director must approve each student's entrance into the certificate program.

Students who have registered for a certificate program and paid all required fees will have access to:

  • A university e-mail account
  • Campus libraries
  • Health and Wellness Center
  • Campus parking

In addition, students who have been approved (by the certificate director) for a certificate program can monitor their progress by logging into the certificate site. After registering for a certificate, students will receive a log-in and password via email.

Certificate students are not automatically admitted to master's or doctoral programs. They must meet the admissions requirements of those programs and be accepted. Students may concurrently register for a certificate and another BU degree program.

top

Transfer Credit

All courses transferred into a BU Graduate Certificate must meet all of the following conditions:

  • Must be graduate-level work from an accredited institution.
  • Grade must be B or better.
  • Must have been taken not more than two years prior to admission to the certificate program.

The certificate director must approve all transfer credits used to complete a certificate.

In addition, the following restrictions apply:

  • At most one course from outside BU can be transferred in (equivalent to no more than 4 BU credits). Only course credit for "normal grading" will be accepted. The actual grade will not be entered into the BU GPA. Course credit for Pass or Satisfactory cannot be transferred.
  • BU graduates who wish to transfer in a graduate course taken above and beyond courses counting for their undergraduate degree and major must have written approval of the department offering the Certificate and the Graduate School. A maximum of one course will be approved.
  • BU graduate students who wish to transfer in graduate courses taken toward a graduate degree in a BU school must have the written approval of the department offering the Certificate and the Graduate School.
top

Completion of Certificate

To complete the certificate program, all required coursework must be completed as outlined by the individual certificate program requirements

Students in certificate programs are also required to meet Graduate School standards, including:

  • A minimum GPA of 3.0 must be maintained (certificate programs may establish higher GPA requirements).
  • All courses used to complete certificates must be taken with a normal grading option whenever available.

At the time that the final requirements for certificate are met, the student must meet with the certificate director to verify completion. The certificate director will then submit to the Graduate School written verification of completion of the certificate.

The student must submit to the Graduate School a $100 processing fee. Following remission of the processing fee, the Graduate School will update the student's transcript to reflect completion of the certificate. At this time the Registrar's Office will also mail the student an official transcript. In addition, the certificate department will mail the student a certificate verifying completion of the program.

top