Graduate Certificate Policies

Who is eligible to be admitted into a Graduate Certificate?

• Graduate Certificates are only for students not pursuing a graduate degree. A Graduate Certificate and a Graduate Degree cannot be pursued simultaneously. The only exception to this policy is for the Graduate Certificate in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) , which can be pursued alongside a Graduate Degree.
• Students can enroll in more than one Graduate Certificate simultaneously. However, note the cost of Graduate Certificates below, as only the first and primary Graduate Certificate can be billed at the reduced tuition rate. 
• If a student has completed a Graduate Certificate and wants to count those courses toward a Graduate Degree, the student must pay the tuition difference for the courses.
• Students interested in pursuing a Graduate Certificate should apply for admission into the Graduate Certificate.
• All Graduate Certificate students will register for courses using the Graduate Certificate Course Registration Form. A separate form will need to be submitted for each course.
• A prerequisite to entrance into any Grad Cert is a baccalaureate degree from a college or university accredited by a recognized regional or national professional accrediting agency. Graduates of colleges and universities located outside the United States and other applicants will be considered on an individual basis.

What is the cost of a Graduate Certificate?

• Graduate Certificate courses are $300 per course (total of $1,200 for the full Grad Cert), but only for the first and primary Graduate Certificate.
• Subsequent (or, if simultaneously pursued, then secondary) Graduate Certificates will be billed the full graduate tuition rate per credit hour. 

Can Graduate Certificate credits be leveled into a degree program?

• Graduate Certificates can be used as credit toward a graduate degree if students pay the tuition difference and if the specific course(s) are applicable toward the graduate degree in which the student is admitted.
• Graduate Certificate courses cannot be used as leveling coursework to fulfill advanced degree admission requirements. Students who wish to take leveling coursework to fulfill advanced degree admissions requirements will need to apply as a Credit Only student to take the appropriate courses.

Can credits from another degree/certificate be used to complete a Graduate Certificate?

• If course credits were utilized to complete another degree or certificate, those credits cannot be used to fulfill a Graduate Certificate’s curriculum requirements. In that case, coursework would need to be original to the Graduate Certificate. 
• If course credits were completed while pursuing another degree or certificate, but that degree or certificate was not completed, those credits can be used to fulfill a Graduate Certificate’s curriculum requirements.

How do students register for Graduate Certificate courses?

• Students are able to request registration for courses through the Graduate Certificate Course Registration Form. Submissions are sent to the Assistant Registrar for Graduate Studies who will verify the submission and, if approved, will register the student in the course.
• Graduate Certificate students are subject to the same Add/Drop deadlines as all other students. Registration for Graduate Certificate students will not begin until registration for other degree programs has already opened (i.e., the end of Registration Week).
• Graduate Certificate students are only eligible to take courses that apply toward the specific Graduate Certificate in which they are enrolled.

Can I receive a transcript for my Graduate Certificate?

• Yes. Students who complete a Grad Cert are able to receive their Graduate Certificate transcript in the same way that all SEBTS students request transcripts.