The graduate certificate is a programmatic series of linked courses. Graduate certificates facilitate professional growth for people who already hold the baccalaureate degree. For more information on current graduate certificates see the Graduate Degree and Certificate Search page.
Admission
All applications for graduate certificate programs must be submitted through www.asu.edu/gradapp.
Certificate Requirements
A minimum of 15 semester hours of graduate work are required to complete a graduate certificate. No more than one-fifth (20 percent) of the minimum required credit hours for a graduate certificate may be transferred from another university. All transfer work must meet Graduate College transfer policies. All course work used to complete an ASU graduate certificate must be completed within a six-year time limit. Courses at a 400-level may be allowed with prior approval from the appropriate certificate program, however, a minimum of two-thirds of the courses taken to complete the certificate must be at the 500-level or above. No more than 40% of coursework towards the requirements of a graduate certificate can be completed prior to admission to the certificate program.
Awarding of the Graduate Certificate
The student will be eligible for the official posting of the graduate certificate to their transcripts when all applicable coursework has been successfully completed and Graduate College scholarship requirements have been met. Students must complete, sign and submit to their specific graduate certificate program the Application for Awarding of a Graduate Certificate form to be verified first by the certificate program and then by the Graduate College, thus ensuring that all requirements have been met before the graduate certificate will be officially posted.
A student may pursue concurrent master's degrees with prior written approval from the head of the academic unit for each degree program and the Graduate College. A maximum of 20 percent of the minimum total semester hours for the completion of both degrees may be common hours shared between the Plans of Study. The total number of hours common to both degree programs may vary from this maximum value only when the Graduate College has formally approved coordinated degree programs.
Course work common to both programs must constitute a well-planned and meaningful part of each of the programs and may only include course work completed after admission to both degree programs. In all cases, these guidelines must be followed:
Concurrent enrollment in a doctoral program and master's degree program may not have common hours. Doctoral programs and master's degrees in the same major may not be concurrently pursued.
A student may pursue concurrent doctoral degrees with prior written approval from the head of the academic unit for each degree program and the Graduate College. In all cases, these guidelines must be followed:
In those cases where there is an approved Master's in Passing (MIP) program in place for a doctoral degree, those doctoral students who complete the requirements of the approved MIP may be awarded the related master's degree. Students should check with their doctoral program to see if there is an approved Master's in Passing for their degree.
Students who include 30 hours from a previously awarded master's degree on their doctoral Plan of Study are not eligible for a Master's in Passing. All coursework included in an MIP Plan of Study must have been completed after the semester and year of admission to the doctoral program.