Non-degree Graduate Certificates
(Graduate, Post-Baccalaureate, Post-Master's)
What is a certificate?
In this context, a certificate is official university recognition of completion of a specific set of graduate courses designated by a school or department. Certificates are available in a number of areas, and are listed on this website. http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/programs/grad_cert.shtml
These certificates are not the same as requirements for teacher certification, which is handled through the Office of Clinical Experience and Certification Processes (CECP) http://www.coe.ilstu.edu/teacheredcenter/cecp/
How do I enroll for a certificate?
You apply through the Office of Admissions, just as you apply for a degree program. You need to apply separately for each certificate, even if you are already in a degree program in that same department. This admission is separate and distinct from other admissions, e.g., degree, sequence, and requires payment of the application fee and submission of all official college transcripts showing that an undergraduate degree has been earned from an accredited institution (you have already submitted your transcripts when if you are in a degree program). The admission fee is waived for students pursuing a certificate at the same level as their current degree program. Check with Admissions for details.
Each department/school publishes any additional requirements for its certificate. Some certificates are only open to students in a specific degree program. Others are open to anyone with an undergraduate degree. The process for admissions to graduate-level certificates is the same as for degree programs. When the application and supporting documents are received, Graduate Admissions will forward a decision sheet to the Graduate-Level Certificate Advisor. This is to be returned to Admissions by the school or department, and Admissions notifies the student of the decision.
Do I need a plan of study?
Yes. As with degree programs, the coordinator of your certificate program submits a Plans of Study to the Graduate School early in the semester in which the student is completing the certificate course work. Plan of Study templates should be developed by each certificate program and made available to their students.
Once I have finished the courses, how do I file for completion of the certificate?
As with degree programs, the student must fill out and submit to the Graduate School, the Application for Completion of a Non-Degree Certificate. This is available for downloading from the Graduate School web-site. The fee is $30. If the student does not complete the certificate courses in the semester for filing, their application will be cancelled and they will need to reapply (at no additional charge).
Do I go through Commencement for the certificate?
Students are not eligible for Commencement participation, unless specified by the Dean of the College arranging Commencement.
When will I receive my certificate? Within a few weeks of verification of completion, the transcript will reflect the completion of the certificate. The printed certificates will not be mailed until after 8-10 weeks of completion.
Will admission to a certificate program make me a degree student?
No. Certificate only students are not eligible for graduate assistantships, fellowships nor financial aid intended for degree-seeking students. Graduate tuition waivers may be granted at the discretion of the awarding unit.
Can I count certificate courses in a master’s later?
Courses taken as part of a graduate certificate can be counted towards a master’s degree following degree grading criteria (Regulation 1230) if the courses are appropriate for the specific degree program, and are taken within an approved time frame.
Additional graduate regulations that apply to certificates
9320 TIME LIMITATIONS
All requirements for a graduate level certificate must be completed within six calendar years, beginning with the date the student first registers as a graduate level certificate student. This limitation applies to enrollment in all graduate course work for the certificate including work for which transfer credit is allowed. Refer to the time limitation regulation for master’s degrees (Regulation 2320) for additional criteria which would apply.
9330 TRANSFER COURSES
No more than 40% of course work hours required can be transferred from other accredited institutions to satisfy the certificate requirements.
9340 GPA MINIMUM
In order to be awarded the certificate, a student must have a minimum graduate GPA of 3.0 in the set of courses required for the certificate.
9360 ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS/INFORMATION
Students must complete the same prerequisites or have the equivalent experiences as graduate degree candidates to enroll in specific courses.
No differentiation in course requirements will exist between graduate certificate courses and graduate degree courses.
Students seeking a graduate level certificate are subject to the academic policies and regulations indicated in the Graduate Catalog.
The granting of a graduate level certificate will appear on the University transcript.
Below is a comprehensive listing of graduate certificates available at Illinois State University.
Some programs include sequence options (in italics below the program). You may:
- Click on the desired program and be taken to that Web site.
- Click on the graduate coordinator's name for e-mail contact.
Admissions requirements/criteria/testing information may also be found in the Graduate Catalog under the program listing.
Graduate Certificates
(requires a minimum of 9 but no more than 17 semester hours of graduate courses beyond the bachelor's degree).
| Certificate Title | Graduate Coordinator | Phone (309) |
|---|---|---|
|
438-5124 |
|
| Hydrogeology Geographic Information Systems | 438-7649 | |
Learning Behavior Intervention Specialist 2 |
438-5154 |
|
Learning Behavior Intervention Specialist 2 |
438-5154 |
|
Deaf and Hard of Hearing Listening and Spoken Language Specialist |
438-5154 |
|
| Learning Behavior Intervention Specialist 2 |
438-5154 |
|
| Learning Behavior Intervention Specialist 2 (temporarily closed) |
438-5154 |
|
| Learning Behavior Intervention Specialist 2 |
|
438-5661 |
| Enterprise Computing Systems | 438-8017 | |
|
438-8017 |
|
|
438-8017 |
|
| Klaus Schmidt | 438-3502 | |
|
438-8017 |
|
|
438-8017 |
|
|
438-7848 |
|
438-3502 |
||
438-8668 |
||
438-3502 |
||
438-2947 438-7361 438-2947 |
Post Baccalaureate Graduate Certificate
(requires a minimum of 18 semester hours of graduate courses beyond the baccalaureate degree, but less than a master's degree).
| Certificate Title | Graduate Coordinator | Phone (309) |
|---|---|---|
|
|
438-2334 |
|
|
438-7848 |
Post-Master's Graduate Certificate
(requires a minimum of 24 semester hours of graduate courses beyond the master's degree but less than a doctoral degree).
| Certificate Title | Graduate Coordinator | Phone (309) |
|---|---|---|
Chief School Business Official Endorsement |
|
438-3948 |
|
438-7035 |
|
General Administrative Certification |
|
438-3948 |
| Gerontological Nurse Practitioner | 438-7035 | |
Superintendent Endorsement in Educational Administration |
|
438-3948 |
438-7958 |
Please note that graduate certificates are not the same as teacher certification.
Students who already have a bachelor’s degree and are interested only in teacher certification, not in a graduate degree or certificate should apply to the university for a second bachelor’s degree, not for graduate admission. Advice is available from the Center for Teacher Education and/or the undergraduate teacher education advisor in the appropriate department.
Students who wish to pursue teacher certification concurrently with a graduate degree should talk first with the graduate coordinator in their program and with an undergraduate teacher education advisor to determine whether such a plan is feasible. If so, the student needs to apply and be accepted to the graduate program, then work through the teacher certification requirements as well as the graduate degree requirements. Some requirements for teacher certification may not count for graduate credit or toward graduate degree requirements; students need to check with the graduate coordinator for details.
This path may take several years beyond the usual time for the graduate degree. Departments may limit any financial support to graduate coursework only, or may terminate support after the usual time for a graduate degree.
FORMS FOR STUDENTS FINISHING A CERTIFICATE PROGRAM
Application for Completion (ipdf) or (pdf) of a Graduate Level Non-degree Certificate
Note: Adobe Acrobat 6.0 or 7.0 users may have a problem using the interactive form. If you use Adobe Acrobat 5.0 or 8.0 you will not have a problem with the form. (If you experience a problem with the ipdf form, please use the regular pdf form.)