Graduate Certificates
The University of Oregon offers a number of graduate certificates in specific academic and professional subjects. Students pursuing graduate certificates must be admitted to the university, but are not required to be degree-seeking.
Admission Process
In order to pursue a graduate certificate, a student must be admitted to the University of Oregon as a graduate level student, either in a master’s or doctoral program or, in the case of a stand-alone certificate program, as an admitted graduate certificate student.
The admission process is specific to each certificate program. To get started, the student should contact the program offering the graduate certificate.
Students pursuing both a graduate degree and a graduate certificate concurrently must complete and submit a graduate certificate declaration form within one term after being accepted by the certificate program.
Students pursuing only a graduate certificate do not need to complete the declaration form and instead apply via the online admission application.
Financial Aid and Graduate Certificates
Students pursuing a standalone graduate certificate (that is, without also being concurrently enrolled in a graduate degree program) may not access federal financial aid unless the graduate certificate program has been individually approved as Title IV aid-eligible.
Contact the program offering the graduate certificate to find out if it is offered as a standalone certificate and is Title IV-aid eligible.
Important Information about Pursuing and Completing a Graduate Certificate
Graduate certificates consist of a minimum of 24 credits of graduate-level coursework taken at the UO. Specific course requirements are established by the certificate program.
UO graduate coursework taken prior to acceptance into the certificate program may count toward certificate requirements, with approval from the department offering the certificate.
However, to be considered, such coursework must have been completed as an admitted graduate student in one of the following classifications:
- Conditional Master’s
- Master’s
- Conditional Doctoral
- Doctoral
- Pre-master’s
- Post-master’s
- Postbaccalaureate Graduate
- Admitted Non-Degree Graduate
Graduate certificate students are subject to the following general policies governing satisfactory progress:
- Continuous enrollment
- Minimum three-credit registration each term
- Maintenance of a 3.0+ cumulative GPA
- Completion of the program within seven years.
- Note: The seven-year time period begins with the first course being used to meet certificate requirements.
- Maintaining satisfactory progress/good standing
Graduating with the Certificate
To earn the certificate, students must apply for graduation by the deadlines listed on the Division of Graduate Studies website. The program that administers the certificate must also approve the graduation request to confirm that the student has met all program-level requirements.