Campus Graduate Certificate

Campus Graduate Certificate Proposal Information

Program Proposal Guidance

  • The program must be a minimum of 12 credit hours of 400 or 500 level courses for a minimum of 10 weeks of instruction within a semester. Programs must include in the description of the proposal the number of weeks of instruction.

  • Programs must clearly identify the major name of the Certificate in the title of the proposal. The credential students will be earning will be a “Graduate Certificate in X”.

  • Programs will need to enter proposals into the CIM-P system using the new major option.

  • If the Certificate may be allowed to “stack” into a specific degree program, that information must be included in the proposal.

  • Online Certificates will be assessed per credit hour tuition fees charged per campus policy. On campus Certificates will be assessed tuition by range and standard campus fees.

  • These proposals will follow the same approval steps as a new major (College, Campus, SEC, BOT, IBHE).  They will also require approval from the Dept of Education for approval for Financial Aid.

  • The approved Senate proposal to establish the Campus Graduate Certificate is available here. 

Admissions

  • Admissions will be managed by the Graduate College. Students will be admitted as “Certificate” Students. These are not non-degree students. Campus level requirements for admission are:

  • Application

  • Official transcripts from bachelor’s degree granting institution (must be from a regionally accredited college in the US or a comparable degree from a recognized institution of higher learning abroad

  • English proficiency

  • No required GPA minimum for admission

  • No application fee

  • Domestic and International students may apply and we are allowed to issue I20’s for international students for these programs. Please note though, international students will need to enroll full time.

Academic Policies/Procedures

  • No credit may be transferred from another institution to satisfy Certificate requirements.

  • Students will register themselves in Student-Self Service after admitted.

  • Credit from one Certificate may not also count towards another Certificate. Credit from a Certificate (in part or in whole) may be used towards a specific degree program, but that must be articulated as a part of the proposal process and will be articulated in the Academic Catalog.

  • Students will be expected to maintain a minimum semester GPA of 2.75 and must meet the program minimum GPA to be awarded the Certificate.

  • Students must be admitted to the Certificate program and enrolled for a minimum of one semester to be eligible for that Certificate.

  • Students have a two year time limit for completion of the Certificate.

Financial Aid

  • Graduate Certificates will be eligible for Financial Aid and Scholarships. Please note that as a part of the campus governance process, we will be submitting proposals for approval by the Department of Education for Federal financial aid. Programs may not advertise that Federal aid is available until they receive this approval.

  • Certificate students will not be eligible for Graduate Assistantships or Fellowships.

Credentialing

  • Degree certification will be performed through the regular certification process and Certificates will be awarded on the standard degree awarding cycle (May, August, December).

  • Students will receive a notation on their transcript (Certificate in X) and a Certificate Diploma.

CIM-P Procedural Steps

  1. Log into CIM-Programs.

  2. Select “Propose New Program”**

  3. For Proposal Type, select “Major.”

  4. For Proposal Title, input something along the lines of “Establish the Campus Graduate Certificate in (Major Name, e.g., Robotics)”

  5. In the dropdown for Corresponding Degree, select Graduate Certificate.

  6. All other fields, you’ll fill out just as you’re used to for any type of new program up until you get to the Enrollment section.

  7. In the Enrollment section, there are two new questions, which are now required for any type of proposal:

    1. What is the typical time to completion of this program? (there’s a note reminding you here – certificates require a minimum of 10 weeks)

    2. What are the minimum Total Credit Hours required for this program?

    3. In the Financial Resources section, include the proposed tuition rate either as part of the response to the question “How does the unit intend to financially support this proposal?” or use the green “Attach File” to upload a document with this information.

  8. Complete all other fields as you normally would for any other new major proposal, including your Catalog page text and Statement for Programs of Study Catalog. Save if you wish to review or Start Workflow if you’re ready for that step.

Questions? Please contact Allison McKinney at agrindly@illinois.edu. Questions about accessing or inputing information into the CIM-Programs, please contact fms-catalog@illinois.edu.