Date Effective: May 16, 2002

POLICY AND PROCEDURE MEMORANDUM ACADEMIC PROGRAMS - 17

SUBJECT: Certificate Programs

POLICY/PRINCIPLES:

Certificate programs are designed to appeal to students who seek targeted education in a specific area of public health. Certificate programs are not degree programs, and successful completion of a certificate program does not convey an award of a formal diploma or degree. Certificate programs are: 1) for students enrolled in degree programs, to enhance or add depth to their existing training; or 2) for students or members of the broader public health community who are not presently enrolled in a degree program.

Certificate programs are designed by faculty, or by groups of faculty, within or across departmental or divisional boundaries of the University. They are comprised of courses taught for academic credit in the School and may include a culminating or integrating exercise, such as a seminar, discussion group, or written report, to achieve the educational objectives of the program. A certificate program may be completed concurrently with a degree program, but because of scheduling demands, may be completed after the conclusion of a degree program.

The Committee on Academic Standards is responsible for ensuring the academic integrity of certificate programs by approving proposed programs and changes to existing programs.

Each department or academic program in the School is responsible for determining which students may enroll in certificate programs, or for limiting the number of certificate programs in which their students may enroll.

PROCEDURES:

The Committee on Academic Standards has established a minimum level of information that must be provided about proposed certificate programs. This information, available through the Office of Registration and Records, is shared with faculty, staff and students and is subject to periodic review and revision. Such information will include the program’s educational objectives, its intended audience, admissions criteria, specific requirements for completion of the certificate, the core faculty sponsor(s), and other information deemed appropriate. Following periodic review by the Committee on Academic Standards, certificate programs that have been inactive for extended periods of time will be discontinued.

The faculty sponsor(s) of each certificate program are responsible for enrolling students, for monitoring student progress in meeting program requirements, and for communicating to the Office of Registration and Records when students have met program requirements. Faculty sponsors should identify program participants as soon as possible, but no later than the first week of the last term in which the final course is being completed.

The Office of Registration and Records is responsible for maintaining the records of students who have completed certificate program requirements.