Undergraduate Certificates
Undergraduate Certificates are offered in the following disciplines. See below for general information on Undergraduate Certificates.
African and African Diaspora Studies
American Indian Studies
Cartographic Design
Citizen Engagement
Corporate Video
Creative Writing
Critical Reasoning
Cultural Competency
Cybersecurity
Deafblind Intervener
East Asian Studies
Entrepreneurial Studies
European Studies (on hiatus)
Fermentation Science
Global Governance and Advocacy
Governance of Nations
Human Geography (on hiatus)
International Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Administration
International Security Studies
Latin American and Latino Studies
Lawmaking and Legal Processes
Middle East and Islamic Studies (on hiatus)
Political Advocacy and Elections
Public and Social Entrepreneurship
Public Policy Analysis
Social Justice in Global Health (on hiatus)
Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages
Technical & Professional Writing (on hiatus - not accepting admissions)
Translation (English and Spanish)
Certificate programs are designed to be completed quickly, usually in less than one year, and are independent of all general education and degree requirements. Certificates are awarded at all levels from undergraduate through continuing education and signify that a student has knowledge, skills, or competencies in an area of specialization.
- Undergraduate certificates are 12 to 18 credit hours. A minimum of six credit hours must be offered at the 300 level or above for a 12- to 15-hour certificate, and a minimum of nine credit hours must be offered at the 300 level or above for a 16- to 18-hour certificate. Non-degree seeking students must meet the existing admission standards to the University for Non-degree Special Admission for on-campus enrollment or Special Admission for off-campus enrollment. The student must consult with an advisor and sign a Certificate Program Authorization form (on campus) or a Program Plan (off-campus). Degree-seeking students must meet the undergraduate admission requirements.
- Certificates must not include hidden prerequisites and/or co-requisites.
- All courses on the certificate must be letter graded with the exception of those coursesexclusively offered as credit/no credit.
- The minimum cumulative GPA based on all graded coursework for the certificate must be established by the ‘proposing entity’ but can be no lower than a 2.0. Courses may be repeated according to the existing rules for degree programs.
- Certificates are recorded on students’ transcripts when all courses are completed.
- Certificates may be housed in one department or they may be interdisciplinary, in which case the responsible Interdisciplinary Council must be identified.
Certificates are noted on the transcript when all courses have been completed and students will receive an official CMU Certificate signed by the President and Chair of the Board of Trustees. Certificates are offered to both degree-seeking and non-degree students. For degree-seeking students, recognition of their certificate occurs at the same commencement ceremony as their degree. Students earning a stand-alone certificate are eligible to attend the commencement ceremony immediately after the certificate courses have been completed. (Academic Senate, 3/2/21)