Certificates

WHAT IS A CERTIFICATE PROGRAM?

A certificate is a non-degree program verifying completion of baccalaureate or graduate degree-level work in an academic or occupationally-specific field of study. There are two types of certificate programs available:

Credit Certificate Program:

All instruction offered is on a for-credit basis and culminates in the conferral of a certificate. Certificates require a minimum of 12 credits and a maximum of 24 credits. Exceptions may be granted in the case of curricular requirements established by a licensing board, state agency, or other oversight entity. There are three types of credit certificates at UVA:

Undergraduate: Curriculum is composed of undergraduate-level courses and is typically pursued by students who do not have an undergraduate degree.
Post Baccalaureate: Curriculum is composed of mostly graduate-level courses and is pursued by students who have an undergraduate degree.
Graduate: Curriculum is composed of graduate-level courses and is typically pursued by students who have an undergraduate degree.

In addition to UVA reviews, a proposal for a new credit certificate program must be submitted to the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) for approval. Depending on the nature of the proposal, a certificate program also may require Southern Associate of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges approval. See policy on Establishing Certificate Programs.
Professional (Non-Credit) Certificate Program:
All instruction is offered on a non-credit basis and culminates in the conferral of a professional (non-credit) certificate by the University. Requires internal UVA approvals only (SCHEV notification is not required). See policy on establishing Certificate Programs.

Please email any questions to accreditation@virginia.edu.

Institutional Research and Analytics (IRA) staff will advise and coordinate with the appropriate school contact to manage process requirements, including providing relevant sample materials to guide the work. Students may not be admitted into a certificate program until approvals are complete and the program has been created in the Student Information System (SIS).

Process for Credit Certificates

For CREDIT certificates:

Upon review and approval of the certificate program proposal by the school’s curriculum committee and dean, complete the New Credit Certificate form.
- IRA determines if SACSCOC notice is required and consults with the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs (VPAA) to confirm alignment with institutional academic planning.
  - If SACSCOC action is warranted, the IRA works with the school to manage appropriate requirements.
- IRA notifies University Registrar (UREG) and determines whether additional approvals from the Department of Education, Veteran’s Affairs, Homeland Sec., etc are required.
Upon confirmation to proceed, school submits complete SCHEV Certificate proposal, and Academic Affairs Committee (AAC) Appendix and Addendum to IRA staff (IRA staff will provide samples and templates).

The Faculty Senate reviews the SCHEV proposal + the Senate’s required Appendix and Addendum. Faculty Senate approval entails the following:
- Review by an “Institutional Impact” committee comprised of stakeholders (e.g., Financial Services, University Registrar, Library, International Studies Office) to confirm alignment with university policy and procedures.
- Review and approval by the Faculty Senate’s Academic Affairs Committee (AAC)
- Review and approval by the Faculty Senate’s Executive Council (ExCo)
- Review and approval by the full Faculty Senate.
Once Faculty Senate approves, IRA works with the school and Provost Office to formalize submission to SCHEV.
Upon approval by SCHEV, IRA staff notifies relevant institutional stakeholders, including the University Registrar for inclusion of the certificate program in the Record and the Student Information System (SIS).
- If SACSCOC action is required, IRA staff notifies relevant institutional stakeholders, including the University Registrar and International Studies Office, of the review outcome.
IRA staff register the certificate program in SCHEV degree inventory listing.

Process for Professional (Non-Credit) Certificates

For PROFESSIONAL (Non-Credit) certificates:

Upon review and approval of the certificate program proposal by the school’s curriculum committee and dean, complete the Non-Credit Certificate form. IRA Staff will review and advise if any additional information/approvals are required.

Timelines for Certificate Programs

Timelines:

Credit Certificate Programs:
- Credit Certificates must be effective at the start of a term (i.e., fall, spring, summer). A summer term may only be counted if a required course must be completed during this session.
- Faculty Senate reviews occur based on the bodies’ respective scheduled meetings during an academic year.
- SCHEV documents must be formally submitted at least 90 days prior to the desired initiation of the certificate program.
Professional (Non-Credit) Certificate Programs:
- The effective time frame for a professional certificate may vary; on average, review and approval of a proposed professional certificate by the Provost Office requires 30 days.

Key Resources:
PROV: 030: Establishing Certificate Programs

Guidance for Completing the ‘New Credit Certificate’ Initiation Form

Please review the following guidance, which itemizes the questions you will be asked to answer when initiating a request for a new credit-bearing certificate.

PLEASE NOTE: You will not be able to “save” and “return” to the form before you submit a request. As such, we suggest you use the following guidance to have the information needed to complete the request in hand before you the you start the process. If you need an accessible application please contact Felicia Wilson in IRA.

Go to New Certificate form

NAME OF PROPOSED CERTIFICATE:
Enter the full name of the proposed certificate program. For example, Accounting, Applied Behavior Analysis, Cybersecurity Management.

SPONSORING SCHOOL:
From the dropdown menu provided, select the school(s) that will host the proposed degree.

PROPOSAL CONTACT FULL NAME:
Indicate the name of the primary contact at the sponsoring school with whom IRA staff will work to manage the steps required to approve the certificate. If there are additional contacts closely involved in this proposal who you would like IRA staff to include on related correspondence, please provide their names and email addresses in the Description of New Certificate attachment (see below).

PROPOSAL CONTACT EMAIL:
Enter the official UVA email address of the proposal contact (primary computing ID address, no alias or non-UVA email addresses, please).

DATE OF SUBMISSION:
Select the date you are submitting this initiation request.

REQUESTED EFFECTIVE TERM OF PROPOSED CERTIFICATE:
Enter the term in which the school aims to enroll students for the first time consistent with the certificate credit hour requirements. Note: advertisement of a certificate cannot commence until the University has received a notification approval from SCHEV.

REQUESTED CERTIFICATE DESIGNATION:
From the dropdown menu provided, select the abbreviated degree designation of the proposed certificate. See policy on Establishing Certificate Programs.

PROPOSED TOTAL NUMBER OF CREDITS FOR CERTIFICATE:
Enter the total number of credits a student would need to earn to complete the certificate’s requirements.

PROPOSED CIP CODE FOR THE CERTIFICATE:
Indicate the proposed 6-digit CIP Code for the certificate (see box below) that the program faculty would suggest aligns most closely with the curriculum of the certificate.

CIP Codes are the US Department of Education’s national taxonomic system for reporting of institutional data. All certificate programs are assigned a CIP Code, and consistent with SCHEV requirements, an institution may only have one certificate program per 6-digit CIP Code at each level (postbaccalaureate, undergraduate, graduate). A list of assigned CIP codes to UVA certificate programs is available on SCHEV’s degree inventory page.

DESCRIPTION OF CERTIFICATE:
Upload a brief description (one to two paragraphs) word document or PDF setting forth the purpose of the certificate. Reference what students (see target audience below) will learn and how that will further their professional qualifications. Describe the specific knowledge and skills that students will acquire. Reference any other UVA program(s) that are active in this space/discipline, and consultation undertaken with those programs in the preparation of the proposed certificate. If applicable, specify if the certificate leads to the meeting of the requirements of a government agency or licensing board – fully or partially. For example, a proposed certificate may provide the required coursework to sit for the examination for national certification, but not require the practicum experience to sit for the examination. Note: if there are additional contacts beyond the primary contact who will be engaged in this proposal, please provide their names and contact information at the end of this document.

TARGET AUDIENCE:
Describe specifically who the school intends to target for enrollment in the program. For example, the target audience for this certificate is professionals who work in a clinical setting seeking to advance their knowledge and skills to satisfy the course requirements for national certification; the target audience for this certificate is individuals who want to transition into the accounting profession, as well as mid-level accounting professionals seeking to advance their career.

SIGNIFICANT DEPARTURE FROM EXISTING PROGRAMS:
Is the proposed certificate in a new field or discipline in which your school does not currently offer any related credentials (degree/certificate). For example, if the proposed degree will require the hiring of several new faculty to provide subject matter expertise, it may represent a significant departure.

PERCENT OF NEW COURSES:
This question pertains only to the core required courses that all students in the proposed certificate will be taking. For example, for a 15 credit-hour certificate comprised of five required courses, the percent of the courses that are new.

FACULTY RESOURCES:
Indicate whether the school plans to hire new faculty to teach the core required courses for the proposed certificate. In addition, indicate the location(s) of existing faculty that you anticipate will teach the core required courses of the proposed certificate. For example, will all existing faculty teaching the core courses come from the sponsoring school?

REQUIRES NEW RESOURCES:
Indicate whether the new certificate will require new library acquisitions/ subscriptions; and/or any other new learning resources, such as instructional/research software. (select all that apply)

REQUIRES NEW EQUIPMENT OR SPACE:
Indicate whether the new certificate will require new equipment or physical space beyond the school’s current resources.

DELIVERY METHOD:
Indicate the delivery format(s) in which students will be able to complete the proposed certificate (select all that apply):

If a student will be able to complete the entire certificate (i.e. the total credit hours required for the degree) in a traditional, Face to Face format with no online coursework, select ‘100% Face to Face.’
If a student will be able to complete the entire certificate online, with no face-to-face coursework, select ‘100% Online.’
If a student will be required or able to complete the certificate via a combination of Face to Face and Online courses, indicate ‘Hybrid.’

PROPOSED PROGRAM LOCATION:
Indicate where the proposed certificate is going to be held (select all that apply):

If the certificate will be offered at the main campus in Charlottesville, select that entry.
If the certificate will be offered at an approved UVA off-grounds location, select ‘Approved UVA Off Campus site.’
If you intend to offer the certificate at an off-grounds location that is not currently an approved site, select ‘New UVA Off-Campus Site (To Be Approved).’ Note: off-campus instructional sites must be approved by SACSCOC and SCHEV.
If the certificate will be offered 100% online, i.e. students will be able to complete the entire program remotely, select ‘100% online.’

CONTRACTUAL AGREEMENT OR CONSORTIUM:
Indicate whether the new certificate or any of its constituent courses will be delivered through a contractual agreement with another University or other party.

INTERNSHIP OR PRACTICUM REQUIREMENT:
Indicate whether the proposed certificate will require students to complete a for-credit internship, practicum, or clinical experience.

LEADS TO PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATION OR LICENSURE:
Indicate whether the proposed certificate will formally or potentially lead to professional licensure or certification (i.e. the core courses may or definitely will meet the coursework and/or practicum requirements for a professional license/certification in Virginia or other US states).

DATE OF SCHOOL CURRICULUM COMMITTEE APPROVAL:
Indicate the date on which the proposed certificate was or will be reviewed and approved by the internal curriculum committee of the proposing school. If the committee meeting schedule is not yet known at the time of submission, indicate 09/01/YY if you anticipate review in the coming Fall semester, and 02/01/YY if you anticipate review in the coming Spring.

DATE OF DEAN APPROVAL:
Indicate the actual or anticipated date on which the proposed degree was or will be reviewed and approved by the dean of the proposing school.

Go to New Certificate form

Guidance for Completing the “Non-Credit Certificate” Initiation Form

Please review the following guidance, which itemizes the questions you will be asked to answer when initiating a request for a new non-credit certificate program.

PLEASE NOTE: You will not be able to “save” and “return” to the form before you submit a request. As such, we suggest you use the following guidance to have the information in hand to complete the request before you start the process. If you need an accessible application please contact Felicia Wilson in IRA.

Go to Non-Credit Certificate Request Form

NAME OF PROPOSED CERTIFICATE:
Enter the full name of the proposed non-credit certificate program.

SPONSORING SCHOOL:
From the dropdown menu provided, select the school(s) that will host the proposed non-credit certificate.

PROPOSAL CONTACT FULL NAME:
Indicate the name of the primary contact at the sponsoring school with whom IRA staff will work to manage the steps required to approve the proposed non-credit certificate. If there are additional contacts closely involved in this proposal who you would like IRA staff to include on related correspondence, please provide their names and email addresses in the Description of New Certificate attachment (see below).

PROPOSAL CONTACT EMAIL:
Enter the official UVA email address of the proposal contact (primary computing ID address, no alias or non-UVA email addresses, please).

DATE OF SUBMISSION:
Select the date you are submitting this initiation request.

REQUESTED EFFECTIVE DATE OF PROPOSED PROGRAM:
Enter the date in which the school wants to deliver the program for the first time.

DESCRIPTION OF NEW CERTIFICATE:
Upload a Word document or PDF or describe directly on this form the purpose of the non-credit certificate and the demand it serves, and the intended target audience. Please specify the duration of the proposed program (e.g., two weeks) and clarify what school officials (e.g., faculty) will be involved in delivering the content of the proposed program. If there are additional contacts involved in this proposal who you would like IRA Staff to include on related correspondence, please provide their names and email addresses.

DELIVERY METHOD:
Indicate the delivery format(s) in which students will be able to complete the proposed non-credit certificate (select all that apply):

If a student will be able to complete the entire program in a traditional, Face to Face format with no online coursework, select ‘100% Face to Face.’
If a student will be able to complete the entire program online, with no face-to-face coursework, select ‘100% Online.’
If a student will be required or able to complete the program via a combination of Face to Face and Online courses, indicate ‘Hybrid.’

PROPOSED PROGRAM LOCATION:
Please provide the location (name and address) where the proposed non-credit certificate will be delivered. If full online delivery is planned, please indicate "N/A."

DATE OF DEAN APPROVAL:
Indicate the actual or anticipated date on which the proposed non-credit certificate was or will be reviewed and approved by the dean of the proposing school.

Go to Non-Credit Certificate Request Form

Search form

WHAT IS A CERTIFICATE PROGRAM?