Graduate Certificates

Specialized Certificate of Graduate Study

Some academic programs offer a specialized Certificate of Graduate Study to students who complete a designated amount of coursework and co-curricular requirements in a particular scholarly area. Eligible students are active post-baccalaureate degree candidates enrolled at Duke University, who must apply to and be accepted by the certificate program(s) of interest. The Office of Academic Affairs monitors these applications, as well as notifies the university registrar when the student has completed all requirements for the certificate. Awarding of the specialized certificate must be concurrent with the awarding of the terminal Duke graduate or professional degree and is indicated on the student’s final transcript. Check with program directors for full information about the requirements of various graduate certificate programs.

Approval of Certificate Programs

All certificate programs must be approved by the Executive Committee of the Graduate Faculty and the Dean. The procedures for requesting such approval follow the same guidelines as those used for new degree programs.

Notification of Completion of Certificate Requirements

Certificate candidates must apply to graduate with their certificate(s) separately from applying to graduate with their degree. Certificate granting programs must, each semester, notify the relevant staff member in Academic Affairs, in writing, of graduating students successfully meeting the requirements for certification. After receiving notification, the Office of Academic Affairs will subsequently request that the awarding of the certificate be listed on the student’s official transcript.

General Certificate of Graduate Study

The student who must withdraw prior to completion of a graduate degree program, but after successfully completing a minimum of one semester’s graduate study, may, with DGS approval, request that the academic dean issue the student a general Certificate of Graduate Study.

Certificate Programs

The Graduate School offers graduate certificate programs (most of which are interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary) that draw upon the unique strengths of Duke’s research institutes and faculty. Certificate programs are designed to provide graduate students with advanced training in interdisciplinary or emerging fields of knowledge by taking advantage of the distinctive resources available at Duke or in the Research Triangle Park area.

The certificate is a formal statement of the interdisciplinary coursework a student has completed, and it has proven to be a useful, professional credential to students seeking positions after graduation. The student’s official Duke University transcript notes the awarding of the certificate. These certificates are not standalone and cannot be earned independently of the student’s degree. (Additional information for each certificate program is available on the certificate’s website.)

Further descriptions, information, and requirements for all certificate programs are to be found in the Programs section.