Policy
GCAC-212 Postbaccalaureate Credit Certificate Programs
Procedure
Graduate Bulletin Listing
The postbaccalaureate or graduate credit certificate must be submitted by the program in CourseLeaf Curriculum Inventory Management (CIM) - Program Management. The certificate will be routed to the college/school administrator for graduate education (e.g., the college associate dean for graduate education) for approval, after which it will be forwarded to the Office of the Dean of the Graduate School for final release.
Postbaccalaureate and graduate credit certificate program descriptions must adhere to the following standard format for inclusion in the Graduate Bulletin:
- Name of the postbaccalaureate or graduate credit certificate program (note that the name of the certificate program should not include the words "certificate" or "postbaccalaureate/graduate") and number of credits.
- Unit and college/school offering the certificate.
- Person in charge of the postbaccalaureate or credit certificate program and contact information (mailing address, telephone and fax number, email address).
- Brief description of the certificate program including purpose and objectives (maximum of 1000 characters, including spaces).
- Specific requirements (must include completion of an appropriate baccalaureate degree as described above) for admission into the postbaccalaureate or graduate credit certificate program, as applicable.
- List of existing, permanent courses included in the certificate program, including course designation (abbreviation and number), title, and number of credits. Courses not previously approved through the appropriate University Faculty Senate or Graduate Council curricular review process and temporary courses [e.g., special topics courses] cannot be listed in a certificate offering. Courses will be linked to the online master course listing for a complete description of each course in the Graduate Bulletin.
- Effective semester and expiration semester (note the 5-year sunset clause) of the postbaccalaureate or graduate credit certificate program.
Graduate Certificate Assessment Plan
A Graduate Certificate Assessment Plan must also be uploaded with all certificate proposals.
- New programs: A Certificate Assessment Planning Template can be found on Penn State’s Assessment Resources webpage.
- Existing programs: Certificate programs seeking renewal can export their existing plan in a PDF format for submission using the Reports option in the University’s Assessment Management System (AMS).
The certificate learning objectives, curriculum map, and annual assessment plan should be in compliance with University guidelines. Penn State’s Learning Outcomes Assessment Handbook provides these guidelines as well as best practices. You can contact your Assessment Liaison to request assistance in completing the Graduate Certificate Assessment Plan, or for assistance in entering or extracting your existing plan from the AMS.
Revision History
- Approved by The Graduate School, June 2022. Effective immediately.
- Replaced references to the Curriculum Review and Consultation System (CRCS) with the CourseLeaf Curriculum Inventory Management (CIM) system.
- Approved by The Graduate School, March 10, 2021. Effective immediately.
- Updated the Graduate Certificate Assessment Plan section.
- Approved by The Graduate School, January 2017.