The faculty the Information Systems Area recognizes there are many qualified students who would like to obtain the advanced knowledge available through graduate study which goes beyond a couple of classes, but that many of these same students are not interested in committing to a 30-60 hour graduate degree program. As well, we recognize that many qualified students would like to specialize in just one topic area without having to complete the entire core curriculum of a degree program. The Graduate Certificate Programs in various aspects of IS are intended to fill these voids and to allow qualified graduate students the opportunity to pursue a defined course of advanced study in a specialized business topic.

Completing the prescribed course of study in a graduate business certificate program leads to a certificate (officially granted by the University) only and not to a degree, but course work completed within one of these certificate programs can subsequently be transferred (if sufficiently current) to a graduate business degree program. Thus, all certificate students must meet the same admission requirements as degree seeking students and, while attending classes, all certificate students must be subject to the same university rules and policies (e.g., course prerequisites, academic probation policies, grade point requirements, etc.) as degree seeking students. Within classes, no special consideration or unique grading procedure is accorded certificate students. Students lacking required prerequisites or with a minimal mathematics background may need additional classes.

Students fulfilling the requirements for the degree must complete the appropriate paperwork to receive the certificate. It is not automatically awarded once the requirements are fulfilled.

To be admitted to a graduate certificate program, students must have: (1) completed an accredited undergraduate degree program (in any subject) with a grade point average of 3.0 or higher, (2) submitted a balanced Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) score of 500 or higher, and (3) provided two letters of recommendation. Occasionally, students may be admitted on "restricted status" if they meet either the undergraduate GPA or the GMAT requirement but fall short on the other. In order to successfully complete a certificate program students must have earned a 3.0 cumulative GPA in certificate classes and, unless otherwise specified, the certificate programs must be completed within six years.

There currently are three graduate certificate programs offered through the IS Area. They are a Graduate Certificate in Information Systems Development, a Graduate Certificate in Electronic Commerce, and a Graduate Certificate in Information Resource Management. More information is available about each of these certificates on their page (click on the highlighted words).