Graduate Certificate Program Requirements

The Columbian College of Arts and Sciences requires all certificate candidates, both full-time and part-time, to complete all academic requirements within a maximum of three calendar years from admission.

Transfer of Credits

All courses transferred in to a Columbian College Graduate Certificate program must meet the following conditions:

• Must be graduate-level work from an accredited institution. 
• Must have a grade of B or better. 
• Must have been taken not more than two years prior to admission to the Certificate program. 
• Must have approval from the Department issuing the Certificate.

In addition, the following restrictions apply:

• At most one course from outside GW can be transferred in.
• At most two courses that have been used toward a previously completed the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences Master's or Doctoral degree can be transferred.
• No course may count toward more than one Certificate.
• Students who wish to transfer courses taken toward a degree in a GW school other than the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences must contact the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences Graduate Office.

Certificate Completion

To be eligible for a Graduate Certificate, students must complete all course requirements with a minimum GPA of 3.0, with no grades of "F".

Graduate Certificate students must submit a Certificate for Completion by the deadline date noted in the academic calendar. Please note that Certificate students do not participate in the University's Commencement ceremony.

Admission to the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences Master's or Doctoral program

Certificate students are not automatically admitted to Master's or Doctoral programs; they must submit an application for admission and meet the admissions requirements of those programs.

With Departmental and CCAS approval, students may concurrently register for a Certificate and another Columbian College degree.

All Certificate course work that satisfies the conditions listed below may be counted toward a concurrent or subsequent Columbian College Master's or Doctoral degree (but not toward another Certificate program):

• Grade must be B or better.
• Course must be taken no more than two years before beginning the Master's or Doctoral program.
• The department must approve the course work as appropriate to the Master's or Doctoral program.