Frequently Asked Questions about Graduate Certificate Programs
Virginia Tech offers more than 75 graduate certificate programs across its colleges and programs. Some also are available online. Many students earn certificates while completing their degree programs.
The Graduate School receives numerous queries about the certificate programs, and we have compiled the ones asked most frequently, along with their answers.
If you do not find your question here, please contact us at grads@vt.edu and note you are asking about certificate programs in the subject line of your email.
If you are a currently enrolled graduate student at Virginia Tech, please use this Graduate Certificate Application form and submit to grads@vt.edu.
○ If you are a prospective graduate student, please visit this webpage for information about how to apply.
The fee is $25 USD. Please note that application fee waivers may not be used on separate applications for the same qualifying event.
Application fee waivers MUST be requested via the application system. You must apply for eligibility for the waiver. Please visit this webpage for more information.
Yes! You may apply for both! Many students apply for the certificate after they have been admitted and started work within their graduate degree program.
The Graduate Catalog's Certificates page has links to information, including a general overview and specific requirements, for each graduate certificate the university offers.
Certificate requirements range from 9 to 15 credit hours.
Graduate coursework (5000-level or higher courses) for the certificate; at least two-thirds of the classes must be graded coursework taken on the A/F grading option.
Transfer credits from another institution cannot be applied to graduate certificates.
All credits for a graduate certificate can duplicate credits on a degree plan of study.
No more than 50% of the credits for one graduate certificate can be double-counted toward another graduate certificate, and credits for a particular course cannot be counted toward more than two certificates. All credits for a graduate certificate can duplicate credits on a degree plan of study.
Yes! All grades for certificate courses must be "C" or higher.
The overall certificate GPA must be 3.0 or higher.
Upon successful completion of certificate requirements, an Application For Certificate Conferral form must be signed by the department and submitted by the Application for Degree deadline for the term in which the certificate will be awarded. You will find those deadlines on this webpage.
http://graduateschool.vt.edu/academics/commencement_deadlines.
You can find out how many certificates the university has awarded, or how many a specific program has awarded, on our interactive Graduate Certificates data page.
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