Certificate of Graduate Study and Specialist Requirements

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Certificate Programs

The Certificate of Graduate Study is a program of a minimum of 12 semester hours of graduate course work. The University of South Carolina currently offers the following certificate programs.

Advanced Practice Nursing, Certificate   

The certificate in advanced nursing practice is administered by the College of Nursing  and is restricted to students who hold a master’s degree in nursing or who are nearing completion of a master’s degree in the USC College of Nursing.

Applied Statistics, Certificate   

The certificate in applied statistics is administered by the Department of Statistics  in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Biomedical Studies, Certificate 

The certificate in biomedical sciences is administered by the School of Medicine - Columbia.

Business Analytics, Certificate  

The certificate in business analytics is administered by the Darla Moore School of Business .

Cost Management, Certificate  

The certificate in cost management is administered by the Darla Moore School of Business .

Counselor Education, Certificate (Career Development Facilitator)   

The certificate in counselor education with an concentration in career development facilitation is administered by the College of Education  

Criminal Justice Leadership, Certificate   

The certificate in criminal justice leadership is administered by the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice .
 

Cyber Security Studies, Certificate  

The certificate in cyber security studies is administered by the Department of Computer Science and Engineering  in the College of Engineering and Computer Science.

Drug and Addiction Studies, Certificate   

The certificate in drug and addiction studies is administered by the College of Social Work .

Enterprise Resource Planning Systems, Certificate  

The certificate in enterprise resource planning systems is administered by the Darla Moore School of Business .

Financial and Resource Management, Certificate  

The certificate in financial and resource management is administered by the Darla Moore School of Business .

Aging, Certificate   

The certificate in gerontology is administered by the College of Social Work .

Global Strategy, Certificate  

The certificate in global strategy is administered by the Darla Moore School of Business .

Health Communication, Certificate (Public Health)   

Health Communication, Certificate (Library and Information Science)   

Health Communication, Certificate (Journalism and Mass Communications)   

The certificate in health communication is administered by the Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior  in the Arnold School of Public Health; and the School of Journalism and Mass Communications  and the School of Library and Information Science  in the College of Mass Communications and Information Studies.

Higher Education Leadership, Certificate   

The certificate in higher education leadership is administered by the College of Education .

Historical Archaeology and Cultural Resource Management, Certificate   

The certificate in historical archeology and cultural resources management is administered by the Department of Anthropology  in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Human Resources, Certificate  

The certificate in human resources is administered by the Darla Moore School of Business .

Information Assurance and Security, Certificate 

The certificate in information assurance and security is administered by the Department of Computer Science and Engineering  in the College of Engineering and Computer Science.

International Finance, Certificate  

The certificate in international finance is administered by the Darla Moore School of Business .

Library and Information Science, Certificate   

The certificate in library information science is administered by the School of Library and Information Science  and is restricted to students who hold a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science or who are nearing completion of a master’s degree in the School of Library and Information Science.

Museum Management, Certificate   

The certificate museum management in is administered by the Department of History  - (McKissick Museum) in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Music Performance, Certificate  

The certificate in music performance in is administered by the School of Music .

Nursing Administration, Certificate   

The certificate in nursing administration is administered by the College of Nursing  and is restricted to students who hold a master’s degree in nursing or who are nearing completion of a master’s degree in the USC College of Nursing.

Play Therapy, Certificate   

The certificate in play therapy is administered by the College of Education .

Psychiatric Rehabilitation, Certificate 

The certificate in psychiatric rehabilitation is administered by the School of Medicine - Columbia.

Public Health, Certificate   

The certificate in public health is administered by the Arnold School of Public Health .

Qualitative Research, Certificate  

The certificate in qualitative research is administered by the Department of Educational Studies  in the College of Education.

Railway Engineering, Certificate   

The certificate in railway engineering is administered by the Civil and Environmental Engineering  in the College of Engineering and Computing.

Social and Behavioral Health with Military Members, Veterans, and Military Families, Certificate  

The certificate in social work with military members, veterans, and military families is administered by the College of Social Work .

Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, Certificate   

The certificate in teaching English to speakers of other languages is administered by the Linguistics  Program.

Women’s and Gender Studies, Certificate   

The certificate in women’s and gender studies is administered by the program on Women’s and Gender Studies  in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Certificate Degree Requirements

At least half of the program course work must consist of required courses although all hours may be prescribed; at least half the total hours in the program of study must be in courses at the 700 level or above; and at least half of the hours required for a certificate must be University of South Carolina credits. There is no residency requirement, but all courses must be completed within six years of enrollment. The student must be enrolled for at least 1 credit during the term of graduation.

Certificate Program of Study

A program of study is a list of courses that satisfy the requirements for the certificate. Every degree-seeking student, including students enrolled in a certificate program, must complete a program of study (POS) form approved and signed by student’s academic advisor, and approved by the graduate director of the program that administers the certificate and the dean of the Graduate School. The signed POS is sent to the Graduate School and placed in the student’s file. This formal agreement serves a number of purposes that benefit both the student and the University. It causes the student and advisor to engage in early planning with a specific goal in mind; it provides information on program requirements and for the planning of course offerings; it facilitates subsequent advisement; and it protects the student in the event of unexpected curriculum or faculty changes. The student must file a completed POS form prior to graduation. If necessary, an approved program of study can be modified with a Request for Program Adjustment (G-RPA) form.

Transfer Credit

Course work not part of a completed certificate program or graduate degree from USC or another institution may be transferred for credit toward a Certificate of Graduate Study or Specialist Degree. No more than 6 hours of credit may be transferred into graduate programs of 12 to 17 hours; no more than 9 hours of credit may be transferred into graduate programs of 18 or more hours. Only credits with grades of B or better (equivalent to 3.0 on a 4.0 grading scale) may be transferred from another institution into a Certificate or Specialist program

Course work transferred for credit toward a Certificate of Graduate Study or Specialist Program must be from an accredited institution and must be no more than six years old at the time of graduation.

Course work transferred from another institution for credit toward a graduate certificate or specialist program must be relevant to the program and have course content and a level of instruction equivalent to that offered by the University’s own graduate programs. Approval for acceptance of transfer credit to a student’s program of study must be approved and justified by the student’s academic department and submitted to the dean of the Graduate School for final approval on the request for transfer of academic credit (G-RTC) form.

Transient Enrollment Privilege

A USC graduate student in a certificate program seeking transient enrollment privilege at another institution should complete and submit the Special Enrollment Request (AS-30) form available on the Office of the Registrar’s website to the dean of The Graduate School for approval. Before enrolling in graduate courses at another institution, students should contact the graduate director of the certificate program for permission to enroll and to ensure that the credits from the other institution will be approved for inclusion on the student’s certificate program of study.

Revalidation of Out-of-Date Courses

Students enrolled in a certificate program may, with permission of the academic department administering the certificate, request revalidation of USC graduate courses over six years old for inclusion in the certificate program of study. Each academic program will determine whether a course is appropriate for revalidation. The Permit for Revalidation Examination (PRE) form must be completed and submitted to the dean of The Graduate School for approval prior to revalidation. Proof of payment of required fees must be submitted with the Permit for Revalidation Examination form. Complete revalidation instructions available: http://gradschool.sc.edu/forms/pre.pdf.

Note: Coursework taken at other institutions may not be revalidated.

Application for Graduation and Degree Audit

All students enrolled in a certificate program must file the application for degree/graduation available on the website of the Office of the University Registrar with The Graduate School within 5 class days of the start of the fall or spring semester in which the degree is to be awarded, or within the first 10 class days of Summer Session if the degree is to be awarded at the end of the summer. Although some departments do not require students to provide the academic program with copies of the application for graduation, The Graduate School recommends that students do provide a copy to the academic program to facilitate assessment of degree requirements. Applicants are encouraged to consult with the academic program to confirm that all requirements for graduation have been met.

The Graduate School forwards the application for degree/graduation to the Office of the University Registrar to start the degree audit process. At the end of the semester, the degree program and The Graduate School both assess for degree audit whether all requirements have been completed, and then forward a recommendation to the Registrar to approve or disapprove awarding of the degree.

At the time of graduation, the student’s cumulative gradepoint average (GPA) must be at least 3.00. Additionally, the student’s average on all grades recorded on the program of study for courses numbered 700 or above must be at least 3.00 and all courses listed on the program of study must be at least 3.00 on (a) all USC graduate coursework, (b) all courses listed on the program of study, and (c) all courses numbered 700 and above listed on the program of study.

Degree Conferral

Upon confirmation of a clear degree audit, the degree will be posted by the Office of the University Registrar to the student’s official academic record. The degree award is posted to the student’s transcript within 6 weeks after the commencement ceremony. Degree candidates may wish to check periodically the Academics tab of VIP, Record of Academic Work for Advisement Only section, to see if the degree is posted. Diplomas will be mailed to the address recorded on the application for graduation via first class mail to U.S. addresses and via registered airmail to international addresses. Graduates may expect to receive the diploma within three months after the commencement exercises.

Note: Degrees cannot be awarded retroactively.

To pursue further graduate study after completion of a graduate degree, a student must submit a new application to The Graduate School.

Academic Regalia

Attendance at graduation ceremonies is optional. Academic regalia worn for graduation is sold by the University Bookstore in the Russell House located on Greene Street in Columbia. To place an order for academic regalia to wear for graduation, please telephone the University Bookstore at 803-777-4160 or visit the website at http://sc.bkstore.com. You may also order academic regalia from the Bookstore via a downloadable form. The completed form may be hand-delivered or faxed to the University Bookstore at 803-777-4018.

Specialist Programs

The Specialist Program is generally considered a post-master’s program of 30-36 hours leading to a degree as a specialist in a certain discipline, but specialist programs guided by professional licensure may be defined differently to meet licensure requirements. The University of South Carolina has four specialist programs:

Library and Information Science, S.L.I.S.   

The specialist in library and information science (S.L.I.S.) administered by the School of Library and Information Science  in the College of Mass Communications and Information Studies is designed for advanced study in library and information science and admission is limited to students with a degree from a Master’s program accredited by the American Library Association (ALA) or an equivalent program accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).

Teaching, Ed.S. [terminated Fall 2017]   

The specialist in teaching (Ed.S.) administered by the Department of Instruction and Teacher Education  in the College of Education is designed for experienced teachers in advanced study of educational theory and practice to improve their professional mastery of teaching.

Education Administration, Ed.S.   

The specialist in education administration (Ed.S.) administered by the Department of Educational Leadership and Policies  in the College of Education and is designed for teachers and administrators seeking superintendency certification; and

Counselor Education, Ed.S.   

The specialist in counselor education (Ed.S.) administered by the Department of Educational Studies  in the College of Education is designed to prepare professional counselors to work in elementary, middle, and high schools.

Students enrolled in specialist programs must follow the admission, academic and graduation policies and requirements of The Graduate School. Contact the program administering a particular specialist program for admission and degree requirements.