Definitions
Certification
A certification is a credential offered by an external body to the University to our students or other constituents (it can be offered formally or informally through the University, yet it belongs to an external body): For example, Cisco certification would be offered through Cisco to our students or to others; the certification will come from Cisco, and Cisco will house the record of the earned credential.
Certificate
A certificate is a focused, structured, and interrelated set of courses that enhances the undergraduate/graduate experience in an emerging academic area, addresses a professional development need, or provides preparation for a degree program. A certificate is an internally generated credential from a department or school within the University of St. Thomas, is credit bearing, and resides on the academic transcript.
Continuing Education Unit
A Continuing Education Unit (CEU) is a unit of instruction defined as “contact hours of participation in an organized continuing experience under responsible sponsorship, capable direction, and qualified instruction” (IACET 2017). Continuing education units are maintained through the Registrar’s Office and are recorded on a co-curricular or CEU-specific transcript separate from the academic transcript. The university follows AACRAO guidelines for the transcription of continuing education credit.
Workshops and Speakers
A workshop is a meeting in which a university department, school, or recognized UST club or organization offers material through speakers, activities, and discussion to achieve knowledge or skills in a particular subject or project. Speakers are those who present at a workshop or lecture hosted by a department, school, or recognized UST club or organization.
Guidelines for Certificates
- Certificate students are not eligible for participation in the Commencement ceremony or similar graduation ceremonies.
- All certificate program applicants must follow the standard admissions requirements for the school and career to which they are being admitted to enroll in the certificate program.
- There is no minimum or maximum credit hours applied to a certificate program. This decision in the case of each certificate is decided by the parenting program for the certificate but must be reviewed and approved by the Chair and Dean responsible for the program. In other words, the total number of credit hours is decided by the school responsible for the certificate program.
- Transfer credit hours may apply to a certificate program. The percentage of credit hours applied may be the decision of the school responsible for the program but must be approved by the Dean of the School and reviewed by the VPAA, both who hold veto authority.
- A certificate is a stand-alone credential. For clarification, concentrations and tracks are areas of specialty that reside within a degree program. A concentration is 12 credit hours for undergraduate work and nine credit hours for graduate work, while a track is nine credit hours for undergraduate work.
- Courses taken as pass/fail in a certificate program cannot be used to substitute for similar graded courses in a degree-seeking program.
- There are no SACSCOC concerns or considerations.