The University of Wisconsin Green Bay offers certificates to provide students the opportunity to develop focused expertise in select academic areas, as a means to further their employability, or to enhance their professional qualifications.  All certificate programs must have an executive committee which oversees the offering of the certificate.  In establishing a new certificate, a clear rationale must be provided by the Executive Committee detailing the purpose and value of that certificate.

Requirements for Certificates

All certificates must have a minimum of 12 required credits.  Those credits can be any combination of lower and upper level courses.

The certificate may be either associated with an academic program or a stand-alone certificate (i.e. a certificate that is not associated with an academic program).  If the certificate is a stand-alone certificate, it must demonstrate that it provides for increased employability or enhanced professional qualifications for anyone receiving the certificate.

The Executive Committee’s membership must include a minimum of three tenured faculty members. The committee can be an existing Executive Committee, such as a budgetary unit or department, or can be developed among interested faculty.   The committee must meet at least once a year and forward copies of minutes for all meetings to the Provost’s Office. 

The Executive Committee must appoint an advisor for the certificate or have the chair serve that function.  The advisor or chair advises students and performs necessary administrative tasks such as approving substitutions.

In order to be awarded a certificate, a student must have a minimum 2.0 Grade Point Average in the certificate’s courses and earn 9 credits or one half the total required credits, whichever is greater, in residency at UWGB. The Executive Committee may establish a Grade Point Average higher than 2.0 or additional criteria that must be met to earn a certificate.

Students must declare that they are pursuing a Certificate Program by filing a Declaration of Major/Minor/Certificate form.

The Registrar’s Office transcribes certificates earned on an academic record when a student completes a degree.  Certificate Executive Committees may print and award a separate certificate of completion.