Certificate Programs
Valparaiso University offers a number of graduate certificates that may be taken either in conjunction with a graduate degree or as a stand-alone set of courses. These certificates are listed above.
With the exception of the Actuarial Science certificate (page 16), required courses and credit hours for available certificates are provided in those sections of the catalog related to the sponsoring program or department.
Because most degree programs permit 6-9 credits of elective coursework, students can often embed some certificate coursework within their degree program. As such, many certificates can be completed with 6-9 credits beyond the degree itself. Coursework generally may not be transferred to certificate programs. If a student has completed a course similar to one of those required by the certificate, a substitution will be recommended by the student’s advisor.
Students must submit a separate application for admission to any certificate program and must also apply for the awarding of the certificate itself. When the application for the awarding of the certificate has been approved and all the coursework completed, the student’s transcript will officially note the coursework and completion of the certificate program.
Dual Degree Programs
Students in select graduate degree programs—Cyber Security, Digital Media, English Studies and Communication, Health Administration, Information Technology (both tracks), International Economics and Finance, Sports Media, and TESOL—may enroll in a second degree program upon completion of at least half the credits of the first degree. Such students may take advantage of dual degree status, which enables a maximum savings of 6 credit hours across both programs.
In order to realize this benefit, credits taken under one degree program must fit within the general degree requirements of the second degree, and vice versa. Additionally, the second program must be started while the first program is still in progress, concurrently, or sequentially with the first degree program (e.g. must be enrolled for classes for the second degree in the semester immediately following the first degree completion). No more than 6 credits may be applied from either program to the other; and students using this benefit may transfer only 3 additional credits from outside institutions to each degree program.
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