What is a Graduate Certificate or Diploma?
A certificate—or a diploma as it is sometimes called—is the shortest course of study. It is also the least expensive type of academic credential. Certificates consist of courses that help you develop career competency in a single subject. A certificate typically consists of from three to twelve courses, all commonly completed within a year or a year-and-a-half of study. Graduate certificates usually cost more than undergraduate certificates. There is no real reason for this other than the tradition that professors who teach at the graduate level may themselves be better educated and command higher salaries to develop and teach courses. To qualify for a graduate level certificate you usually must already hold a terminal undergraduate degree (a bachelor’s degree). Some advanced or graduate level certificates will accept students who do not hold bachelor’s degrees. Check the “admissions” section of each college in GetEducated’s directory of online colleges for more details.
