I. Approval criteria

1. The proposed curriculum expresses a clear educational objective to be achieved in an efficient and well-defined manner.
2. The proposed sequence of course work must offer a clear and appropriate educational objective at the baccalaureate level.
3. A perceived need for such a certificate should exist. This provision might be defined in terms of either external markets (e.g., external demand for the skills associated with such a certificate) or internal academic needs (e.g., the need for a critical mass of students in a given discipline).
4. A certificate proposal must have a minimum number of 15 credit hours and a minimum number of four courses. Credits completed by the student must be residence credits unless substituted by the department or sponsoring Certificate program. The Certificate may include a maximum of 6 credit hours of experimental courses, special topics or seminars. A minimum of 12 credits in a certificate program shall consist of courses not classified as independent study, internship, practicum, or honors thesis credit.
5. All proposals must present a schedule of course availability showing that the Certificate program can be completed within a reasonable period of time: A Certificate proposal relying on courses offered outside the sponsoring department or program must provide evidence of agreement by the unit(s) offering those courses.
6. No more than two courses used to satisfy the requirements for one certificate program may be applied toward another Certificate program.

II. Overlap

1. Certificate requirements may overlap with requirements of a degree program and/or other certificates in whole or in part.
2. The extent of any overlap must be clearly described in the proposal.
3. If a student who has completed a Certificate seeks clearance for a degree program which overlaps with that Certificate program, then the Registrar will note on the transcript that the certificate has been superseded by the award of the degree.

III. Periodic review criteria (every 5 years)
In general, Certificates will be evaluated according to the following measures:

1. Statistics on completion of the Certificate program (i.e., number of students, matriculated and non-matriculated, time it took to complete the Certificate).
2. Availability of courses, student enrollment per course, faculty teaching the courses, student evaluations.
3. In accordance with University policy, any experimental course listed in the original Certificate proposal that has been taught at least three times needs to go through the permanent course approval process.

Source: Sen. Doc. Nos. 09-018A, 23-026

Upon completion of four years since the original certificate approval or most recent renewal, certificate program sponsors will be asked to submit a renewal application through the Curriculum Management System. 

The following prompts will be used to solicit information:

1. What is the certificate’s title?
2. Are you seeking renewal of the certificate or requesting to phase it out?
3. When was the certificate approved or last renewed? Please attach the requirements and course list that were in effect for the certificate at the time of approval or latest renewal.
4. Is the certificate intended primarily for students who are enrolled in degree programs at UMass Amherst, or for non-degree students?
5. How many students have completed the certificate since it was approved or last renewed? How many students were enrolled in degree programs at UMass Amherst at the time of certificate completion? How many non-degree students who pursued the certificate subsequently enrolled in degree programs at UMass-Amherst?
6. How many students are pursuing the certificate currently?
7. Are there any concerns about certificate enrollments? If so, please describe plans to address the concerns.
8. Please attach the current requirements and course list for the certificate. For each course, please indicate:
   1. In what semesters (since the certificate was approved or last renewed) the course was available to certificate students;
   2. The instructor and enrollment for each of the course offerings;
   3. When the course will be available to certificate students in future semesters.
9. Please describe any changes to the requirements and/or course list of the certificate since it was approved or last renewed, and explain why the changes were made. Please also describe any plans for future changes.
10. Have any substitutions or exceptions been allowed for the certificate’s requirements or courses? Please describe each substitution/exception and indicate how many times it has been allowed.
11. Does the certificate’s course list include any experimental courses that have been offered three times or more? If so, please describe plans to seek permanent course approval.
12. Please describe how you gauge, and please also provide an evaluation of, the effectiveness of the certificate for preparing students for a future career and/or entry into a degree program (including graduate education).

The Academic Program and Budget Council will review the application and make a recommendation that the certificate be either renewed for five years or discontinued. Reasons for recommending that a certificate be discontinued would include: 

1.  Failure to respond to the request for a renewal application; 
2. Request by the sponsor to phase out the certificate; 
3. Too few students pursuing or completing the certificate (indicating lack of student demand and/or unrealistic requirements);
4. Problems with certificate courses (insufficient availability, too many experimental courses, too many exceptions/substitutions).

Source: Sen. Doc. No. 15-035A

I. Approval Criteria

1. The proposed curriculum must offer a clear and appropriate educational objective at the graduate level.
2. The proposed sequence of courses must express a clear educational objective to be achieved in an efficient and defined manner.
3. All courses must be graduate level (numbered 500 or higher) and taught by members of the Graduate Faculty.
4. Graduate certificates must require 9 or more credits. If a graduate certificate requires fewer than 15 credits, then at least 9 of the required credits must be earned in courses numbered 600 or higher.
5. A perceived need for such a certificate should exist. This provision might be defined in terms of either external markets (e.g., external demand for the skills associated with such a certificate) or internal academic needs (e.g., the need for a critical mass of students in a given discipline.)
6. If the area of study for a certificate requires new courses, those courses must be approved by the Faculty Senate Course Approval process.
7. Proposals should be submitted following the Faculty Senate Program Approval Guidelines. Upon approval, the Graduate School will update its documentation and procedures to include the new certificate.

Sources: Sen. Doc. Nos. 09-023, 15-024

Faculty Senate Document No. 09-001 requires renewal of certificates every five years:

Certificates will remain in force for five years following their approval. In the fourth year, the sponsoring department or program of each certificate shall file a renewal request with the Faculty Senate Office, describing the status of and activity within the certificate program according to guidelines established by the Academic Matters Council and the Graduate Council. Continuation of the certificate program for each additional five-year term will require the approval of the Faculty Senate upon the recommendation of the appropriate council. In the case of certificates involving agreements among the Five Colleges, the review process in the agreement will govern. In the event that renewal
is not approved, or a request for renewal is not filed, the certificate program will be phased out. Students may complete the requirements of a certificate within two years
of expiration of the certificate program, subject to the availability of courses.

Your certificate is now up for renewal. Within one month, complete and submit this renewal application. If you are no longer responsible for this certificate, forward this request to the person who is now responsible for it, and notify the Faculty Senate Office (senate@senate.umass.edu) and the Graduate Council (baronas@grad.umass.edu) of the change.

Application to renew a graduate certificate

1. What is the certificate’s title?
2. Who is the director of this certificate program? Name: Title: Department: Email:
3. If the director receives a course release or other compensation for managing this certificate program, provide the details.
4. When was the certificate approved or last renewed?
5. Completions (data can be requested from gradreports@grad.umass.edu)
   a. How many students have completed the certificate since it was approved or last renewed? (Certificates more than 10 years old need only go back 10 years.)
   b. How many students were enrolled in degree programs at UMass Amherst at the time of certificate completion? Which degree programs were they enrolled in?
   c. How many were non-degree students at the time of completion?
6. How many students are pursuing the certificate currently? (If this is an estimate, explain the basis for it.)
7. Are there are any concerns about certificate completions or enrollments? If so, describe plans to address the concerns.
8. Attach the current requirements and course list for the certificate. For each course, indicate: (i) In what semesters (since the certificate was approved or last renewed) the course was available to certificate students; (ii) The instructor and enrollment for each of the course offerings; (iii) When the course will be available to certificate students in future semesters. Are any of the required courses offered solely or primarily for the benefit of students pursuing this certificate?
9. Describe any changes to the requirements and/or course list of the certificate since it was approved or last renewed, and explain why the changes were made. Also describe any plans for future changes.
10. Have any substitutions or exceptions been allowed for the certificate’s requirements or courses? Describe each substitution/exception and indicate how many times it has been allowed.
11. Does the certificate’s course list include any experimental courses that have been offered three times or more? If so, describe plans to seek permanent course approval.
12. How are the courses delivered? Primarily or exclusively online, primarily or exclusively face-to-face, or some combination of online and face-to-face?
13. What is the purpose of this certificate? How do you evaluate its effectiveness in fulfilling that purpose? How does it enhance the education of the students who complete it?

The Graduate Council will review this application and decide whether to recommend to the Senate that the certificate be renewed for a full five-year term, renewed for one or two years on probationary status with an opportunity for remediation, or discontinued. Reasons for recommending that a certificate be placed on probationary status include too few students pursuing or completing the certificate (indicating lack of student demand and/or unrealistic requirements), or problems with certificate courses (insufficient availability, too many experimental courses, too many exceptions/substitutions). Reasons for recommending that a certificate be discontinued include continuing problems after a probationary period, failure to submit this renewal application when requested, and request by the sponsor to phase out the certificate.

Source: Sen. Doc. No. 15-049