The Advanced Communication(s) and Research Methods certificate program will allow postgraduate students to pursue interests in interdisciplinary study and earn an advanced certificate by enrolling in graduate or upper-division courses in writing, oral communication and data analysis across a wide array of academic discipline choices. Development of these skills are important in strengthening personal and professional relationships, enhance teamwork, and assist in job performance and advancement. Additionally, this program will allow the student to carefully consider pursuing a MA/MS Interdisciplinary Studies degree by allowing time to meet with potential advisors and develop a research project or thesis during their first academic semester and explore various academic avenues through a customized course of study.
This certificate should be completed through the course of a single semester. Students who wish to continue towards completion of either the Interdisciplinary Studies master’s degree or other graduate degree should transfer into the program before their second semester. Students who require a second semester to complete the certificate should contact the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies for more information.
The College of Graduate Studies Associate Dean (CGS AD) serves as advisor for the certificate program and will review all student programs of study to ensure the following:
1. That students take at least one 3-unit course to fulfill each program requirement (i.e. writing, oral communication, and a methodology course).
2. Approved courses for enrollment are chosen based on student interest, potential double-counting into a graduate program, fulfillment of course prerequisites (if listed below), and evaluating a student’s potential success in a proposed course (based on undergraduate record and previous course history).
3. As graduate-level courses are lower capped and may be restricted to students in a specific program, enrollment in a graduate course is permitted only after approval from either the course instructor or graduate coordinator.
Student Admissions
Students who wish to apply for this program do so through Cal State Apply for this regular session, advanced certificate program. Additionally:
1. Students will be admitted under the current Interdisciplinary Studies Master’s admission standards for fall and spring semester.
2. Students will only be admitted to the program if they have met with the faculty program coordinator and drafted an approved course of study through the College of Graduate Studies application process currently used for the master’s program. The approved courses will require either that the student has successfully completed prerequisites or have been given instructor approval.
3. Students will earn a certificate once the minimum 9 units have been completed. If a student wishes to move to the master’s program, the student will do a Program Transfer via Office of Graduate Admissions and Program Evaluations and move into the master’s if they are currently matriculated. If a student falls out of status, then they would have to reapply into the program.
University Advanced Certificate Requirements
Advanced certificate programs offer post-baccalaureate students coursework leading to a specific, applied, focused goal.
Students may apply for advanced certificates as matriculated students or as non-matriculated students. Students may apply through CalState Apply as matriculated students, or as non-matriculated students through Open University. In either admission case, students submit an official transcript(s) (noting the completion of a U.S. bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution or the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor’s degree from an accredited and/or recognized institution from a foreign country). Students must have an undergraduate GPA of at least 2.5 (where A=4).
To earn an advanced certificate, students must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 in all advanced certificate coursework, with no less than the grade of “C” in any course. A maximum of 4 units of coursework with a grade of “C” can be applied toward an advanced certificate. A maximum of 4 units of coursework may be repeated.These guidelines constitute minimum standards for advanced certificate programs. Departments may propose additional requirements. If a course is repeated, grade points and units from all attempts shall be included in the calculation of the student’s SJSU cumulative GPA and overall GPA, as described in F08-2. Generally, a maximum of 33% of advanced certificate units (e.g., 3 units for a 9-unit certificate) can be completed in non-matriculated status at SJSU with approval from the department or school. In some cases, an advanced certificate may be completed entirely in non-matriculated status if the student has received approval from the department or school and the Associate Dean of Graduate Programs in the College of Graduate Studies. Students should check with their advisor for clarification.
The advisor/director of the program is responsible for verifying a student’s satisfactory completion of the academic requirements established for the program and for forwarding a copy of the certificate audit completion form to the Office of Graduate Admissions and Program Evaluations. The Graduate Admissions and Program Evaluations (GAPE) office records the completion of the program on the student’s transcript.
With the approval of the department or school, units may be applied to both an advanced certificate program and a graduate degree program offered by the department. However, it should be noted that up to 30% of non-resident courses (including Open University courses) can be transferred into a graduate degree program. Therefore, students should check with their advisor to determine if they should matriculate into a certificate program (i.e. if they are currently an Open University student) to ensure that they maximize the number of advanced certificate units they can transfer into a graduate degree. A maximum of 3 units of coursework may be applied to two different advanced certificates as long as there are at least 9 unique units in each certificate.
