Develop a Certificate

Certificates are defined as a structured group of courses that focus on a specific area of knowledge. As such, they are stand-alone programs that concentrate on particular skills needed in the workplace for career advancement, career change, continuing education requirements, or personal education enhancement. 

A Certificate is defined as follows under the NYSED Regulations of the Commissioner of Education §50.1(j): “Certificate means a credential issued by an institution in recognition of the completion of a curriculum other than one leading to a degree.” 

NYSED requires that Certificates be designed as stand-alone programs for qualified applicants outside of the university. A collection of courses that existing students can take to enhance their skill-based competency in a focused area of study does NOT constitute a Certificate and will not be approved by NYSED.

A Certificate program could become a pathway to a related undergraduate degree program for students who wish to continue their education. Credits earned through a Certificate in which there is an approved undergraduate degree program may, upon approval of the program and the college, count towards an undergraduate degree.

See additional guidance from NYSED at this link: Certificate and Advanced Certificate Program Proposals and Eligibility for New York State Financial Aid.

The procedures for developing a new Certificate, including institutional parameters and required approvals, are defined in RIT Policy D01.7 (Undergraduate Academic Certificate).

RIT does not have a proposal form for new Certificate programs. Instead, the new Certificate must be prepared using one of the following NYSED application forms as the RIT Proposal Form:

• General Academic Programs (which do not lead to licensure or certification)
• Professional Programs (which DO lead to licensure or certification)

Note: The NYSED CEO/Designee Approval Form (that is referenced in General Academic Program application) will be completed by the Office of the Vice Provost.

The NYSED form requests a proposed HEGIS code for the new program. HEGIS codes are a classification system developed by the U.S. Department of Education to standardize the way academic programs are categorized. While HEGIS codes are assigned based on the major focus of the program’s content, all 5000-level HEGIS codes are generally reserved for associate-level programs. Review NYSED’s list of HEGIS codes.

If a major portion (i.e., 50% or more) of the program requirements can be completed through study delivered by distance education, a NYSED Distance Education application must be submitted along with the new program application. Learn more about this requirement.

All credit-bearing courses in a Certificate program must be approved by the University and designated as applicable to one or more registered degree programs – either as part of the major, general education, or as an open elective. This assures NYSED that the course is part of a regular curricular review process. NYSED’s New Certificate/Advanced Certificate form requires identification of the registered degree program title(s) to which the Certificate credits apply.

NYSED provides the following faculty requirements for Certificate programs:

• Faculty members teaching at the Certificate level must hold at least a master’s degree in an appropriate field and have the background for in-depth teaching, curriculum development, and program evaluation responsibilities.
• Certain occupational specializations may merit demonstration of competence alternative to a master’s degree. 
• In all institutions, faculty with master’s degrees and beyond, and with substantial collective experience in college teaching and academic administration should be strongly predominant.

NYSED does not stipulate a minimum number of credit hours for a Certificate, but RIT Policy requires that Certificates consist of at least three courses and at least 9 semester credit hours. RIT Certificates typically consist of at least 12 semester credit hours but this should not be viewed as a requirement. The guiding principle is that proposers have flexibility to ensure that the Certificate’s learning objectives are met and that a student will have the requisite skills upon completion of the Certificate. If this can be accomplished in 9 credit hours, that is acceptable.

Some RIT Certificates, such as Echocardiography (Cardiac Ultrasound) and Diagnostic Medical Sonography (Ultrasound) have many more credit hours.

To be eligible for financial aid, New York State requires that students be enrolled in at least 12 credit hours of courses.

• Refer to the following guidance document to determine the required approvals: RIT Curricular Action Approval Process for Creating New Programs or Changing Existing Programs.
• At least two weeks prior to scheduling a review with ICC, send the proposal (and Distance Ed application if applicable) to the Office of the Vice Provost for review and comments. An ICC review cannot be scheduled until this has occurred. Following ICC approval, the proposed Certificate will go to Faculty Senate for approval.
• After Faculty Senate approval has been secured, send the following items to the Office of the Vice Provost via email:
  • Completed, approved NYSED Application
  • If applicable, a completed, approved NYSED Distance Education Application
• The Office of the Vice Provost will review the final proposal, obtain approval from the Provost, and submit the application to NYSED.

The proposed program MAY NOT be advertised or admit students until a formal approval has been received from NYSED.

Once the new Certificate has been approved by NYSED, the following actions will occur:

• The Office of the Vice Provost will work with the college and Enrollment Management to determine a first admit term and request a plan code from the Registrar’s Office.
• The Office of the Vice Provost will send an official campus notification to the applicable campus departments, the applicable Dean and Associate Dean, and the ICC Chair.
• The new Certificate will be added to the undergraduate bulletin and RIT Programs of Study website during the annual bulletin process.

Refer to the following document for instructions regarding promotion of the new program: Marketing, Recruitment and Communication Guidelines for RIT’s New or Changed Academic Programs.