The Graduate College Handbook of Policy and Requirements
for Students, Faculty and Staff - 2011
B. Certificates of Advanced Study
Distinct from the C.A.S. and other post masters degrees, some academic programs may offer certificates tied to the completion of requisite courses that are not recorded on the transcript. Students must contact those programs for more information.
- Credit Hour Requirements:
Some academic units, such as the Graduate School of Library and Information Science and some departments in the College of Education, offer the Certificate of Advanced Study (CAS) for students who are interested in additional professional training beyond the master's degree but are not planning to obtain the doctoral degree. These programs usually require completion of at least 32 semester hours of course work beyond the master's degree. Information concerning specific Advanced Certificate programs is available from departmental offices.
- Time Limits:
A candidate for Certificate of Advanced Study is expected to complete all degree requirements within five years of first registering as a degree-seeking student in the degree program, unless the student is enrolled in a program with a different time limit that has been approved by the Graduate College. Students may request an extension of this time limit through the Graduate College petition process up to one year prior to the degree conferral date. Therefore, a candidate in one of these programs with course work that is more than five years old at the time of degree conferral must petition the Graduate College asking that the course work be accepted for the degree. The petition must include an explanation from the department regarding how the student's knowledge in the areas covered by the old course work meets current standards. This justification is needed for degree certification and the petition should be filed during the term the student is placed on the degree list.