What is a Certificate?

Academic or credit certificate programs provide substantial education in a specific academic discipline or may be interdisciplinary but center on a coherent and freestanding body of knowledge. The certificate issued at the completion of the program represents the achievement of competence in a well-defined area of study. Academic certificates require a minimum of 24 quarter hours or 16 semester hours of credit.

Why a Certificate?

Certificates are a great way to further your education in an existing field or to get your feet wet in a brand new one. DU offers a wide variety of certificate programs at both the undergraduate and graduate level. Some certificates are even eligible for Federal Financial Aid.

Financial Aid Eligibility

 Federal regulations govern the disclosure of gainful employment and other statistics in relation to certificate programs at an institution. In order to be eligible for funding under the Title IV programs, an educational certificate program must prepare students for "gainful employment in a recognized occupation." Information on what is considered a "gainful employment" program, and definitions of the information an institution must disclose maybe found in Disclosure Details. The full regulation may be found in the Federal Register.

Federal Financial Aid Eligible

Click here for a downloadable list of aid eligible certificates (pdf).

For more information on the program select the major.

DU is required to disclose information for Federal Financial Aid eligible programs.