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Certificate Programs, Professional Sequences, and Other Curricula

Curricula

UC Berkeley Extension offers certificate programs and other organized curricula in a variety of subject areas.

Getting Started

Consult the program's description for recommended beginning courses.

Registration Procedures

We recommend that you register for certificate programs and professional sequences before you begin your third course in the program. To register for the program, please print out and complete the Program Registration Form. Mail it as indicated and include the registration fee. You can also complete the form and submit payment online.

Some certificate programs and professional sequences require application for candidacy before you begin the program; please read individual program descriptions and requirements carefully. To apply for candidacy, please fill out the application form at extension.berkeley.edu/cert. Program requirements may be updated based on new developments in the field of study; we recommend completing the program in a timely fashion.

Fees

An application fee of $75 (for study programs/professional sequences) or $100 (for certificate programs) must accompany your application. All fees are subject to change without notice. Application fees are not refundable.

Requirements

See the individual certificate program descriptions for required and elective courses. A grade point average of 2.5 is the minimum required for completion of a certificate program, and each course in any certificate program must be completed with a grade of C or better. Higher grades are required in some programs. For information on semester units, continuing education units (ceu), and course grading, please see the information on credit and grades.

Preparation

For many certificate programs, a college degree or comparable professional experience is recommended. Some programs have more specific prerequisites; please review the descriptions.

Substitutions, Waivers, and Transfer Credit

Students must contact the program director prior to beginning the certificate program to request a course substitution, waiver, or transfer credit. Students must include detailed information about the certificate credit course requirement that they are requesting to substitute or waive, and detailed information about the credit course or transfer credit that they request to serve as a substitution. Requests for course substitutions, waivers, and transfer credit must be approved in advance by the program director and department director.

Substitution: Students may request to substitute a course requirement in a UC Berkeley Extension Certificate program with another credit course that is equivalent in content and credit semester units/hours. A substituted course must be another credit course either at UC Berkeley Extension or it can be transferred in from another regionally accredited academic institution (see Transfer Credit below).

Waivers: Students who possess a license or credential in a particular subject area or professional field may request to have a Certificate course requirement waived. When a course is waived, the semester units/hours of the waived course must be made up by taking another credit course. When requesting a course waiver, students must provide the Program Director with documentation of their relevant credential or license.

Transfer Credit:

  1. For transfer credit, students must provide the program director with an official copy of their transcript from a regionally accredited university or college, and the course description for the course they wish to transfer.
  2. Transfer credit will only be accepted if:
    • All coursework was completed prior to the student beginning the certificate program at UC Berkeley Extension.
    • All coursework does not exceed ¼ of the total number of semester units/hours of the certificate program.
    • Students have obtained a B or better grade in all coursework.
    • All coursework was completed from a regionally accredited university or college.
    • All coursework was completed within five years of beginning the certificate program at UC Berkeley Extension.
  3. Accepted transfer credit within the UC system will be calculated into the GPA.
  4. Accepted transfer credit from institutions outside of the UC system will not be calculated into the GPA.
  5. After a student has started their certificate program at UC Berkeley Extension, no transfer credit will be allowed into the certificate program, and students must complete the remainder of their certificate requirements at UC Berkeley Extension.

In some cases there is a fee to waive or substitute courses.

Conversion of Semester and Quarter Units

Semester-unit equivalents in quarter units:

Advancing from a Study Program/Professional Sequence to a Certificate Program

Some study programs/professional sequences share course requirements with more in-depth certificate programs in the same subject area. After you have completed the requirements for a study program/professional sequence, you may find that you need only a few more courses to be eligible for a certificate. If you wish to go on to earn the certificate, you may apply for candidacy at a reduced application fee of $50.

Transferring from a Certificate Program to a Study Program/Professional Sequence

In curriculum areas in which there are both certificates and study programs/professional sequences, you may transfer from the certificate program to the shorter study program/professional sequence format if required courses are shared by the two programs. No additional fee is charged if you elect to transfer from a certificate program to a study program/professional sequence in the same curriculum area.

Online Certificate Programs

Several certificate programs are offered online. For more information, visit the Online section, or call the department offering the program. Please note that veterans' benefits do not apply to all online courses and curricula.

Obtaining Your Certificate

When you have satisfied your certificate or study program/professional sequence course requirements, please notify your academic department.

Transcript Notation

Upon award of your certificate, your certificate program or professional sequence completion is notated on your permanent record (transcript).